The link to the Fox Mill Woods photos are here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114682110635489328722/FoxMillWoodsVsMVP2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ7K9Pfu5bvXOQ&feat=email
Gator Nation
Monday, July 2, 2012
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Gators Storm To Victory In Away Meet At MVP
The MVP Gators were fantastic in Sunday's A Meet, beating the Fox Mill Woods Fintastics by a 272-147 score. The meet was supposed to be at Fox Mill Woods on Saturday morning, but in a first for my many years in the NVSL, the meet had to be postponed till Sunday because of the storms.
Fox Mill Woods was still without power at their pool, so, after exchanging texts, phone calls, and smoke signals with Mrs. Gator Team Rep, they agreed to get the meet going and come to MVP on Sunday morning. Everyone worked extra hard to put the meet on -- particularly Karen Stein, who had to reach swim families to confirm they were around to swim Sunday morning.
As of this morning (July 4th!), only 23 of the 51 A Meets have taken place in the NVSL. We may have been the only Sunday morning meet. Only 12 meets ocurred as scheduled on Saturday morning after the storm.
The Gators led 54-36 after freestyle, and did not look back after that. The lead more than doubled during backstroke to a 109-71 margin (thus, back was a 55-35 Gator win). MVP breaststrokers won 59-31, widening the lead to 168-102. Stat Boy stopped keeping score during butterfly, and was relieved, for sportsmanship reasons, when the Fintastics won their first relay.
Of course, for journalistic reasons, Stat Boy went back and scored fly, which put the Gators up 222-137 -- so fly was a 54-35 win (one point was not awarded because four of the six swimmers DQ'd, thus no third place).
The relays also were not close, as MVP reeled off four straight wins before dropping a race. Overall, the Gators won 10 of 12 relays -- the most I can ever recall. The girls went a perfect six for six, while the boys went a pretty darn good four for six, including two team records! (See related articles). In addition, Cameron Morey set a Gator backstroke record (see related articles).
There were five Gator sweeps overall. The first one came when Mollie Passacantando, Jessie Bricker, and Torie Bolger went 1-2-3 in the 13-14 girls 50 freestyle. The 9-10 girls breaststrokers provided the next sweep, as Sheridan Phalen, Lauren Pacious, and Lily Penn completed the all girl Gators sweep. The 13-14 girls then followed up with a sweep by Sarah Jones, Kaila Stein, and Emily Walzl. The 9-10 girl fliers answered back with a sweep by Olivia Blondin, Emily Atkinson, and Abigail Dittman. The 13-14 girls got the last word in fly as Mollie Pazz (you try typing that last name out a whole bunch of times!), Jessie Bricker, and Emily Walzl finished the sweeps.
The Gator girls also completed another type of sweep that Stat Boy has never seen before -- taking first place in all five age groups for backstroke.
Gator heroes included Glenn Campagna, age 11, who swam backstroke as a 13-14 year old, and just missed third place. Eleven year old Cole Miller swam with the big guys (15-18 year olds) in backstroke. Anna Fracasso, at age 14, swam the 15-18 backstroke and placed second. Anna also took 3rd place as a 15-18 breaststroker. Duncan Hoag, age 14, finished third in the 15-18 year old breaststroke. He also swam the 15-18 fly. Sarah Jones, age 14, just missed out on third in the 15-18 fly. Thanks to all of those who swam up -- they earned four points for the team, and made sure we did not have empty lanes.
Double winners were Nick Dupuis (free and fly), Sheridan Phalen (free and fly), Holly Jansen (free and breaststroke), Kevin Adams-Mardi (free and breaststroke), Mollie Passacantando (free and fly), Sara Bertram (back and fly), and Gus Leyden (back and fly).
Individual winners were Emily Makin (back), Andrei Zaitsev (back), Mac Brotherton (back), Parker Fulghum (back), Torie Bolger (back), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Sarah Jones (breaststroke), Olivia Blondin (fly), and Elaina Phalen (fly). Overall, MVP swimmers took first place in 23 out of 40 races.
Second place points were scored by: James Piland (free), Cage Theriot (free and back), Andrei Zaitsev (free), Cameron Morey (free and back), Jessie Bricker (free and fly), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (free and back), Leigh Orleans (free and breaststroke), Ken Krogh (back and fly), Claudia Theriot (back), Anna Fracasso (back), Juliette Fore (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Lauren Pacious (breaststroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Elaina Phalen (breaststroke), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Josh Stein (breaststroke), Emily Makin (fly), Brian McNamara (fly), Emily Atkinson (fly), and Tom Dupuis (fly). Overall, Gators took 27 out of 40 second place finishes.
Third place points were earned by Charlie Ruppe (free and breaststroke), Mac Brotherton (back), Sean Jansen (free), Claudia Theriot (free), Nick Ducceschi (free and breaststroke), Torie Bolger (free), Austin Neal (free), Jessica Metter (free), Taylor Makin (back), Collin Sundsted (back), Kaila Stein (back), Joe Taylor (back and fly), Mollie Rutherford (breaststroke and fly), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Sam McBroom (breaststroke), Emily Walzl (breaststroke and fly), Duncan Hoag (breaststroke), Anna Fracasso (breaststroke), Abigail Dittman (fly), Liam Orr (fly), and Jessica Metter (fly). Thus, Gators earned 26 of the 40 third place points.
On Saturday, in theory, the Pinecrest Piranhas come to MVP sporting an 0-1 mark -- we don't know when their second meet will be made up, so they could still be 0-1 by Saturday, or 1-1, or 0-2. I used to be able to write this last paragraph with more certainty than this!
Fox Mill Woods was still without power at their pool, so, after exchanging texts, phone calls, and smoke signals with Mrs. Gator Team Rep, they agreed to get the meet going and come to MVP on Sunday morning. Everyone worked extra hard to put the meet on -- particularly Karen Stein, who had to reach swim families to confirm they were around to swim Sunday morning.
As of this morning (July 4th!), only 23 of the 51 A Meets have taken place in the NVSL. We may have been the only Sunday morning meet. Only 12 meets ocurred as scheduled on Saturday morning after the storm.
The Gators led 54-36 after freestyle, and did not look back after that. The lead more than doubled during backstroke to a 109-71 margin (thus, back was a 55-35 Gator win). MVP breaststrokers won 59-31, widening the lead to 168-102. Stat Boy stopped keeping score during butterfly, and was relieved, for sportsmanship reasons, when the Fintastics won their first relay.
Of course, for journalistic reasons, Stat Boy went back and scored fly, which put the Gators up 222-137 -- so fly was a 54-35 win (one point was not awarded because four of the six swimmers DQ'd, thus no third place).
The relays also were not close, as MVP reeled off four straight wins before dropping a race. Overall, the Gators won 10 of 12 relays -- the most I can ever recall. The girls went a perfect six for six, while the boys went a pretty darn good four for six, including two team records! (See related articles). In addition, Cameron Morey set a Gator backstroke record (see related articles).
There were five Gator sweeps overall. The first one came when Mollie Passacantando, Jessie Bricker, and Torie Bolger went 1-2-3 in the 13-14 girls 50 freestyle. The 9-10 girls breaststrokers provided the next sweep, as Sheridan Phalen, Lauren Pacious, and Lily Penn completed the all girl Gators sweep. The 13-14 girls then followed up with a sweep by Sarah Jones, Kaila Stein, and Emily Walzl. The 9-10 girl fliers answered back with a sweep by Olivia Blondin, Emily Atkinson, and Abigail Dittman. The 13-14 girls got the last word in fly as Mollie Pazz (you try typing that last name out a whole bunch of times!), Jessie Bricker, and Emily Walzl finished the sweeps.
The Gator girls also completed another type of sweep that Stat Boy has never seen before -- taking first place in all five age groups for backstroke.
Gator heroes included Glenn Campagna, age 11, who swam backstroke as a 13-14 year old, and just missed third place. Eleven year old Cole Miller swam with the big guys (15-18 year olds) in backstroke. Anna Fracasso, at age 14, swam the 15-18 backstroke and placed second. Anna also took 3rd place as a 15-18 breaststroker. Duncan Hoag, age 14, finished third in the 15-18 year old breaststroke. He also swam the 15-18 fly. Sarah Jones, age 14, just missed out on third in the 15-18 fly. Thanks to all of those who swam up -- they earned four points for the team, and made sure we did not have empty lanes.
Double winners were Nick Dupuis (free and fly), Sheridan Phalen (free and fly), Holly Jansen (free and breaststroke), Kevin Adams-Mardi (free and breaststroke), Mollie Passacantando (free and fly), Sara Bertram (back and fly), and Gus Leyden (back and fly).
Individual winners were Emily Makin (back), Andrei Zaitsev (back), Mac Brotherton (back), Parker Fulghum (back), Torie Bolger (back), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Sarah Jones (breaststroke), Olivia Blondin (fly), and Elaina Phalen (fly). Overall, MVP swimmers took first place in 23 out of 40 races.
Second place points were scored by: James Piland (free), Cage Theriot (free and back), Andrei Zaitsev (free), Cameron Morey (free and back), Jessie Bricker (free and fly), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (free and back), Leigh Orleans (free and breaststroke), Ken Krogh (back and fly), Claudia Theriot (back), Anna Fracasso (back), Juliette Fore (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Lauren Pacious (breaststroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Elaina Phalen (breaststroke), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Josh Stein (breaststroke), Emily Makin (fly), Brian McNamara (fly), Emily Atkinson (fly), and Tom Dupuis (fly). Overall, Gators took 27 out of 40 second place finishes.
Third place points were earned by Charlie Ruppe (free and breaststroke), Mac Brotherton (back), Sean Jansen (free), Claudia Theriot (free), Nick Ducceschi (free and breaststroke), Torie Bolger (free), Austin Neal (free), Jessica Metter (free), Taylor Makin (back), Collin Sundsted (back), Kaila Stein (back), Joe Taylor (back and fly), Mollie Rutherford (breaststroke and fly), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Sam McBroom (breaststroke), Emily Walzl (breaststroke and fly), Duncan Hoag (breaststroke), Anna Fracasso (breaststroke), Abigail Dittman (fly), Liam Orr (fly), and Jessica Metter (fly). Thus, Gators earned 26 of the 40 third place points.
On Saturday, in theory, the Pinecrest Piranhas come to MVP sporting an 0-1 mark -- we don't know when their second meet will be made up, so they could still be 0-1 by Saturday, or 1-1, or 0-2. I used to be able to write this last paragraph with more certainty than this!
The Boys Are Back In Town
There were two team new records set at this week's A meet -- Cameron Morey broke a one year old backstroke record set by Guy Leyden, and the Mixed Age Boys relay broke a 45 year old record set back 1967.
Yes, you read that right -- 1967, the Summer of Love, the hippies chants of "Hey, Hey LBJ, how many relay records did you break today?" and Super Bowl I -- before it was even called the Super Bowl.
Cameron's swim took nearly one second (0.99) off the record -- see the Swimmer of the Week article below.
Yes, you read that right -- 1967, the Summer of Love, the hippies chants of "Hey, Hey LBJ, how many relay records did you break today?" and Super Bowl I -- before it was even called the Super Bowl.
Cameron's swim took nearly one second (0.99) off the record -- see the Swimmer of the Week article below.
Cameron sets the Gator backstroke record.
These two records, combined with one last week and the promise of more to be broken this year, declares that the boys records are no longer the afterthought of the Gator swim team. There is no question the boys side of the team has gotten significantly better over the last couple of seasons.
This is what knocking a 45 year old
record out of the books looks like.
The Mixed Age boys cut it much closer -- knocking off the old record by 0.10 seconds. The team of Cameron Morey (12), Nick Dupuis (10), Kevin Adams-Mardi (14) and Cyrus Adams-Mardi (16) swam a 2:01.50 in the 200 free relay. This was their second straight relay win this season, which is the first since. . .well, I don't even know.
Cyrus, Cameron, Nick, and Kevin. . .
about to make Gator history.
The old record was 2:01.60 was set by J Turner, D Rayner, L. Parsons, and Bill Richardson in 1967. This was the oldest dual meet relay record on the books for MVP.Swimmers of the Week -- Mollie Passacantando and Cameron Morey
Our swimmers of the week are Mollie Passacantando and Cameron Morey. Both are testaments to the power of perseverance.
Last week, 12 year old Cameron DQ'd on backstroke. This week, he set a new team record in backstroke, breaking Guy Leyden's 2012 record by nearly one second. Cameron swam a 34.21 50 meter backstroke, knocking 0.99 seconds off Gus's record.
Mollie Passacantando posted her first double win ever. The 13-14 year old has been on swim team since she was eligible, and has done well over the years in fly. Now she has really come on, shining as part of the strong Gator group of 13-14 girls. Mollie took first in freestyle, leading an all Gator girls sweep, and then took first in fly, leading another all Gator girls sweep.
Congrats to both.
Swimmers of the week are chosen at the sole discretion of the writer. Any complaints, second-guesses, or even better ideas can be kept to yourself.
Cameron's record-breaking backstroke time.
And a red hat.
Mollie Passacantando posted her first double win ever. The 13-14 year old has been on swim team since she was eligible, and has done well over the years in fly. Now she has really come on, shining as part of the strong Gator group of 13-14 girls. Mollie took first in freestyle, leading an all Gator girls sweep, and then took first in fly, leading another all Gator girls sweep.
Mollie flies to victory in the, um, fly
Congrats to both.
Swimmers of the week are chosen at the sole discretion of the writer. Any complaints, second-guesses, or even better ideas can be kept to yourself.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Gators Rule the Pool At Stratford
Neither the threat of thunder storms or the specter of swimming endless IMs ..... well, you get the picture ... could curtail the Mount Vernon Park vs. Stratford B meet this past Monday.
Many swimmers posted personal bests. Those dropping more than 2 seconds off their previous times included, Will Freidman, Lucas Garvey, Ethan Brunton, Michael Weinraub, Elizabeth Moorman, Hannah Leslie, Ben and Mollie Rutherford, Juliana Skopp-Cardillo, Kendall Shafer, Michael Ienzi, Kai Gibson, Matt Barrett, Donovan and Leigh Kovalsky, Ella Fischer, Isabelle Thornburg, Jack Klopson, Kelly Reilly, Liam Orr, Halen Anderson, Ripley Vaughan, Tyler Dunn, Claudia Theriot, and Abby and Audrey Dittman.
Among the heat winners were Kenneth Krogh, Lucas Garvey, Jack Klopson, Antonio Marcucci, Joseph and Michael Ienzi, Leigh Kovalsky, Noah Hannam, Olivia Johansson, Layne O'Connell, Lara Miller, and Bobby Kelly.
The next B meet is Monday July 2, -- the annual Green and White Meet when MVP becomes schizophrenic and takes on itself.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
His Picasa is Su Picasa
Gator photographer David Anderson has the shots from yesterday up. Here's the link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114682110635489328722/MVPAtMosbyWoods2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCN0-3S5c__swE
The technical difficulty has been fixed, so no problems with access. I've also added some photos into some of the articles below.
https://picasaweb.google.com/114682110635489328722/MVPAtMosbyWoods2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCN0-3S5c__swE
The technical difficulty has been fixed, so no problems with access. I've also added some photos into some of the articles below.
Waynewood Meet Features No Rain, Fast Swims
Good news? It only took 75 minutes to complete all the freestyle heats this past Monday at the annual Waynewood/MVP B meet. Oh, and unlike usual for the Waynewood meet, it did not rain!
Bad news? It took more than 2 hours to complete the rest. In total, more than 60 heats of competitors jumped into the pool.
But the swimmers didn’t seem to mind competing into the dark.
Numerous personal bests were achieved.
Those swimmers cutting off more than a second since the time trials include: James Piland, Aidan Fisher, Joe and Paige Humphreys, Ray Galford, Taylor Makin, Juliana Skopp-Cardillo, Lily Penn, Lara and Cole Miller, Kendall Shafer, Elizabeth Oakeley, Lucas Garvey, Cecelia Morales, Katya and Andre Zaitsev, Mary Claire O’Brien, Tyler Dunn, Olivia Johansson, Maura Finn, Carl Questad, Cole Snodgrass, Kevin Adams-Mardi, Austin Neal, Mac Brotherton, Abby Dittman, and Liam Orr. Seven-year-old Dylan Moore dropped more than 17 seconds in two days while swimming the 25-meter backstroke.
One five year old dipped his toe into the water, too – coach’s son Matthew Makin swam his first race.
Revolutionary War General Defeats Civil War Colonel
The Mount Vernon Park Gators got the A Meet season off to a great start on Saturday by defeating the Mosby Woods Raiders 244-176. The meet was tight through freestyle and backstroke, but the waves of Gator breaststrokers and butterfliers was too much for the home team Raiders, blowing the battle open.
(For those who are not history buffs, "Mosby Woods" is named after famed Confederate Colonel John Mosby, who led his Rangers on daring raids through North Central Virginia, including Fairfax and Annandale. If you are really weak on American history, "Mount Vernon Park" is named after nearby Mount Vernon, which was owned by George Washington, a Revolutionary War general and early American politician of some renown. If history is your thing, I apologize for the cheap literary device used in the headline, but I take my cheesy headlines whenever I can.)
The meet was highlighted by the breaking of two NVSL records by Cassidy Bayer, and two team relay records by the 11-12 boys and the 11-12 girls (back to back races!). Scroll down the blog to see the articles on the record breakers.
The meet started in exciting fashion, as seven year old James Piland came from behind to just edge out the Mosby Woods star swimmer by 0.07 seconds in the 8 & under 25 free. James' clutch swim turned out to be the closest Gator victory of the morning -- pretty amazing for his first A meet race.
The Gators trailed 44-46 after freestyle, but a 49-41 victory in backstroke put the team ahead by a 93-87 margin. On the breaststroke, the Gators went through Mosby Woods like Sherman through Georgia (another historical reference!), winning 55-35, extending the lead to 148-122. Butterfly fell to the Gators like surrounded British troops at Yorktown (with two wars to rely on for metaphors, this could go on all day, but I'll stop now. Probably.) by a 56-34 score, providing a 204-156 lead.
The Gators won eight of the twelve relays, including the boys mixed age 200 freestyle relay. In my 13 years of having kids swim MVP A meets, this is the first time I can remember our mixed age boys winning a race, so congratulations are in order to Cameron Morey, Nick Dupuis, Kevin Adams-Mardi, and Cyrus Adams-Mardi for the victory over a team featuring the best boy swimmer in the NVSL, Philip Hu.
The other relay highlight was back-to-back breaking of team records by the 11-12 boys and girls (as noted above, separate article below).
Gator sweeps came in four events -- including three butterfly events. The sweeps started with the boys 9-10 breaststroke, as Brian McNamara took first, Parker Blondin earned second, and Joseph Ienzi garnered third. The girls 8 & under butterfly team of Emily Makin, Layne O'Connell, and Grace McGee earned the next sweep. The boys 11-12 sweep consisted of Cameron Morey, Cole Miller, and Liam Orr. Finally the sweeps were rounded out by 13-14 girls of Mollie/Jessie Passacantando/Bricker and Emily Walzl. Mollie and Jessie tied for first with a time of 34.42.
(Sitting poolside in the Team Rep chairs, I turned to Carol immediately after the race and noted that they had tied -- Mollie with outside smoke from lane 6, and Jessie in lane 4. Sure enough, the timers in both lanes nailed it with the same time.)
Gators won 22 of the 40 individual events. Double Gator winners were Cassidy Bayer (free and fly), Sara Bertram (back and fly), Holly Jansen (back and breaststroke), Emily Makin (back and fly).
Individual Gator winners were James Piland (free), Nick Dupuis (free), Maddy Bolger (free), Mac Brotherton (back), Collin Sundsted (back), Torie Bolger (back), Juliette Fore (breaststroke), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Sarah Jones (breaststroke), Jayne Orleans (breaststroke), Olivia Blondin (fly), Cameron Morey (fly), Mollie Passacantando (fly), and Jessie Bricker (fly).
MVP swimmers finished second in 22 out of the 40 races. Second place points were earned by Juliette Fore (free), Sheridan Phalen (free and breaststroke), Sean Jansen (free), Tom Dupuis (free), Mollie Passacantando (free), Sophia Passacantando (free), Ken Krogh (back), Joseph Ienzi (back), Kevin Adams-Mardi (back and breaststroke), Maddy Bolger (back),Will Friedman (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Sam McBroom (breaststroke), Elaina Phalen (breaststroke), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Connor Dunn (fly), Layne O'Connell (fly), Nick Dupuis (fly), Cole Miller (fly), and Emma Jones (fly).
Gator swimmers took 25 third places. Garnering a Gator point were: George Pacious (free and fly), Cecilia Morales (free), Mac Brotherton (free), Emma Jones (free), Tristan Colaizzi (free and fly), Jessie Bricker (free), James Piland (back), Ellie Cullo (back), Nicky McBroom (back), Taylor Makin (back), Gus Leyden (back), Molly Cabral (back), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (back and fly), Layne O'Connell (breaststroke), Joseph Ienzi (breaststroke), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Austin Neal (breaststroke), Grace McGee (fly), Parker Blondin (fly), Liam Orr (fly), Emily Walzl (fly), and Jessica Metter (fly).
Next week, the Gators travel to their last away A meet of the season at Fox Mill Woods. It should be a fantastic meet against the Fintastics, who are 0-1 after a close loss to Dunn Loring in week one.
Whoops. Stuff happens.
(For those who are not history buffs, "Mosby Woods" is named after famed Confederate Colonel John Mosby, who led his Rangers on daring raids through North Central Virginia, including Fairfax and Annandale. If you are really weak on American history, "Mount Vernon Park" is named after nearby Mount Vernon, which was owned by George Washington, a Revolutionary War general and early American politician of some renown. If history is your thing, I apologize for the cheap literary device used in the headline, but I take my cheesy headlines whenever I can.)
I love the smell of Gators in the morning.
It smells like. . .victory!
The meet was highlighted by the breaking of two NVSL records by Cassidy Bayer, and two team relay records by the 11-12 boys and the 11-12 girls (back to back races!). Scroll down the blog to see the articles on the record breakers.
And they are off!
The meet started in exciting fashion, as seven year old James Piland came from behind to just edge out the Mosby Woods star swimmer by 0.07 seconds in the 8 & under 25 free. James' clutch swim turned out to be the closest Gator victory of the morning -- pretty amazing for his first A meet race.
I can't tell from the photo who this is,
but the water droplets are pretty cool.
The Gators trailed 44-46 after freestyle, but a 49-41 victory in backstroke put the team ahead by a 93-87 margin. On the breaststroke, the Gators went through Mosby Woods like Sherman through Georgia (another historical reference!), winning 55-35, extending the lead to 148-122. Butterfly fell to the Gators like surrounded British troops at Yorktown (with two wars to rely on for metaphors, this could go on all day, but I'll stop now. Probably.) by a 56-34 score, providing a 204-156 lead.
Joe Taylor: looking intense.
The Gators won eight of the twelve relays, including the boys mixed age 200 freestyle relay. In my 13 years of having kids swim MVP A meets, this is the first time I can remember our mixed age boys winning a race, so congratulations are in order to Cameron Morey, Nick Dupuis, Kevin Adams-Mardi, and Cyrus Adams-Mardi for the victory over a team featuring the best boy swimmer in the NVSL, Philip Hu.
Good luck at Gov School, Maddy!
The other relay highlight was back-to-back breaking of team records by the 11-12 boys and girls (as noted above, separate article below).
The Gators took the lead
during the backstroke events.
Gator sweeps came in four events -- including three butterfly events. The sweeps started with the boys 9-10 breaststroke, as Brian McNamara took first, Parker Blondin earned second, and Joseph Ienzi garnered third. The girls 8 & under butterfly team of Emily Makin, Layne O'Connell, and Grace McGee earned the next sweep. The boys 11-12 sweep consisted of Cameron Morey, Cole Miller, and Liam Orr. Finally the sweeps were rounded out by 13-14 girls of Mollie/Jessie Passacantando/Bricker and Emily Walzl. Mollie and Jessie tied for first with a time of 34.42.
The lead widened during breaststroke
Layne's smiling because she knows we're winning!
Gators won 22 of the 40 individual events. Double Gator winners were Cassidy Bayer (free and fly), Sara Bertram (back and fly), Holly Jansen (back and breaststroke), Emily Makin (back and fly).
Juliette's eyeing first place.
Individual Gator winners were James Piland (free), Nick Dupuis (free), Maddy Bolger (free), Mac Brotherton (back), Collin Sundsted (back), Torie Bolger (back), Juliette Fore (breaststroke), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Sarah Jones (breaststroke), Jayne Orleans (breaststroke), Olivia Blondin (fly), Cameron Morey (fly), Mollie Passacantando (fly), and Jessie Bricker (fly).
McBroom goes McZoom!
MVP swimmers finished second in 22 out of the 40 races. Second place points were earned by Juliette Fore (free), Sheridan Phalen (free and breaststroke), Sean Jansen (free), Tom Dupuis (free), Mollie Passacantando (free), Sophia Passacantando (free), Ken Krogh (back), Joseph Ienzi (back), Kevin Adams-Mardi (back and breaststroke), Maddy Bolger (back),Will Friedman (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Sam McBroom (breaststroke), Elaina Phalen (breaststroke), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Connor Dunn (fly), Layne O'Connell (fly), Nick Dupuis (fly), Cole Miller (fly), and Emma Jones (fly).
Sean goes really, relay fast!
Gator swimmers took 25 third places. Garnering a Gator point were: George Pacious (free and fly), Cecilia Morales (free), Mac Brotherton (free), Emma Jones (free), Tristan Colaizzi (free and fly), Jessie Bricker (free), James Piland (back), Ellie Cullo (back), Nicky McBroom (back), Taylor Makin (back), Gus Leyden (back), Molly Cabral (back), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (back and fly), Layne O'Connell (breaststroke), Joseph Ienzi (breaststroke), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Austin Neal (breaststroke), Grace McGee (fly), Parker Blondin (fly), Liam Orr (fly), Emily Walzl (fly), and Jessica Metter (fly).
Austin Walzl warms up for his first A meet.
Special thanks to our Gator Heroes of the Week -- Cole Miller, for swimming with the 13-14 freestylers despite being 11 years old, Jack Brunton, an 11 year old swimming up in 13-14 backstroke, Tyler Dunn, who swam with the 15-18 year old backstrokers AND flyers as an 11 year old, Kaila Stein, age 13, who swam with the 15-18 backstrokers, and Carl Questad, a 12 year old doing breaststroke as an 13-14 year old. Next week, the Gators travel to their last away A meet of the season at Fox Mill Woods. It should be a fantastic meet against the Fintastics, who are 0-1 after a close loss to Dunn Loring in week one.
Swimmers of the Week -- Brian McNamara, Olivia Blondin
A pair of 9-10 swimmers were chosen as Swimmers of the Week for key wins in the meet against Mosby Woods -- Brian McNamara and Olivia Blondin.
Brian was selected for his key win in the 9-10 boys breaststroke. He led a Gator sweep. Before Brian's win, the Gators had a tenuous six point lead. After Brian led the sweep (along with Parker Blondin and Joseph Ienzi), the close meet turned into a 68 point victory -- Brian got it going, and the rest of the Gators picked up on the momentum.
Olivia Blondin earned the honors on the girls side for her "Outside Smoke" in the 9-10 girls fly. "Outside Smoke" refers to a really fast swim from lanes one or six. Olivia was in lane six and blew away two Mosby Woods swimmers in a very exciting race. Olivia was in third place partway through the race, threw it in to high gear, and beat the Raiders swimmers by 0.23 and 0.27 seconds respectively.
Congrats to both.
Editor's Note: Swimmers of the Week are selected solely at the discretion of the writer (who also happens to be the editor). Please send complaints or disagreements to idontcare@gmail.com. Attempts to bribe the editor (particularly with good wine) are appreciated but also fruitless (hopefully the wine isn't fruitless, but the bribery attempt would be).
Brian was selected for his key win in the 9-10 boys breaststroke. He led a Gator sweep. Before Brian's win, the Gators had a tenuous six point lead. After Brian led the sweep (along with Parker Blondin and Joseph Ienzi), the close meet turned into a 68 point victory -- Brian got it going, and the rest of the Gators picked up on the momentum.
Olivia Blondin earned the honors on the girls side for her "Outside Smoke" in the 9-10 girls fly. "Outside Smoke" refers to a really fast swim from lanes one or six. Olivia was in lane six and blew away two Mosby Woods swimmers in a very exciting race. Olivia was in third place partway through the race, threw it in to high gear, and beat the Raiders swimmers by 0.23 and 0.27 seconds respectively.
Congrats to both.
Editor's Note: Swimmers of the Week are selected solely at the discretion of the writer (who also happens to be the editor). Please send complaints or disagreements to idontcare@gmail.com. Attempts to bribe the editor (particularly with good wine) are appreciated but also fruitless (hopefully the wine isn't fruitless, but the bribery attempt would be).
Bicentennial Record Broken As 11-12 Relay Records Fall
In what is a first in the modern Gator era, both the boys 11-12 relay and the girls 11-12 relay broke team records at the Mosby Woods meet.
The boys record was set back in the Bicentennial year of 1976. While Jimmy Carter was campaigning to wrest the Presidency from Gerald Ford with the pledge "I will never lie to you," Brad Hucks, K. Rogich, L. Ribble, and J Hollister swam a 1:09.50 time in the 100 meter medley relay.
That mark was erased yesterday by the team of Cameron Morey (backstroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Cole Miller (butterfly), and Sam McBroom (freestyle). The foursome nosed out the record with a 1:09.43. They clearly will have chances to lower the mark further this season.
The very next relay race broke another Gator record, as the 11-12 girls broke a 2008 record. Also a Presidential election year, the old mark of 1:03.77 was set by Sophia Passacantando, Julia Benson, Sara Bertram, and Leigh Orleans.
The team of Cassidy Bayer (backstroke), Holly Jansen (breaststroke), Emma Jones (fly), and Claudia Theriot (free) swam a 1:02.92 to set a mark the girls could well lower this season.
Congrats to the 11-12 year old relays teams for setting records in yet another Presidential election year!
Emma, Holly, Cassidy, and Claudia celebrate
The boys record was set back in the Bicentennial year of 1976. While Jimmy Carter was campaigning to wrest the Presidency from Gerald Ford with the pledge "I will never lie to you," Brad Hucks, K. Rogich, L. Ribble, and J Hollister swam a 1:09.50 time in the 100 meter medley relay.
Cole Miller rings the bell for
the 11-12 boys record
That mark was erased yesterday by the team of Cameron Morey (backstroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Cole Miller (butterfly), and Sam McBroom (freestyle). The foursome nosed out the record with a 1:09.43. They clearly will have chances to lower the mark further this season.
Cameron got the record swim started
with a strong backstroke showing.
The very next relay race broke another Gator record, as the 11-12 girls broke a 2008 record. Also a Presidential election year, the old mark of 1:03.77 was set by Sophia Passacantando, Julia Benson, Sara Bertram, and Leigh Orleans.
The team of Cassidy Bayer (backstroke), Holly Jansen (breaststroke), Emma Jones (fly), and Claudia Theriot (free) swam a 1:02.92 to set a mark the girls could well lower this season.
Congrats to the 11-12 year old relays teams for setting records in yet another Presidential election year!
Holly was rocking.
Cassidy Bayer sets two more NVSL Records!
Cassidy Bayer broke two NVSL records in the meet against Mosby Woods -- the 11-12 girls freestyle record set in 2002 by Ashley Danner, and the 11-12 girls butterfly record that Cassidy set last season.
Danner's record freestyle time was 27.58, and Cassidy crushed it with a 27.36. In the fly, Cassidy really lowered her own mark, dropping her record time from 29.71 last year to 29.19.
Setting records in the first A meet of the season means Cassidy has six more chances to lower those marks (four A meets, Divisionals, and All-Stars).
Cassidy now holds three NVSL individual records, which is more than any other swimmer besides Mosby Woods' Janet Hu, who holds an amazing seven individual records.
Cassidy waits for company after her
NVSL record setting freestyle
Danner's record freestyle time was 27.58, and Cassidy crushed it with a 27.36. In the fly, Cassidy really lowered her own mark, dropping her record time from 29.71 last year to 29.19.
Cassidy's so fast we could only get her picture
after she was done settingNVSL records.
Well, done for the day.
Setting records in the first A meet of the season means Cassidy has six more chances to lower those marks (four A meets, Divisionals, and All-Stars).
Cassidy now holds three NVSL individual records, which is more than any other swimmer besides Mosby Woods' Janet Hu, who holds an amazing seven individual records.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Directions to Mosby Woods
ADDRESS
3136 Plantation Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22030
DIRECTIONS
From I-66: Take the Route 123/Chain Bridge Road Exit towards Fairfax. Turn Left at the second stop light on Lee Highway/Route 50. Turn Left at the third stop light on Plantation Parkway. Continue straight for about 0.6 miles, the pool is on the left. From Route 236 (Little River Turnpike): Route 236 to Picket Road, head North. Take a left on Route 50/Arlington Blvd. Approx. 1.5 miles make a right onto Plantation Parkway. Pool is on the left after 1.5 miles.
3136 Plantation Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22030
DIRECTIONS
From I-66: Take the Route 123/Chain Bridge Road Exit towards Fairfax. Turn Left at the second stop light on Lee Highway/Route 50. Turn Left at the third stop light on Plantation Parkway. Continue straight for about 0.6 miles, the pool is on the left. From Route 236 (Little River Turnpike): Route 236 to Picket Road, head North. Take a left on Route 50/Arlington Blvd. Approx. 1.5 miles make a right onto Plantation Parkway. Pool is on the left after 1.5 miles.
Waynewood B Meet Photos are Here
Despite the cloudy conditions, David Anderson got some great photos. View them here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114682110635489328722/WaynewoodAtMVPBMeet2012?locked=true&feat=email
https://picasaweb.google.com/114682110635489328722/WaynewoodAtMVPBMeet2012?locked=true&feat=email
Cassidy Bayer Faster Than NVSL Record
Cassidy Bayer broke three of her own team record at Time Trials on Saturday -- the 11-12 girls 50 free, 50 back, and 50 butterfly. She set the records last season as an 11 year old, and smashed them on Saturday. With 5 A Meets, Divisional Championships, and All-Stars still left, she has plenty of opportunity to lower them.
MVP rules state that team records set at Time Trials count. But, NVSL rules state (fairly, I might add) that NVSL records can only be set at A Meets, Division Champs, or All-Stars. Cassidy's record last year set the NVSL 50 meter butterfly mark at 29.71 for 11-12 year olds. Saturday, she beat it by 0.10 seconds -- so her 29.61 time counts for the team, but not the league. Pretty clear, huh?
Cassidy ripped time off of her Gator 11-12 50 free mark, cutting it from 29.07 to 27.94, which is also the fastest 50 free ever swum by a Gator girl, regardless of age group. Heck, it's also 1.75 seconds faster than the fastest 50 free ever swum by an 11-12 Gator boy.
Cassidy also smacked down her backstroke record, lowering it from 33.27 to 32.44.
Cassidy holds ten individual team records. Congratulations. . .I'm sure this won't be the last time we update her record-breaking this season.
MVP rules state that team records set at Time Trials count. But, NVSL rules state (fairly, I might add) that NVSL records can only be set at A Meets, Division Champs, or All-Stars. Cassidy's record last year set the NVSL 50 meter butterfly mark at 29.71 for 11-12 year olds. Saturday, she beat it by 0.10 seconds -- so her 29.61 time counts for the team, but not the league. Pretty clear, huh?
Cassidy ripped time off of her Gator 11-12 50 free mark, cutting it from 29.07 to 27.94, which is also the fastest 50 free ever swum by a Gator girl, regardless of age group. Heck, it's also 1.75 seconds faster than the fastest 50 free ever swum by an 11-12 Gator boy.
Cassidy also smacked down her backstroke record, lowering it from 33.27 to 32.44.
Cassidy holds ten individual team records. Congratulations. . .I'm sure this won't be the last time we update her record-breaking this season.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Photos from Time Trials
Dave Anderson's photos are up for your viewing enjoyment:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114682110635489328722/MVPTimeTrials2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCOS05qK1wf34PQ&feat=email
https://picasaweb.google.com/114682110635489328722/MVPTimeTrials2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCOS05qK1wf34PQ&feat=email
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
2012 Gator Street & Smith's Season Preview
After a rough 0-5 season in 2011 in Division 3 that was highlighted by winning the IM Championship for this area and strong showings at All-Star Relays and Individual All-Stars, the Gators look to rebound with some wins in Division 4 this year.
For background purposes, there are 102 teams in the NVSL in 17 divisions. It is the largest sports league in the country. Teams are seeded by expected strength, so that means the Gators are considered to be one of the top 24 teams in the league.
This article will first review the A Meet schedule, and then cover the B Meet schedule.
Our A meet schedule kicks off June 23rd at the Mosby Woods Raiders, located in Fairfax next to scenic Interstate 66. Mosby Woods went 1-4 in Division 4 last year. They are led by star swimmer Janet Hu, who holds most of the NVSL records that Cassidy Bayer has not yet broken. Miss Hu may be in Omaha swimming at the US Olympic Trials, so it will be interesting to see if she is swimming at the A meet or getting ready for the Olympics (even I don't consider the two meets to be on equal footing).
On June 30th, we have our last road A meet at Fox Mill Woods. The Fintastics (yes, that's their name!), are located out near the confluence of the Dulles Toll Road, the Fairfax County Parkway, and Route 50. Last season, they went 2-3 in Division 4.
After that, it's all home cooking on Saturdays (well, home concessions, which is like home cooking). July 7th the Gators host the alluringly alliterative Pinecrest Piranhas at MVP. Pinecrest went 5-0 to win Division 6 last year. Only four teams in the entire NVSL scored more points last season than Pinecrest.
The mid-week relay fun starts July 11th with the Division Relay Carnival at Mosby Woods, followed a week later by All Star Relay Carnival at Lincolnia on July 18th. The Gators specialize in strong relay showings, and this year should be no different. Unless it is. But it shouldn't be. We hope.
Moving a little backwards in time, Hunt Valley comes to MVP on July 14th. The Stingrays went 2-3 in Division 4 last season.
July 21st is a rematch with a rival from a few seasons ago -- the Dunn Loring Dolphins. They finished in second place, 4-1, in Division 4 last season and are ranked as the top seed in the division. Should be a good battle to end the season.
Divisional Champs are July 28th at Hunt Valley, and Individual All-Stars follow August 4th next door at Waynewood.
As always, the B Meet schedule kicks off with Waynewood -- this year it is their turn to come to MVP this Monday, June 18th. The other home B meet is the intrasquad Green and White meet (the early Vegas line favors Green, but heavy betting on White is starting the swing the line) on July 2nd. The Green and White meet is famous for the free pizza for all team members who swim.
Then we hit the "road" (all B meets are in the rough and tumble streets of the Mt. Vernon neighborhood), going to Stratford on June 25th, to Mansion House on July 9th, and Riverside Gardens on July 16th. The 3rd Annual Gator Romp in the Swamp championship meet is July 25th.
For background purposes, there are 102 teams in the NVSL in 17 divisions. It is the largest sports league in the country. Teams are seeded by expected strength, so that means the Gators are considered to be one of the top 24 teams in the league.
This article will first review the A Meet schedule, and then cover the B Meet schedule.
Our A meet schedule kicks off June 23rd at the Mosby Woods Raiders, located in Fairfax next to scenic Interstate 66. Mosby Woods went 1-4 in Division 4 last year. They are led by star swimmer Janet Hu, who holds most of the NVSL records that Cassidy Bayer has not yet broken. Miss Hu may be in Omaha swimming at the US Olympic Trials, so it will be interesting to see if she is swimming at the A meet or getting ready for the Olympics (even I don't consider the two meets to be on equal footing).
On June 30th, we have our last road A meet at Fox Mill Woods. The Fintastics (yes, that's their name!), are located out near the confluence of the Dulles Toll Road, the Fairfax County Parkway, and Route 50. Last season, they went 2-3 in Division 4.
After that, it's all home cooking on Saturdays (well, home concessions, which is like home cooking). July 7th the Gators host the alluringly alliterative Pinecrest Piranhas at MVP. Pinecrest went 5-0 to win Division 6 last year. Only four teams in the entire NVSL scored more points last season than Pinecrest.
The mid-week relay fun starts July 11th with the Division Relay Carnival at Mosby Woods, followed a week later by All Star Relay Carnival at Lincolnia on July 18th. The Gators specialize in strong relay showings, and this year should be no different. Unless it is. But it shouldn't be. We hope.
Moving a little backwards in time, Hunt Valley comes to MVP on July 14th. The Stingrays went 2-3 in Division 4 last season.
July 21st is a rematch with a rival from a few seasons ago -- the Dunn Loring Dolphins. They finished in second place, 4-1, in Division 4 last season and are ranked as the top seed in the division. Should be a good battle to end the season.
Divisional Champs are July 28th at Hunt Valley, and Individual All-Stars follow August 4th next door at Waynewood.
As always, the B Meet schedule kicks off with Waynewood -- this year it is their turn to come to MVP this Monday, June 18th. The other home B meet is the intrasquad Green and White meet (the early Vegas line favors Green, but heavy betting on White is starting the swing the line) on July 2nd. The Green and White meet is famous for the free pizza for all team members who swim.
Then we hit the "road" (all B meets are in the rough and tumble streets of the Mt. Vernon neighborhood), going to Stratford on June 25th, to Mansion House on July 9th, and Riverside Gardens on July 16th. The 3rd Annual Gator Romp in the Swamp championship meet is July 25th.
Time Trials Haiku
A morning gathering of Gators
Swimming fast
Heralds the New Season
The weekly (during the season) Gator Haiku is being written by an anonymous MVP Gator fan. (Don't ask, I won't tell!). Please feel free to submit your own haikus -- the best ones will be posted on the blog.
Swimming fast
Heralds the New Season
The weekly (during the season) Gator Haiku is being written by an anonymous MVP Gator fan. (Don't ask, I won't tell!). Please feel free to submit your own haikus -- the best ones will be posted on the blog.
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