Ruthy (Cooper) O’Malley and Mary (Cooper) Szweda are two of 12 siblings who grew up swimming as a family for the Naperville Tennis Club as part of the Naperville Swim Conference.
“We are super competitive,” said Szweda.
“Super. And she’s even more than me,” said O’Malley.
Over thirty years after they first got involved with swimming for their neighborhood club, O’Malley is now the head coach for the Saybrook Sharks, while her sister Mary is the head coach for the Stillwater Starz. The poolside staples are among the countless coaches, volunteers, and staff members who have made the Naperville City Swim Meet a resounding success for 58 years.
“It brings the community together. Saybrook helped me raise my four boys. They watched my kids when I was coaching,” said O’Malley.
“It’s an inclusive environment,” said Szweda.
“Now my kids got to grow up with these friendships. It’s a playdate at the pool all the time,” said O’Malley.
“And the friendships last forever,” said Szweda.
The Naperville City Swim Meet is the capstone two-day event for the NSC following eight weeks of hard work for over 1,000 kids from 20 different neighborhood pools.
The swim community lends a helping hand
Melissa Vanderlaan, the chair for this year’s meet, held at Metea Valley on July 24 and 25, said it’s a full swim community effort to pull it all off.
“What they might not recognize is that it takes so many adults to run a swim meet. It’s timers, it’s bullpen people, it’s marshals, it’s coaches. And if you look around, all of these people are doing it for the kids. And I am continually impressed with how the adults step up to run such a big event in their spare time,” said Melissa Vanderlaan. “It’s just something that warms my heart because as much as this is kind of scary for me to run it, there are all of these amazing parents here that are helping, and that’s really cool.”
The high school swimmers get the festivities started on Friday night, showcasing some of the top talent not just in Naperville, but the state of Illinois. The next morning, the high schoolers return to the pool deck in their coordinated costumes to cheer on their young team members as coaches, which fires up the day two swimmers.
“It just makes me excited for the meet and makes me ready for my events, so I swim fast,” said Breckenridge Breakers swimmer Isaac Perez.
“I’ve seen a lot of people dressed as grandmas, and I think that’s really funny,” said Brookdale Bucs swimmer Emma Tucker.
Full circle moments when swimmers become coaches
“What I love most is that when the kids grow up, we teach them how to swim and then they turn, you know, 15, 16, 17, they help us coach and teach the kids how to swim. So just seeing the full circle that they can give back what they learn, how good they’ve become, and then they help me with my new little five- and six-year-olds, and they teach them how to be faster,” said O’Malley
“I taught her assistant coach how to swim back in the day,” said Szweda. “So they come back, and we’re like, ‘I taught you how to swim!’ You would do circles in the lane, and now you swim in a straight line!”
For the younger set in the five-to-13 age range, there is a great sense of pride at hitting the qualifying times to compete in the City Meet.
“I like that you get to work hard and I like how much your coaches push it and do stuff that you never thought you could do,” said Saybrook Sharks swimmer Wells Mygind.
“It’s just really fun, and I just really like to swim,” said Breckenridge Breaker Emmett Horner.
“It’s fun hanging out with my friends and swimming and beating your own best time,” said Breckenridge Breaker Vidyut Cherukuri.
In the Naperville Swim Conference, whether you swim in the Classic Meet or qualify for the City Meet, you are an important part of your neighborhood team.
“We have lots of people cheering for us, and it’s just a great environment,” said Saybrook Sharks swimmer Tessa Mygind.
“It feels good swimming for this team. It’s fun and competitive,” said Breckenridge Breaker Demian Ryabchun.
Breckenridge takes home the 2026 City Championship
This year’s city champions were the Breckenridge Breakers, who held off Naper Carriage Hill, Brookdale and Saybrook to take home the team title. While everyone wants to end the summer season on a high note, the main goal is to have fun and give it your all. Although some swimmers have their sights set a little higher.
“I might want to play water polo and swim in college and maybe even go to the Olympics,” said Breckenridge Breaker Matteo Piazza.
And O’Malley and Szweda say the wins in this meet don’t necessarily come from being the top swimmer.
“It’s just having fun and doing your best and getting your best time. When they get their best time, I feel like, ‘oh my God, I win!’” said O’Malley.
“I win, you win!” said Szweda.
For Naperville Community Television, I’m Justin Cornwell.
For more prep sports highlights and community sports, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
