Haislop

NORTH HILLS – The first Eddie Haislop Memorial Invitational swim meet will be held Saturday at the North Hills Pool.

The meet was created to honor the life of Edward “Eddie” Haislop, who died in 2025, and inspire future generations through the friendships, sportsmanship and sense of community that defined his childhood.

“North Hills Pool has always been about much more than swimming,” said Diana Wilson, North Hills resident and president of the North Hills Pool Board. “It’s where children learn life skills, families build friendships and lifelong memories are made. We’re honored to partner with the Haislop family to ensure Eddie’s legacy continues to encourage young swimmers and reminds us why this pool has meant so much to generations of North Hills families.”

The meet is expected to draw more than 170 swimmers from six local teams from North Hills, the Parkersburg Country Club, Parkersburg, Marietta, Athens and DuPont. Warm ups begin at 7:45 a.m. and the meet starts at 8:45.

Haislop was 4-and-a-half when the family moved to North Hills. He didn’t know many children, but by the end of that summer, he had met five of his best friends at the pool, friendships that would last for years.

The medley relay gets underway during a swim meet hosted at North Hills Pool. The first Eddie Haislop Memorial Invitational will be held Saturday at North Hills Pool. (Photo provided)

He joined the North Hills Sprinters when he was 5 and competed through age 10, but continued spending nearly every summer day at the pool until graduating from high school. The pool became the center of his and his sisters’ childhood.

“Eddie always said growing up in North Hills was magical,” Karla Haislop, his mother, said. “The pool brought families together through swim lessons, swim meets, barbecues and countless summer afternoons. It became our home base.”

She also remembers watching Eddie proudly earn his swim patch, allowing him to swim in every area of the pool alongside his older sister.

“The day he put on his goggles and Speedo and was finally ready for swim team is still one of my favorite memories,” Haislop said. “We hope this meet gives today’s children the same sense of friendship, confidence and belonging that Eddie found here.”

Swimming became a family tradition for the Haislops. Both of Eddie’s sisters swam for the North Hills Sprinters before continuing with the YMCA Sharks and Parkersburg High School swim team. Alexia, his younger sister, swam at Alderson Broaddus University.

Swimmers warm up before a meet at the North Hills Pool where the first Eddie Haislop Memorial Invitational will be held Saturday. (Photo provided)

Haislop passed away in July 2025. He was 32.

The family established in October the Eddie Haislop Memorial Endowment at the Parkersburg Are Community Foundation to support a summer swim invitational at the North Hills Pool.

While the meet honors Eddie’s memory, organizers hope it will also become a lasting North Hills tradition that celebrates young athletes and the community that supports them.

“I am forever grateful we had the opportunity to raise our children in North Hills,” Haislop said. “It was our slice of heaven, and the North Hills Pool was home base. We wish every child could experience the joy we felt during those years. For us, it all started at the pool.”