On the day after the summer solstice, PKO held three events in one: a work party, a club trial and a campfire. We set ourselves ambitious goals for the work party: besides the usual end-of-season clean-up, we planned to paint the clubhouse, work in the garden and maintain the building. Even with a strong turnout, after doing some painting we were glad just to make the place reasonably tidy before the race. We tried hard to finish everything, but could not. So, if you were unable to come, there is still plenty to do! Even our oldest members helped: Ilonka, who turned eighty in January, was the first to arrive, at 14:00.
Then it was time to race. Water at 14°C gave it a slight flavour of winter swimming. The traditional upstream-and-back course initially offered a welcome wash for those sweaty and dirty from the work party, but as the current strengthened and fatigue set in, it became a proper race.
We know who our best swimmers are. Jan Bendl took men’s gold, Tomáš Pilát silver and Michal Štengl bronze. For the women, Tereza Reichová shone in gold, ahead of Jitka Vachtová and Radmila Srbová. We had not built a podium — you cannot fit everything into one work party — but praise from chairman Tomáš was worth more than metal. Besides, weighed down by cups and medals, the leading swimmers would also have felt the responsibility of carrying the club into the 2014/2015 season. They are the Sportspeople with a capital S whom we count on to make us the best in the Czech Cup! So we spared them the metalwork and left them with only the heavy burden of being PKO’s pillars next season.
We went straight to the fire to warm up. Jitka, our champion, set the mood with pleasant accordion tunes. Around the campfire stood what the other Jitka, a newcomer, calls “the best piece of furniture”: a buffet table. Ivka brought large trays of vegetables, Matěj a basket of cherries, Zuzka strawberries, Vierka whitecurrants and Jitka a delicious fruit loaf. Above all, there were the traditional sausages, roasted until fragrant. I will not list everyone who brought good drinks. Míša Kohoutek and Míša Štengl joined the accordion with two guitars, and it was lovely to sing songs for every generation. As they turned the songbook’s pages, the tunes really were familiar to everyone. Towards the end, Zdeněk played a few pieces, and Jitka switched to beautiful classical music — just like a concert.
Some swimmers’ families joined us too. Not long ago, we had baptised little “Haan” with cold water when he fitted into two cupped hands. Now twice that size, he watched wisely, as if to say: “Enjoy yourselves, the warmth and the sunshine — before winter comes and you start shivering!”
See you by the water!