Local athletes swim in Holland at Youth Friendship Games

Contributed article
Published: August 7, 2008

Greene County students Lauren Alley and Bryce Arritt just returned from a nine-day People to People Sports Ambassador Program to Holland. In addition to competing in swimming at the Youth Friendship Games, Alley and Arritt trained with experienced coaches and explored Holland with teammates from throughout the United States.
Alley is a rising ninth-grader at William Monroe High School. Arritt is a rising eighth-grader at William Monroe Middle School. During the summer, the two competed as members of the Greene Hills Gators Swim Team in Stanardsville, and during the winter they compete as members of BASS (Battlefield Area Star Swimmers) at Woodberry Forest School in Madison County.
The People to People program gives participants a taste of international competition and the chance to get to know athletes from another part of the world. Eight different sports are represented at the Youth Friendship Games. Before competition and during breaks in the action, delegates explored Amsterdam and Haarlem, including a bike tour through the countryside, a canal cruise, museum visits, a cheese factory tour, and a wooden shoe factory tour.
Aside from training and competition, Alley and Arritt stated that the highlight of their trip was sightseeing and meeting new friends. They added that the trip was enlightenment and fun but noted that they are glad to be home.
Alley and Arritt were specially selected to participate in the Sports Ambassador program. The group was accompanied by coaches, leaders and a delegation manager who coordinated the cultural and recreational excursions and was familiar with the local area.
Before departing, Alley and Arritt attended several orientation meetings with local leaders and coaches to prepare for the journey and learn about the program destination, and the responsibilities of representing the United States in overseas competition.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded People to People during his presidency in 1956. He believed that ordinary citizens of different nations could make a difference where governments could not. People to People Sports Ambassador Program is based in Spokane, Washington, and has been coordinating the educational travel for over 50 years.