Sardines celebrate 50th anniversary

More than 500 swimmers and their families will descend on Bluffton July 12-13, 2024 for the annual Western Ohio Aquatics League (WOAL) Swim Champs. WOAL swimmers are ages 5-18 and represent eight regional teams.

Bluffton Village Pool will host the Ada Gators, Bluffton Sardines, Findlay Frogs, Kenton Stingrays, Shawnee Tide, Wapakoneta Waves, Westside Wave  and Van Wert Marlins. Teams will compete for the 2024 league title.

Events start at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 12 and will conclude around 2 p.m. Day two of champs will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 13 and will conclude around 3 p.m. The league champs will be crowned at the end of day two.

“We are expecting close to 3,000 people in Bluffton for the two-day event,” said Jennie Wilson, manager of the Bluffton Village pool and president of the Bluffton Sardines Swim Club. “There is great energy behind swimming as a sport in our area and the summer league program is a great way to keep the swimmers active and competitive.” Each year the championships rotate between Bluffton, Kenton and Wapakoneta pools. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Bluffton Sardines, making the meet even more meaningful for the team.

Teams have been competing against each other since early June. Though many of the swimmers compete year-round with their local YMCA team, some participants also swim for local USA Swimming teams and have qualified for other competitions through this program.

Local companies and individual sponsors for the WOAL champs include Lima Elks #54 Wapak (awards stand) and Visit Findlay  (Clerk of Course area).  T-shirt sponsors include Around the Clock – Kenton, Baker Animal Hospital – Ada, Diamond M Vet – Kenton, Curling Iron – Bluffton, JTB Tech – Bluffton, Lima Sheet Metal – Ada, Precision Strip – Kenton,  Quest FCU-Kenton, Roger’s Insurance-Kenton ,  Van Wert  YMCA - Van Wert and the YMCA x3 – Bluffton

Admission is free and open to the public. Food trucks and concessions will be available for food and beverage purchases. Food Vendors will include Bubba C BBQ, Bluffton Baking Co., Kona Ice, Doughlicious Donuts and Coffee, Artic Moo Ice Cream, Circle U Waflle CO., Buerger’s Fries and More Concessions and The Main Squeeze Fresh Lemonade.