Sitting in her tent with cosmetics and homemade jewelry, Woodcrest resident Mary Beth Taylor realized the significance of Cherry Bowl 2014 coming to her neighborhood.
After all, it only happens once every 13 years.
“I live in the neighborhood, so it’s very exciting to be a part of this event,” Taylor said.
Woodcrest Swim Club was the host of the 55th edition of Cherry Bowl, a swim meet attracting the best youth swimmers from all 13 of the township’s swim clubs. The daylong event began early in the morning with a parade and opening ceremony, leading into about five hours of races.
When the time comes for a swim club to host Cherry Bowl, a lot of time and effort goes into the preparation to make it better than the previous year. What was most evident about Woodcrest was local community members such as Taylor getting involved.
Taylor reserved space as a vendor to take advantage of an opportunity to support her neighbors. Being able to meet, talk and sell items with people from Woodcrest and all over Cherry Hill was a huge plus.
“I’ve been able to sell my products to children as well as adults,” she said.
For Woodcrest Swim Club, hosting Cherry Bowl is the equivalent of London hosting the Summer Olympics. A lot of its members were excited to put the club in the spotlight.
“It’s nice to be able to showcase our club,” said Greg Young, co-chair for the event. “We have one of the largest clubs in Cherry Hill.”
Woodcrest pride was evident everywhere. Dozens of volunteers were seen at the club, guiding swimmers to the pool for their heats, serving food and helping out at craft and photo booths.
Volunteers played a big part before and after the event as well. Woodcrest was closed the two days prior to prepare for the event. With dozens of tents and sets of bleachers to set up, it was a monumental task to get the club ready.
“A lot of volunteers have come after work to set up,” Young said.
In addition, volunteers were needed to cleanup. Young acknowledged it would be nearly impossible to pull the event off without the cooperation of the community.
The event is huge for promoting the swim club. Approximately 2,000 people attended the daylong event. All of the proceeds go to Woodcrest.
Cherry Bowl is not just about competition, it truly a unifying event for the township. Cherry Bowl is representative of the diversity of the township’s individual neighborhoods.
“It’s fantastic,” said Melissa Young, Woodcrest Swim Club’s diving coach. “It really pulls everyone together from the community.”
The cooperation between the swim clubs is evident in the event’s set up. Preparation for this year’s event began last August. Woodcrest Swim Club formed a committee for the event and got help from swim clubs that hosted previous editions of Cherry Bowl to get a sense on how to prepare.
“All of the clubs help out each other,” Melissa said. “It really helps the club out for the next year.”
After a long morning and afternoon of meets, Erlton Swim Club was named the overall team champion, taking home the coveted Cherry Bowl trophy.
As the book closed on Cherry Bowl 2014, members of Woodcrest Swim Club got the chance to stop and take a breath after a year of hard work.
But as one Cherry Bowl ends, preparations for another one begins. Barclay Farms Swim Club is up next in 2015 and its meetings will begin as soon as next week.
