Mmm... Maastricht Maastricht, the provincial capital of Llmburg and one of the oldest cities of the Netherlands, played host to over 100 American swimmers who spent their Christmas holiday at KLM's International Friendship Meet. Story by Bob Ingram Photography by Ann lngram MAASTRICHT, The Nether- lands--Bill was nervous. It was only natural. After all, this was Bill's first international com- petition. The 14-year-old had come all the way from Lemoox~e, Calif., one of those small central California towns halfway between Bakersfield and Fresno. He was now in the land of wind- mills and wooden shoes: Holland. No, this wasn't a world champion- ship. Yet there were swimmers from Holland, West Germany, the Nether- lands Antilles, Belgium and the United States. This was the inaugural KLM In- ternational Friendship Meet... with the emphasis on friendship. Yet Bill was still understandably nervous, trying to invent things to do with his time while waiting for the start of the 200 meter IM. The gun sounded, and immediately Two years ago, plans for the meet It wasn't that he had a realistic his nervous energy switched to the became more specific. With the help shot of winning his race, especially task at hand--to do his best. of Jerryvan der Heyden, director of when your entered time in the event The rest of the field had already the Sport and Recreation Center of is 3:33.48I finished, yet Bill still had a ],ap-and- Dousberg in Maastricht, Holland, a "I've traveled a lot," he said, 'qgut a-half to go. He turned at 150 meters site for the meet was established. never like this--to Europel" and churned home... 3:31.341 The indoor, six-lane, 50 meter facil- It was a once-in-a-lifetime oppor- He was 56th out of 56 swimmers, ity, Zwembad de Dousberg, was tunity to compete internationally. yet you could tell by his smile. He built in 1973 and had been used for There were no time standards. It was did his best timel the Limburg provincial champion- with swimmers like Bill in mind that ships of Holland. the Friendship Meet was planned. "We wanted a meet for anybody Yet it was also for swimmers who Three years ago, members of and everybody," Krumm said. wanted to experience some good in- the Westport YMCA of Westport, Last Dec. 28-30, 103 Americans ternational competition, who Conn., traveled to Sweden as part (the largest group of U.S. swimmers wanted to learn what swimming and of a swimming exchange program. ever to compete in Europe) from 28 swimmers were like in Europe and It was then that the idea of the KLM clubs all over, the United States who wanted to have a fun time over International Friendship Swim (California to Florida, Texas to Indi- the Christmas holidays. Meet--an age group competition for ana and New Mexico to Vermont) Bill's time had come. The start of 13-18-year-olds--was born. joinec~325 European swimmers for the 200 meter individual medley. Head coach Bill Krumm talked the first of what is expected to be an with Bud Thoelke, a parent of one annual Friendship Meet. When the American and West of Westport's swimmers, Jason. The "We really wanted this meet to German swimmers got together father also happened to be vice have an international flavor and for team cheers (above). they let president of Ask Mr. Foster Travel make it a ceremonial-type event," everyone know thelr No. 1 Service, one of the largest travel Krumm said. "We'd like to see even priority--friendship. agencies in the world. more countries represented in future Swimming World/March 1987 47 M'aastricht years--make it like a mini-Olym- plcs.• ,t The meet organizers' enthusiasm obviously spread to the kids, their coaches and their families. In addi- tion to the 103 swimmersi there were 11 coaches and 23 family mem- bers who made the trip from the United States. For some, the chance to go to Europe was a Christmas or Hannu- kah present. Some clubs helped raise money to send their swimmers. Another received a contribution from her church. For Mike Englis, a 14-year-old at the Westport YMCA, the trip was a reward for all of his hard work. The tour package offered by Ask Mr. Foster was so inviting, it also became a family affair with Mike's parents, older brother, George (19), and younger sister, Anna (8). What made this meet so attractive contingent through the Belgium "Michael had a good summer (of to many of the swimmers was not Ardennes and onto the wild and swimming), then this came up," only the opportunity to compete rugged northeastern corner of the Mike's mother, Angela, said. against Europeans their age, but the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the "Michael has been swimming day chance to experience Europe. tiny chateau town of Clerveaux for in, day out almost every day since The swimmers, coaches and lunch• he was 7 years old. We decided, families left the States Dec. 26th and From the 12th-century chateau, 'Wouldn't that be nice to go on a returned Jan. 2nd. During their stay, the group departed for the fairy tale trip as a reward for his hard work.' they were greeted by the. deputy town of Monschau in West Ger- And then we thought; 'Why not keep mayor of Maastricht at a reception many, set deep in the Eifel Hills in the whole family together over the at city hall, they toured both the an enchanting valley surrounded by holidayst' city of Maastricht and the province majestic hills and pine forests. The "It really is a perfect placeto have of Limburg and they visited the his- quaint city featured crooked something like this. Maastricht is so toric caves of Mount St. Peter, an wooden-beamed houses, tiny cob- centrally located near so many enormous labyrinth of more than bledstreets and picturesque bridges countries. 20,000 passages• spanning the River Ruhr. Maastricht is, in fact, at the The day after the meet, the Amer- And on New Year's Eve, the southern .tip of Holland and is icans actually traveled to four coun- American swimmers celebrated 1987 within minutes of Belgium, West tries-all in the same day[ Wesly with their European friends at the Germany, France and Luxembourg. Tours of Maastricht took the U.S. swimming complex, complete with 48 Swimming World/March 1987 Maastricht taking three firsts, a second and a seventh in the 15-16 competition. Chris ~Russo of the Sharks Swim Team in Greenwich, Conn,, won two events in the 13-14 age group, and" Elyce Sikora of the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club of Rock- ville, Md., won the 200 fly among the 13-14 girls. Of the 103 American swimmers, 38 made finals (representing 17 clubs from 10 states). Besides the six firsts, the U.S. kids also brought home two second-place medals and seven third- place awards. They also had 99 finishes in the top 12. In addition to Shenker, Russo and Sikora, five other U.S. swimmers were medal winners. Shenker's Pine Crest teammates, Karen Krahulik (17-18) and Mark Mulligan (17-18) took home bronze medals. Krahulik placed third in three events, while Mulligan finished third in one. Sarasota YMCA's Patty Fletcher was a double bronze medal winner in the 17-18-year-old bracket, and teammate J. Herrington took home a silver medal in the boys' 13-14 buffet, dancing and a conspicuously (Michael Krumnow). competition. large dragon float set in the middle Even Holland's medley relay team Nick Weis of the Capital Sea of the pooll which won the bronze medal at last Devils in Silver Springs, Md., was year's World Championships was another U.S. medal winner, finish- on hand to swim in a "friendship ing third in the 15-16 100 fly. So it was in this kind of atmos- 200 medley relay" (they won, by the But it was the swimmers from phere that the KLM International way, in 1:58.51--31/2 seconds off Holland who took home the most Friendship Swim Meet took place. It the world standard). The four- hardware and had the best perfor- was funl And there was some good some--Jolanda de Rover, Petra van mances. swimming; too, with most of the Staveren, Conny van Bentum and Six individual swims would have winning times equivalent to the U.S. Annemarie Verstappen--also pre- ranked among United States Swim- junior level. sented awards and were available ming's national age group top 16 "The Dutch had.almost all of their for autographs. long course list of last year. And best swimmers, except for a few of Of the 68 events that were held five of those swims came from the the elite," Krumm noted. Four of for the three age groups (13-14, 15- 17-18 girls. them were on the Dutch national 16, 17-18), American swimmers were As expected, two of the three girls team, three of whom went to Madrid able to win six of them. Belgium from the Holland national team last summer for the World Cham- captured three, West Germany seven were the top performers. pionships (twin sisters Mildred and and Holland 52. Karin Brienesse, swimming for Marianne Muis and Karin Brienesse). "I thought the meet was excel- Orca Swim Club of Leeuwarden, One of the West German swimmers lent," Krumm said afterwards. won the 50 and 100 freestyles~ Her was a European junior champion "Looking at the results, (in future 26.77 would have placed seventh years) we could dominate that meet.