Fun time at the St. Patrick’s Day pool run
Larry Brown (back, center) with the YMCA Dolphin swimmers who accepted his St. Patrick’s Day pool run challenge and wearing the knit caps he gave to each of them. Pictured from left are, front row: Nyssa Wilkinson, Ella Watts, YuJi Smith, Byran Hills and Hannah Hills; back row: Rath Schoenthal, Andrew Fowlie, Marlowe Recoing-Tallen, Ella Beauregard, Officer Larry Brown, Maren Whitney and Beatrix Recoing-Tallen. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Hannah Hills defeats Larry Brown in their head-to-head pool run event. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown high fives Hannah Hills after she won the race. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
An example of the knit caps Larry Brown gave the Dolphins for participating in his pool race challenge. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown, left, watches the first heat of the pool run. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Hannah Hills takes a big lead in the first of two heats of the pool run. Behind her is Beatrix Recoing-Tallen. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Beatrix Recoing-Tallen. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
YuJi Smith. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown finishes the second heat of the pool run. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Swimmers, coaches and staff members sing “Happy Birthday” to Larry Brown at the conclusion of the pool run. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown (back, center) with the YMCA Dolphin swimmers who accepted his St. Patrick’s Day pool run challenge and wearing the knit caps he gave to each of them. Pictured from left are, front row: Nyssa Wilkinson, Ella Watts, YuJi Smith, Byran Hills and Hannah Hills; back row: Rath Schoenthal, Andrew Fowlie, Marlowe Recoing-Tallen, Ella Beauregard, Officer Larry Brown, Maren Whitney and Beatrix Recoing-Tallen. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Hannah Hills defeats Larry Brown in their head-to-head pool run event. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown high fives Hannah Hills after she won the race. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
An example of the knit caps Larry Brown gave the Dolphins for participating in his pool race challenge. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown, left, watches the first heat of the pool run. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Hannah Hills takes a big lead in the first of two heats of the pool run. Behind her is Beatrix Recoing-Tallen. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Beatrix Recoing-Tallen. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
YuJi Smith. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown finishes the second heat of the pool run. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Swimmers, coaches and staff members sing “Happy Birthday” to Larry Brown at the conclusion of the pool run. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
Larry Brown likes to celebrate his St. Patrick’s Day birthday with others – and usually not with cake and ice cream. And he usually provides gifts for others instead of the other way around.
Brown, a longtime Boothbay Harbor police officer and school resource officer, challenged veteran Boothbay Region YMCA Dolphin swimmer Hannah Hills to a mile swim last year on his birthday. The then 13-year-old defeated the 67-year-old on the final day the YMCA was open due to the pandemic shutdown. Hills’ parents, Dolphin coaches Mike and Heather, agreed then it would be a great idea to make the challenge an annual event. said Brown.
However, plans for the pair to swim the mile again this year got derailed because Brown is recovering from a shoulder injury. He said he has been doing vertical water exercises in the Y’s therapy pool and has recovered enough “to the point I am pretty sure I can avoid surgery.” He has also been running in the pool to rehab and to keep his cardio up.
Then came the idea to hold a pool run – a 50-yard race across the width of the Y pool – against some of the older members of the Dolphin swim team, including a head-to-head challenge against Hills.
The run, held in two heats of six swimmers, stipulated that a flotation belt be worn and the participants couldn’t swim but had to stay upright and propel themselves forward by using only their arms and legs. As Brown pointed out afterwards, some of these participants were so used to swimming horizontally, it was hard for them to grasp the concept. However, most of them caught on and completed the course the right way. Doing the timing of each competitor were coaches Zach Gray and Heather and Mike Hills.
Brown competed in the second heat, finishing fourth, before taking on Hills in the head-to-head challenge.
Hills and Brown were about even over the first 30 yards but then the younger competitor took the lead and won by about five feet.
Prior to the challenge, Brown handed out knitted caps he had bought (with a leprechaun and the words ‘St. Patrick’s Pool Run’ stitched on them by Boothbay Harbor Apparel) to the challengers. Following the fun event, the swimmers, coaches and staff members sang “Happy Birthday” to Brown.
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