LAPLACE — Paige Williams has seen a lot of clever kids in her many years as a member of the Larayo Barracudas swim team.

It is a long-held tradition for the senior swimmers at each of the local swim clubs to come up with some way to mark their final lap at the annual end-of-year Invitational Meet. Some do cooler things than others.

“One guy I saw came out and clapped his hands and fireworks went off,” Williams said. “That’s the coolest thing I ever saw.”

Natalie St. Martin, who spent her years swimming for Riverlands Country Club, is trying to come up with something special, as well.

“Some kids wear floaties, some bring inflatables,” St. Martin said. “I saw one kid ride his bike into the pool.”

St. Martin, who recently graduated from Chapelle and will attend University of Louisiana-Lafayette in the fall, hasn’t come up with anything yet.

“I need to think of something,” she said.

Time is running out.

The annual Invitational begins at 6 p.m. Friday at Hill Heights Country Club in Destrehan and will continue through the weekend. An official opening ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday with an introduction of the teams.

The top 18 swimmers in each age group will advance to the finals to be held Sunday afternoon (time to be determined). The swimmers are vying for a High Points Award in each division.

Sunday’s events also include the Senior Lap for those swimmers who have aged out of the league, and the Alumni Relay, open to any former swimmer in the league.

“It’s a big party,” said Brett Landry, a longtime swimmer-turned-coach at Riverlands. “It’s a fun meet where all the teams get together and race against each other. There’s great food, great people and a lot of good sportsmanship.”

Landry, who had his Senior Swim in 2010, said he didn’t wear a costume but he and his fellow swimmers did toilet paper the coaches’ houses.

“It was fun,” he said of the meet. “It’s your last one. It’s the last time you’re going to see those kids. You’re done.”

It’s also a competition.

Landry said the Stingrays will be counting on Alex Noel, 17, who competes in the boys freestyle, the backstroke and the butterfly.

“He’s probably the strongest kid on the team,” he said.

Grace Richoux, 16, is a strong contender in the girls backstroke, breast stroke and  butterfly.

Williams, who graduated from St. Charles Catholic last year (she was Miss Comet) and just completed her freshman year at Southeastern Louisiana University, is all about the competition.

“I still swam year-round through the winter and fall,” she said. “So I’m not really out of shape like some people might think I am.”

Participants want to achieve a personal best and, hopefully, earn a medal.

“The goal is for them to have a good time but also to swim for their best time,” said Larayo coach Michelle Jensen. “At least, I hope that’s their goal.”