HOPE — Hope’s Hobbs Pond swim is a huge success each and every year on a local level. In fact, the number of participants doubled compared to last year and a closer look shows the prominence of three families and their friends.

Hope’s McCluskeys, now proud owners of Camden House of Pizza, have been a big factor in PenBay Y’s Sailfish and Camden Hills Regional High School swimming for years. Though the youngest McCluskeys are swimming in college now, Eddie and Mark along with nine friends dominated this year’s swim. Add in Hodding Carter, their old Y Sailfish coach, the group took the top nine places, 11th, 12th and 14th. One-time competitors came to swim from Ellsworth, Waterville, Lewiston and Cape Elizabeth. This talent is moving out to places like Bates, Bowdoin, Clark and Howard. Older sisters Alyssa & Lianne narrowly missed being here for the swim.

15 Garrigan/Scotts from Hope and California completed the course, 17 if you count 3- and 5-year-old daughters who were towed by their father. Of course, there is overlap as some are McCluskey friends too. There were six members of the Goodman/Richards family, including Jonathan and Jennifer who started the whole thing more than 25 years ago when the swim was shortened and standardized to make it more accessible to swimmers of all ages.

Julian Abaldo repeated last year’s victory. Competition from other 17 to 21-year-olds was serious enough, though, that he gave up his quest to be the second person to complete the Hobbs Pond swim doing butterfly. This amazing feat was once performed by Owls Head’s Dollie Slater, then in her 70’s. Abaldo edged Sam Alvorado from Ellsworth Y by 15 inches and missed the course record by 12 inches. Mark McCluskey finished third. Linda Moran repeated as winner of the Hans Wendel Breaststroke Challenge by half a minute, besting Cheryl Dasco and Dan Dalrymple.

Youth dominance was palpable; Maine Masters’ presence was muted compared with years past. Still, Carter’s and Moran’s performances stood out, as did those of Bruce Haffner, Dieter Weber (who swam crawl without kicking), Susan Rardin and Mark Rixon. Bill Jones did the swim for the 25th time. And we may never find out how fast some of the Garrigans, Scotts and Goodmans who were accompanying their children might be. But then, that’s part of being a community swim first and a race second.

The entire production depends on a host of volunteers: former Olympian Bill O’Donnell as starter and timer, Karen Furlong and Judith Jones as both registrars and organizers of the post-swim party and potluck; Sheri and Mario Abaldo, Mary McCluskey and Judith Jones as record-keepers; Adam Scott and friends for setting up and taking down the course; Eddie and Mark McCluskey for posting and removing signs, and a host of spotters: Kate Richards, Mary Ireland, Lisa Goodman, Ashley Baxstrom and Jeff Connon, among others. The delicious post-swim party was held at Hope Town Library at Hope Town Office.

RESULTS

Place Name Age From Time Stroke

1 Julian Abaldo 17 Union 7:34 Freestyle
2 Samuel Alvorado 17 Lamoine 7:49 Freestyle
3 Mark McCluskey 19 Hope 8:20 Freestyle
4 Ben Thibert 18 Oakland 8:28 Freestyle
5 Alex Mukai 18 Cape Elizabeth 8:29 Freestyle
6 Matt Charest 18 Lewiston 8:55 Freestyle
7 Hodding Carter 53 Camden 9:21 Freestyle
8 Ella Scott 19 Hope 9:55 Freestyle
9 Margo Scott 20 Hope 10:11 Freestyle
10 Bruce Haffner 65 Hope 10:17 Freestyle
11 Eddie McCluskey 21 Hope 10:23 Freestyle
12 Alexander Bevier 18 Fairfield 10:24 Freestyle
13 Dieter Weber 53 Hope 10:39 Freestyle Pull
14 Peter Vannorsdall 20 Camden 12:09 Freestyle
15 Audrey Scott 13 Hope 12:10 Freestyle
16 Maureen Scott 46 Hope 12:13 Freestyle
17 Susan Rardin 66 Camden 12:30 Freestyle
18 Mike Garrigan 20 Danville CA 12:34 Freestyle
19 Adam Scott 47 Hope 12:45 Freestyle
20 Mark Rixon 56 Hope 12:55 Freestyle
21 Jonathan Goodman 54 Providence RI 13:01 Freestyle
22 Casey Garrigan 18 Danville CA 13:15 Freestyle
23 Mike Garrigan 51 Hope Freestyle
24 Charles Garrigan 32 Appleton 13:22 Freestyle [towing Margaret (5) & Abigail (3)]
25 Linda Moran 47 Hope 13:34 Breast
26 Bill Jones 79 Hope 13:58 Freestyle
27 Eddie Laudano 12 Wallingford CT 14:06 Freestyle
28 Sheryl Dasco 65 Houston TX 14:08 Breast
29 Dan Dalrymple 45 Rockland 15:21 Breast
30 Virginia Berman 51 Roslindale MA 15:27 Freestyle
31 Graciela Berman Reinhardt 13 Roslindale MA 15:52 Freestyle
32T Susan Longley 60 Liberty 16:55 Freestyle
32T Dave Garrigan 50 Concord CA 16:55 Freestyle
34T Alice Richards 13 Concord NH 19:04 Freestyle
34T Derek Goodman 10 Delaware OH 19:04 Freestyle
36 Madeline Goodman 13 Delaware OH 19:05 Freestyle
37 Jennifer Goodman 52 Concord NH 19:08 Freestyle
38 Martha Mitchell 66 Rockport ME 21:48 Freestyle
39 BB Garrigan 54 Hope 22:13 Freestyle
40 Christine Garrigan 54 Hope 22:14 Freestyle
41 Mirabelle Berman Reinhardt 11 Roslindale MA 23:06 Freestyle
42 Michael Reinhardt 49 Roslindale MA 23:10 Freestyle
43T Jean Downing Laudano 51 Wallingford CT 24:25 Freestyle
43T Dan Goodman 43 Delaware OH 24:25 Freestyle
45 Robbie Downing 54 Hope 24:52 Freestyle

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.