While the major planned concerts for the 50th anniversary of Woodstock have been scuttled due to legal and musical disputes, Downs Farm Swim Club was to be rolling right along with its celebration of the 60th annual Cherry Bowl – complete with hippie theme.
“I don’t really know why we picked Woodstock … the kids actually picked it and I guess it’s due to their youthful spirit. But we chose the 1960s theme based off the 60th anniversary celebration. And then the seniors, who are our senior swimmers, get to pick the theme, and they were the ones who chose Woodstock,” said Kathleen Federline, Downs Farm Swim Club member and chairperson for the Cherry Bowl celebration.
On Saturday, July 27, the 60th annual Cherry Bowl was to be hosted there, a high-profile, one-day event that brings together the Cherry Hill Township aquatic community. At its core it’s a competition involving all 13 neighborhood swim clubs throughout the township.
Each year, almost 800 swimmers ranging in age from 8 and under to 18, as well as nearly 2,000 spectators, gather to participate in an exciting atmosphere of competition, cooperation, sportsmanship and community – complete with bragging rights for the winners.
“Along with bragging rights, there literally is a bowl of cherries (in the trophy). Erlton has it for the year because they won it last year. And they provide the cherries, the real cherries that go into the bowl. The team which wins gets to take the real bowl back to their swim club for the whole next year,” Federline explained.
Regarding Downs Farm’s chances to claim victory as the gracious hosts, Federline shied away from concrete predictions, saying: “We are a fun team. We have a lot of personality and a lot of determination. We haven’t won in a while, but never say never.”
Aside from the actual swimming events, the Cherry Bowl has lasted so long that there is a Hall of Fame for excellent performance and commitment. This year’s inductees are expected to be one-time Downs Farm swimmer Morgan Ley – who has held the record for girls’ 11-12 50-meter breaststroke since 2000 – and Cherry Hill High School East boys’ swim coach Joe Cucinotti.
“I think because you host it once every 13 years, and this is our time to host and to show off our club and for the kids to be involved. A lot of parents also participated in the whole thing when they were young. So they know all about the fun they had with the parade and with everybody in town. With Cherry Hill being so large, it’s a great way to make it small because everybody’s coming together. You rarely see a sport where there are that many age groups all together and competing,” Federline said when asked what keeps the parents and community active in the event after six decades.
Federline admitted, beyond pride of place and a chance at breaking a long losing streak, her efforts to impress will be focused on a more personal level. By the next time Downs Farm gets to host, her daughter will be too old to swim in the event.
“As for our national anthem, we have a special guest singer lined up, though I’m not going to tell you who it is. And our tents are going to be set up like Woodstock – not to say who’s going to be participating, but it’ll be a fun time in Tent City,” Federline added.
Be sure to look for expanded coverage of the Cherry Bowl in the Sun’s Aug. 7 edition.
