Meadowbrook Memories
By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor
Today is one of those fondly nostalgic yet undeniably somber days. After the Labor Day weekend, Meadowbrook Swim Club, which has been part of the Pennsauken community for 51 years, will be locking the gate and closing for good. For many kids living in and around the Pennsbrook part of town, myself and my siblings included, Meadowbrook Swim Club was a home away from home during the summertime. And while it’s sad to come to the realization that there may not be a place for Meadowbrook Swim Club in today’s hyper-active, activity-filled, always-online world, there are a lot of fond memories that rise to the surface.
There’s a few of us who still know the cheer; if someone starts it up, you’ll definitely know how to finish it:
“Oh we’re the team that really loves to swim,
And we’re the team that really deserves to win,
And just to look at us is such a treat,
It’s hard to beat…
MEAD-OW-BROOK!”
Meadowbrook Swim Team circa 1983 during the “Sherri and Scott” years. Photo credit: Sean Moran, Facebook.
I can’t tell you how many times, I sang this during those magical summers when Sherri and Scott were coaches of Meadowbrook Swim Team. We went on one heck of a run, making our way from F Division in Tri-County Swimming all the way to D. We had a pretty big team back then – well over 80 kids in a variety of age groups – and it was a lot of fun, swimming with all of our friends. A lot of us went on to swim for winter teams, high school and college. Thanks to the lessons we learned during our Meadowbrook days, both my brother and I went on to swim on the Division III teams of our alma maters. We even swam against each other, which was not the best thing for the psyche of identical twins. But it wound up being a lot of fun… because we really loved to swim. That was something we learned back home.
Then there was raft night. The one or two nights a year were everybody and their cousin were allowed to bring rafts of all shapes and sizes into the pool for an after hours party. It was bedlam. Fortunately, the “U.S.S. Sinatra,” an inflatable boat my brother won during a raffle at Saint Peter’s School was up to the task. We tipped over each others rafts, ate way too much pizza, and slept well that night.
Meadowbrook Swim Club during brighter days. The club will close its doors for good after Labor Day weekend. Photo credit: Meadowbrook Swim Club, Facebook.
There are so many memories from our days at Meadowbrook – too many to count. For many, Meadowbrook offered our first jobs, whether it was a pool cleaner, a lifeguard, manager, or working at the snack bar. There were Fourth of July parties, basketball tourneys, volleyball games, stick ball matches by the honeysuckle-laden back fences, and amazing diving performances by Mr. Carroll. Then there was the “Adult Swim,” the bane of all kids. Children under the age of 15 must leave the pool. The “Adult Swim” lasted 20 minutes and began when all children left the pool. Or so I’ve been told…
But things change; so do people and places. Kids grow up and leave home. Families start new traditions. There are summer camps, traveling baseball teams and the like. It doesn’t leave much time for spending the day at the pool. Swim teams dwindle away, as do memberships. In today’s world, places like Meadowbrook Swim Club are the casualties of a society that’s maybe a little too plugged in and a little less engaged.
But while Meadowbrook Swim Club sadly will be gone, our memories – the great ones that are synonymous with youth and summer fun – can never go away.
Here’s to the Meadowbrook Swim Club and the Seahorses. Thanks for everything. We’ll miss you.
