Pittsfield Swimmers Cap Tragic Week with Pair of Wins
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- A leader and a motivator, Tim Mazzer still is able to inspire his Pittsfield High swim team to do big things.
On the day the beloved coach was laid to rest, five days after his passing, his memory was spurring on the Generals in a pair of dual meet wins over Wahconah Friday at the Boys and Girls Club.
Wearing one of the “Swim for Tim” T-shirts the team made in honor of the program's co-coach, senior captain Hayden Plouffe explained the origin of the catch phrase.
“A while ago, we had a chant, ‘Swim for Tim,’ because he said he would jump in the pool with us and swim a practice with us if we won the meet,’ “ Plouffe said. “We kind of took that chant and turned it into a T-shirt. That’s how it was made.”
As Friday’s meet wound down and Plouffe prepared for the final home swim of his high school career -- the 100-yard breaststroke -- that “Swim for Tim” chant reverberated off the walls of the pool room.
“It kind of brought back the memory of that day that we had against Monument and the idea of him jumping in the pool if we won,” Plouffe said. “It really felt good to have good memories of him.”
Plouffe and the Pittsfield boys finished with a 54-37 win behind a pair of first-place finishes by senior Isaac Boyd.
The PHS girls won, 62-33, as Jordan Bradford picked up a pair of first-place finishes.
Bradford started the day by swimming the backstroke in Pittsfield’s winning 200 medley relay quartet. She the went right back in the pool to swim to victory in the 200 free in a time of 2:10.50.
Later, she out-touched sister and teammate Emily Bradford in the 500 free, coming home in 5:56.82.
Emily was a winner in the 200 individual medley (2:40.38). Pittsfield also got wins from Madeline Coco in the 100 butterfly (1:16.37), Meagan Ellis in the 100 back (1:14.63) and Szofia Lewis in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.16).
Wahconah’s Sabrina Holland won the 50 free (28.15) and 100 free (1:04.00). She also swam the anchor leg on the 400 free relay, coming from behind in the final 50 yards to give Wahconah a win by less than two seconds -- 4:28.72 to 4:30.25.
One of the closest finishes of the day in the boys meet was in the 500 free, where Wahconah’s Josh Kunzman touched in 6:38.34, just ahead of Pittsfield’s Calvin Lewis (6:39.13).
Wahconah racked up most of the first-place finishes in individual events, but the Pittsfield boys carried their day with depth, collecting most of the second- and third-place points and all three relays.
Boyd won the 200 IM (2:11.78) and 100 back (1:00.13) and swam legs on the medley relay and 4-by-100 free relay quartets.
Wahconah’s Fred Sears and Noah Schweitzer each was a double-winner. Sears took the 50 free (25:09) and 100 free (54.21). Schweitzer won the 200 free (2:01.51) and 100 breaststroke (1:13.75).
But in a week when the Pittsfield team was brought closer together to deal with a tragedy, it was somehow fitting that the boys could end their dual meet season with a win that was all about team.
Plouffe, one of six Generals recognized on Senior Day, talked a little about the heart-breaking journey he took over the last five days.
“I actually found out Monday morning,” he said. “Some of the parents found out first, and it got around to my mom, and she told me. It was bad. I didn’t really handle it that well.”
He was able to rally when his team needed it, Pittsfield co-coach Jim Harrington said during Friday’s Senior Day introductions.
“He has carried, I would say, an incredible burden over the last week or so, and he has really stepped up and shown his leadership,” Harrington said. “He’s shown his dedication to our team and his teammates.”
“As a team, you see a lot about everybody through their energy and how they feel,” Plouffe said. “You definitely realize the kids who are struggling more with it. You don’t single them out, but you stick by their side so they can get through it.
“We can’t leave anybody alone.”