Team History
The Covington team has created a home for Los Altos swimmers for over 40 years, and we are proud to be able to continue to offer this popular summer program for youth. The team has been in existence since 1968, with this summer marking Covington’s 43rd anniversary of providing a summer program for youth. Our philosophy is to build a team of kids who love to swim, giving major emphasis to good stroke technique and good sportsmanship. Through our program, swimmers develop strong friendships on the team and a love of the sport. They respect the coaches, they want to improve, and they have fun.
Covington pool was demolished in 2001, and the Covington team has been "homeless" ever since. However, despite the lack of a home pool, Covington Swim Team has enjoyed fun-filled, successful seasons, finishing second overall for the past several years.
Covington pool was demolished in 2001, and the Covington team has been "homeless" ever since. However, despite the lack of a home pool, Covington Swim Team has enjoyed fun-filled, successful seasons, finishing second overall for the past several years.
Early History
Here is an early history of the Covington Critters, written by Head Coach Stretch Andersen.
To trace the history of the "Covington Critters" one must go back BEFORE the Critters were created. I will pick up the story when I became involved...as a swimmer, prior to being a coach.
To trace the history of the "Covington Critters" one must go back BEFORE the Critters were created. I will pick up the story when I became involved...as a swimmer, prior to being a coach.
Pre Critters
During the early 60's the Los Altos Recreation Department ran two swim programs during the summer season. The program at Covington (which was then a Jr. High School) consisted almost entirely of beginners swim lessons in the mornings and recreation swimming in the afternoons. The main object at Covington was to "water safe" children. Kids would enter the program as non-swimmers, and work toward THE TEST, which consisted of swimming the length of the pool freestyle and floating on their backs for 30 seconds. No other strokes were taught at Covington.
Once a swimmer passed THE TEST, it was off to the program at Los Altos High School, where there were classes in other Red Cross recognized strokes. Strokes taught were non-racing breaststroke (with large, wide up-out-together pulls), and non-racing backstroke (which was the aforementioned breaststroke on ones back).
The Rec. Department realized that there was a need for a class to teach kids the basics they would need to join a swim team. A class called "Competitive Swimming" was introduced. The class was taught at Covington, across the deep end. Tom Neilson, the then 7th grade Covington PE instructor taught the class. Swimmers, all 6 or 8 of us, were taught the racing breaststroke (whip kick and all), the racing backstroke, and a stroke called butterfly. In addition, we were taught a long shallow racing dive (as opposed to the arcing, deep dive, taught in the regular Covington and LAHS programs). We were also endlessly drilled on turns, and the proper wall touches.
Tom Neilson had an assistant named Rich Decker. Rich was a high school/college kid. He also taught beginner swim lessons and was a lifeguard in the afternoons. Eventually, Tom Neilson left summer swim program at Covington, and Rich Decker took over as pool manager. He also taught the competitive swimming class.
Interest in the competitive swimming class grew. I believe the class was split into two, based on age. More kids joined the class, and some days the class migrated from "across the deep end" to the whole 25 yard length of the pool!
Once a swimmer passed THE TEST, it was off to the program at Los Altos High School, where there were classes in other Red Cross recognized strokes. Strokes taught were non-racing breaststroke (with large, wide up-out-together pulls), and non-racing backstroke (which was the aforementioned breaststroke on ones back).
The Rec. Department realized that there was a need for a class to teach kids the basics they would need to join a swim team. A class called "Competitive Swimming" was introduced. The class was taught at Covington, across the deep end. Tom Neilson, the then 7th grade Covington PE instructor taught the class. Swimmers, all 6 or 8 of us, were taught the racing breaststroke (whip kick and all), the racing backstroke, and a stroke called butterfly. In addition, we were taught a long shallow racing dive (as opposed to the arcing, deep dive, taught in the regular Covington and LAHS programs). We were also endlessly drilled on turns, and the proper wall touches.
Tom Neilson had an assistant named Rich Decker. Rich was a high school/college kid. He also taught beginner swim lessons and was a lifeguard in the afternoons. Eventually, Tom Neilson left summer swim program at Covington, and Rich Decker took over as pool manager. He also taught the competitive swimming class.
Interest in the competitive swimming class grew. I believe the class was split into two, based on age. More kids joined the class, and some days the class migrated from "across the deep end" to the whole 25 yard length of the pool!
A Team is Formed
Toward the middle of one summer, and at the urging of some of the Mothers (including mine) Rich began to prep "the class" for a swim meet. Prior to this, the only meet that the swimmers participated in was the annual "Los Altos City Wide Swim Meet". Participation in this meet was strictly optional, and there was no formal participation of the competitive swimming class as a group.
The first year, the "Covington" team as we were called, swam against Cherry Chase swim club in Sunnyvale and perhaps one other "Country Club" team.
The first year, the "Covington" team as we were called, swam against Cherry Chase swim club in Sunnyvale and perhaps one other "Country Club" team.
The Team Matures
The "Covington" summer team continued on in this fashion for several years. I left the program as a swimmer for a couple of years for "other activities". In 1968 I rejoined the Covington summer program as a lifeguard, swim instructor and assistant coach. The "Covington" program (still not the Critters) had grown in size. There were probably 60 kids in the program. Practices were 8-9AM for older kids and 9-10 for younger kids. There was even a "6 and under" program across the deep end. The main team was now practicing the length of the pool. Rich had organized a series of about 6 meets during the summer for the team.
Need for a Team Name
One of our away meets that season was against Ladera Oaks Swim & Tennis Club. As was tradition, the "traveling squad", WAS the squad. We took all swimmers to away meets. We squeezed everyone on the team in at least one race. During warm ups, the coaching staff noticed that the 6 and unders were inexplicably crying. Soon the 7-8 year olds was beginning to cry, and it appeared that the epidemic was even spreading to the 9-10 year olds. At Rich's urging, I grabbed one of the older kids and attempted to pump him for the cause. Apparently, since Ladera was a country club team, all the kids had team suits and team sweats. Our kids saw this "organization" as a sign that these kids were great swimmers, and that we would lose the meet.
Rich gathered the team, and announced that this was all a bunch of bunk. "All that fancy stuff is just to cover up crummy swimmers", he said. The kids believed him and we went on to win the meet.
Back at Covington, the coaching staff met to discuss what had happened at Ladera. We got by, but just barely. Clearly, we needed some "team identity".
Rich gathered the team, and announced that this was all a bunch of bunk. "All that fancy stuff is just to cover up crummy swimmers", he said. The kids believed him and we went on to win the meet.
Back at Covington, the coaching staff met to discuss what had happened at Ladera. We got by, but just barely. Clearly, we needed some "team identity".
The "Covington Critters" are Born !
We were purposely running a low cost program. We did not want to have the overall program expense deter ANYONE from participating. Hence, some of the kids even swam in cut-offs. Team suits or sweats were too expensive we reasoned, so the coaching staff decided that a team T-Shirt was the answer. But what to put on the shirt?
Rich Decker, who by now was attending graduate school, was a very colorful guy. He had a great sense of humor. The kids and parents adored him. His language was dotted with colorful off-beat words, which made everyone smile. When the kids, particularly the younger ones, would mob him, he would say: "Get away from me you varmints! Get away from me you little Critters!" He said, "Why don't we call the team the "Covington Critters"? The staff immediately agreed (after all he was the head coach!).
We agreed upon the words COVINGTON CRITTERS in black on a bright yellow shirt. When we mocked up the shirt, the shirt with just the words looked too plain. One of the girls on the staff suggested putting a line under the team name, and having a couple of webbed feet hang down. The Critters logo was born.
Rich Decker, who by now was attending graduate school, was a very colorful guy. He had a great sense of humor. The kids and parents adored him. His language was dotted with colorful off-beat words, which made everyone smile. When the kids, particularly the younger ones, would mob him, he would say: "Get away from me you varmints! Get away from me you little Critters!" He said, "Why don't we call the team the "Covington Critters"? The staff immediately agreed (after all he was the head coach!).
We agreed upon the words COVINGTON CRITTERS in black on a bright yellow shirt. When we mocked up the shirt, the shirt with just the words looked too plain. One of the girls on the staff suggested putting a line under the team name, and having a couple of webbed feet hang down. The Critters logo was born.
The Shirts
Now that we had our design, all we had to do was fund the shirts. We sent home a flyer and collected money from the kids. The dollars and quarters and dimes rolled in. We got a catalog from some mail order T-shirt company (such companies were not as prolific as they are today). We filled out the form, sent in our money, and waited, for what seemed like forever for our team shirts to arrive.
The day the boxes arrived was like the Wells Fargo Wagon scene in Music Man. WHAT EXCITEMENT! However, as we opened the boxes... we noted a HUGE problem. Apparently, when we had filled out the order form we neglected to check the CHILDREN's SIZE box. So now what we had were 75+ t-shirts in ADULT sizes. OOOPS! Even the size smalls were like tents on our younger kids. We had no choice but to hand them out and just TRY and explain what happened.
Much to our amazement, the kids LOVED them. The oversized shirts doubled as warm up sweats for them. In fact, the HUGE shirts were such a hit, that subsequent orders where placed in adult sizes as well.
The day the boxes arrived was like the Wells Fargo Wagon scene in Music Man. WHAT EXCITEMENT! However, as we opened the boxes... we noted a HUGE problem. Apparently, when we had filled out the order form we neglected to check the CHILDREN's SIZE box. So now what we had were 75+ t-shirts in ADULT sizes. OOOPS! Even the size smalls were like tents on our younger kids. We had no choice but to hand them out and just TRY and explain what happened.
Much to our amazement, the kids LOVED them. The oversized shirts doubled as warm up sweats for them. In fact, the HUGE shirts were such a hit, that subsequent orders where placed in adult sizes as well.
Rich Decker Leaves, Stretch Anderson Takes Over
After two years of coaching the newly named "Critters", Rich Decker left to "do that adult thing". The city hired me as summer pool manager and head coach. I continued in this capacity for several years, before succumbing to "the adult thing" myself.
The overall outcome of the T-shirt fiasco really helped shape the "image" of the Critters. During my term as Head Coach, we really played up the "rag-tag, kids with the crazy, mis-fitting shirts" image. I loved to go to away meets with my now 175 member traveling squad in their huge shirts. I loved to watch the reaction of the opposing team, coach and parents when my Critters would take the pool for warm ups. When it was our turn I would generally bellow: "EVERYONE IN THE POOL!" All 175 kids would jump in from wherever. The older kids would practice their starts and turns to get used to the pool. The younger kids (some with their huge shirts still on!) would splash, play, hang on the lane lines and generally goof off.
Despite all this chaos we generally won, and the kids and the coach had a blast. And isn't that what a summer FUN league is really all about?
The overall outcome of the T-shirt fiasco really helped shape the "image" of the Critters. During my term as Head Coach, we really played up the "rag-tag, kids with the crazy, mis-fitting shirts" image. I loved to go to away meets with my now 175 member traveling squad in their huge shirts. I loved to watch the reaction of the opposing team, coach and parents when my Critters would take the pool for warm ups. When it was our turn I would generally bellow: "EVERYONE IN THE POOL!" All 175 kids would jump in from wherever. The older kids would practice their starts and turns to get used to the pool. The younger kids (some with their huge shirts still on!) would splash, play, hang on the lane lines and generally goof off.
Despite all this chaos we generally won, and the kids and the coach had a blast. And isn't that what a summer FUN league is really all about?
Last modified: June 11, 2007