Coupeville Sports

Lily Doyle, out seeing the world.

Doyle (right), when she ruled the pool as a high school swimmer.

Did anyone stop to think about me?

Lily Doyle is off to Italy, to study and eat and drink and sight-see her way across the countryside. Proud mom Barbara Ballard gets a lot of great stories to tell her Coupeville High School students.

But me? The guy who waits patiently to hand transcribe Doyle’s swim results at Vassar and pass them on to the 1,892,252 members of the Lily Doyle Fan Club week in and week out — did anyone think about what this kind of break would mean to me?!?!

Yeah, probably not…

Anyway, I shall overcome my lost semester (though tears will be shed as my page views take a noticeable decline) and wish Ms. Doyle the best.

The CHS grad, who is now swimming and studying at Vassar, where she’s a junior, is off on an adventure right now. She’s taking a semester off from American school and swimming to travel abroad.

“Poor child is studying in Italy for a semester. This includes cooking classes, trips to Venice for carnival, and other tiresome activities,” Ballard said. “She’s had three years of Italian, and will be taking classes at the University of Bologna. Side trips to visit friends in France, Spain, and England. Apparently the Italians know how to cook, too.”

And for those of us left behind? I shall go eat some pasta in her honor and stop haunting the Vassar womens’ swim page for a bit.