At the Eden Prairie Swim and Dive team’s second conference dual meet against Wayzata on September 17th, the goal was to honor the team captain, a beloved teammate with a positive attitude, a kind heart and the determination to succeed. Looking into the stands there was a sea of blue. Balloons, streamers, and ribbons galore filled the pool to remember one of the captains, Sydney Galleger, who passed away this summer.

The community objective was to raise $75,000 to name the pool after Galleger, which was exceeded after only months of taking donations. The Eden Prairie swim and dive team made a large contribution to the fundraiser by selling baby blue superfan shirts in Galleger’s honor and by donating all of their profits to the pool/scholarship fund in her name.

The team remembers their captain at every meet by wearing Sydney’s last name on their team shirts, her initials on their caps, and SG tattoos. The Galleger family was at the pool dedication and given their own team shirts by the captains of the swim and dive team (Hannah Albanese, Kayla Albers, Isabella Haeger, and Kirsten Nelson).

The Wayzata swim team, among other swim and dive teams, reached out to Eden Prairie and showed their support by wearing baby blue at the meet, writing cards and collecting a donation for Galleger’s scholarship fund. It was inspiring to see communities, even in competition, coming together to dedicate a night to a girl who impacted the lives of so many.

A mural that reads “The Sydney Galleger Memorial Pool” will be put up in Galleger’s honor surrounded by words that describe her and other divers. In the Eden Prairie community, Galleger will live on as a leader, who will be forever loved by her fellow captains, coaches, teammates, friends, family and all those who had the pleasure of knowing her.