Former Tennent coach Lisa Forlini, who lost her eight-year battle with breast cancer, was remembered at Tuesday's double dual meet at CB South.
It was a sea of pink to pay tribute to a former coach.
Central Bucks South hosted William Tennent in a non-league double dual swim meet for what has become an annual ‘Pink Out’ in honor of Tennent coach Lisa Forlini.
Forlini lost her eight-year battle with breast cancer on Nov. 14, so this was the first time the Pink meet was held without her in attendance.
“That made it more sentimental this year,” CB South boys coach Jeff Lake said. “We were really hoping she would be here. She was so looking forward to it.
“We built this meet and it’s become a great meet for both teams. Lisa and I started talking about this at states last year. We said let’s take our meet and just match our kids up and get past the egos and who’s going to win. Who cares? I think it was awesome and she would have loved it.
“We’ll be doing this for as long as I’m the coach.”
Both teams wore pink caps provided by CB South and this year each team got pink socks, provided by Tennent, with a little help from their friends, the Titans.
One sock says ‘Over’ and the other ‘Come’ to represent the ongoing battle against breast cancer, with each team’s initials in a black band around the top.
The balcony was decorated with pink streamers and balloons and coaches, swimmers and spectators wore pink shirts.
Even the officials got into the act, sporting pink accessories.
“The hardest thing is that I miss is just being able to have a quick talk with her during the meet, but I know she’s watching and she’s so proud of the kids,” said husband Jamie Forlini.
Jamie was Lisa’s assistant and continues in that capacity for their daughter Meghan, who took over as the head coach this year.
“I know this meet meant a lot to my mother and it’s meant a lot to me,” Meghan said. “For her not to be here was really hard, especially because she was so excited about it this year. Getting to this meet was one of her goals.
“I know she’s watching so emotionally it was tough. Physically it was tough because a lot of our kids were sick so we were moving kids around the whole meet. It’s a tough time of year and it says a lot about the team that we were moving people out of events and others were volunteering to swim.
“It meant a lot to me for South to host. I don’t know if I could have handled it seeing all the caps and decorations. It shows how much it means to them and to us.”
The Pink Out meet was the idea of former Central Bucks South swimmer Stephanie Nickerson. Nickerson is now a junior at Lafayette, where she is a member of the swim team while majoring in biology.
She was able to take time away from Lafayette and come to the meet.
“We started this in my junior year at CB South and I’m very happy to see how it’s grown,” Nickerson said. “It’s amazing, especially this year. I think this year meant the most to me because this is the first one we’ve had since she passed and I’m so happy I was able to come.
“I love seeing everyone come together as a community to honor her and I really hope they continue this meet. I’m really happy that I was able to help start it.”
Tennent won the boys meet 101-82 and CB South won the girls117-68.
“This meet meant a lot to me,” said Cayla Yannuzzi, a junior captain at Tennent. “Lisa meant a lot to me She really believed in me. I’m pretty sick and I was having a hard time but I just kept thinking ‘For Lisa, for Lisa’ and I kept going.
“South did a great job and it was really nice. We really appreciate it.
“It was so hard to start the season and she was looking forward to this meet so much. It was just awful. But we just keep going for her. I always think of her, especially when I swim the 100 breast. She’s the one who really believed in me and made that event what it is for me today.
“We want to make this whole season a tribute to Lisa.”
Forlini, nee Dooling, was a 1983 graduate of William Tennent. After swimming and playing golf for the Panthers she went to the College of William and Mary on a golf scholarship. After graduating she married husband Jamie and was coaching at Centennial Aquatics when in 1991, the girls varsity head coach position opened up at her alma mater.
Eager to coach the team she once swam for, she applied for the post but did not reveal that she and Jamie were expecting their first child, fearing that her pregnancy would prevent her from getting the job.
She was hired and in 1994 she took over the boys team as well. She and Jamie had three children; Meghan, Connor and Ian.
All three children were raised poolside and all entered aquatics, competing for Tennent. Meghan swam at LaSalle. Connor is a senior on the West Chester swim team and Ian is a sophomore diving at Georgia.
Ian ended his high school career with the 2014 PIAA Class AAA title in diving and was a 2012 US Olympic Trials qualifier.
After 25 years as Tennent’s coach and even more at Centennial Aquatics, the number of swimmers and divers Forlini coached is countless. They all turned out in full force for her memorial service, held on Nov. 24 at the Davisville Church in Southampton, over 4,000 former and current athletes, parents, friends and fellow coaches.
The eulogy was delivered by former Tennent diver Bobby Larew, who competed for Forlini.
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