The Oakland Mills Tiger Sharks, the team with the fewest members in the Columbia Neighborhood Swim League, had won only one meet since 1993 entering Saturday's competition against the Clary's Forest Sundevils.
But they are back in the win column, thanks to a 307-296 victory over the Sundevils at the Swansfield pool.
Tigers Sharks head coach Brandon Thornton, 24, remembers the victory 14 years ago when he was a 10-year-old swimmer on the team. He watched them win once more as an assistant coach in a meet against Clary's Forest in 2003.
"There was a lot of emotion. There were a lot of parents who were crying, they were so happy," Thornton said about the victory.
"When everyone was waiting [to hear the score], you could hear a pin drop," said parent volunteer and team manager John Garrett. "Everything was so close. The biggest gap was maybe 30 points at any given time."
With 99 registered swimmers, the Tiger Sharks often cannot fill every heat, which limits their ability to earn points. Like Oakland Mills, Clary's Forest is a neighborhood with many older families and a small team.
"All [through] the week, we pumped them up, [saying] this is the one we can win," Garrett said.
In the first CNSL meet this season, the Sundevils defeated the Tiger Sharks, 312-279.
"They all see the results of what hard work can do," Thornton said. "Everyone was swimming their very best. I couldn't be happier for these guys."
The unflagging spirit and teamwork that kept morale high during the team's losing streak was the defining factor in the win. "Everything came together. It was the combined efforts of parents, coaches, and swimmers," Garrett said.
With one meet left this season, the Tiger Sharks can finish with an even stronger sense of pride.
"It gives [the kids] a whole lot of encouragement to push [themselves]," Garrett said. "They don't feel like they're part of a losing team anymore."
Said Thornton: "Everybody just found out that the underdog can win once in a while."