MIDDLEBURY — Suzanne Snider has been carrying a clipboard at the Middlebury Town Pool and shouting encouragement to local swimmers for years. She may have started out as a mom of two young kids who were learning to compete for the local swim team, but Snider did much more — lending a hand wherever she could and eventually helping organize and run meets that hosted hundreds of kids from around northwestern Vermont.
At this past weekend’s Champlain Valley Swim League Championship meet here, Snider took a bow after 25 years helping out young swimmers. The League bestowed upon the Middlebury resident its Allen B. Cummings CVSL Volunteer Award.
Snider was appreciative of the honor.
“I’m very grateful to have had a chance to work with all of you and the literally thousands of swimmers, coaches, officials, and parents that have come across our dual and league meet decks over the past 25 years,” she told those assembled at the meet on Saturday for the awards ceremony.
“Who would have guessed that when (my son) Matt joined the Middlebury Swim Team, way back when, that we were headed this way. It’s been a memorable run. Thank you all for your well wishes. I will miss connecting with my summer swim friends annually for this meet.”
Snider enjoyed the family aspects of the swim league. It was not just her son, Matt, and daughter, Sarah, who took part. Suzanne’s husband, Steve Snider, has officiated at every league meet since 1999, including as the Meet Referee for the league meets 2013-2015 and in several other officials capacities since then. He is also a USAS official and does training clinics for new officials, and he is a swimming official at Middlebury College and NESCAC Championship meets, as well as at winter USAS age group meets.
“Steve was the Meet Referee for the CVSL meet this year so it was wonderful to close out as a lead team at our original home pool,” Suzanne Snider said.
She said that it is the “multi-age and multi-generational family effort that makes age group swimming such a unique and valuable experience. The opportunity for swimmers to be on the same team with siblings and other younger and older swimmers is so amazing to watch.
She stepped back from the Middlebury Summer Swim Team after daughter Sarah’s last year coaching in 2013, but Snider remained active at the summer league level as the Entry Chair and doing the computer Scoring System for the CVSL Championship Meet.
While this was the last year she was doing this for the league, Snider said she is still involved volunteering with the winter USAS team doing their registrations and some admin support.