In Town For Competition, Tennessee Swim Club Has Team Bonding Experience At Blue Wahoos Game

Of the varied groups in attendance at Saturday’s Blue Wahoos game, none had traveled further than Tennessee Aquatics.

Or were more visible.

While in town for a massive youth club swimming event, Tennessee Aquatics was searching for things to do in Pensacola.

“The Blue Wahoos were one of the first things that popped up,” said team coach Tim Bauer.

Seated in front of the visiting team bullpen on the third base line, the contingent was clad in orange and treated to a memorable experience. The Blue Wahoos rallied amid a sellout crowd in the ninth inning for a walkoff win, leading into a fireworks show launched immediately afterward.

The group of 50 swimmers, four coaches, two chaperones and team bus driver visited Pensacola for the annual Tom Lalor Invitational, organized by the Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club.

The competition among 25-plus teams and 700-plus swimmers was held at the University of West Florida Aquatic Center.

“We thought this would be a great chance for us to get out of the hotel at night and do something different,” said Bauer, a long-time club swimming coach, who is also on the USA Swimming Coaches Advisory Council.

“Coming out of Covid, this weekend was the first time some of these kids have traveled together as a group in three or four years, so they are all excited,” Bauer said.

“They have been really well-behaved. It’s been a great experience.”

Tennessee Aquatics is based in Knoxville, Tenn. The club trains at the University of Tennessee’s Allen Jones Aquatic Center (indoor) and the Student Aquatic Center (outdoor).

The Tennessee Vols swimming coach, Mark Kredich, who just completed his 17th season with a consecutive SEC women’s swim title, serves on the board of directors for Tennessee Aquatics.

“He is one of the best swim coaches in the country,” Bauer said. “We’re very fortunate. We have a great relationship with the University of Tennessee and the swimming program.”

Tennessee Aquatics has 200-plus swimmers ranging from 6 to 18, along with an elite division of collegiate and aspiring U.S. Olympic swimmers.

The team contingent in Pensacola were ages 11 through 18. The swim competition concluded Sunday.

“We went to the beach for two nights and thought this would be a great chance to get out and with fireworks and all that was going on,” Bauer said.

“I made a couple phone calls and they got back to us. Great bargain for the money.”

The group got a visit from Blue Wahoos’ ultra-popular emcee, “Downtown Dave” Presnell, who is a University of Tennessee graduate, along with this writer.

Blue Wahoos group sales executive Brandon Miller worked with Bauer to arrange the group section earlier in the week.

Bauer was hired by Tennessee Aquatics in December, after previously working at club teams in the Houston area.

“I used to come to this (Tom Lalor Invitational) meet with my former team in Texas,” Bauer said. “We would come with about 150 kids and we’d leave with 75 because all he parents wanted to stay and go to the beach.

“I am really trying to build a team and we’ve done a lot of great team-bonding exercises and we thought this would be a great opportunity. As you can see, they don’t have their phones out, they are interacting with each other and those things are priceless in my opinion.”