Hey Now -- You're An All-Star! Eleven Gator Relays Qualify for All-Stars; 26 Gators Swimming

The MVP Gators are sending eleven relay teams featuring 26 different swimmers to All-Stars Wednesday night at Hunt Valley.  That just misses tying last year's Gator record of twelve teams and 27 swimmers, and matches 2012's eleven relays.  The next best after that is nine, both in 2011 and 2009.

For your musical interlude re All-Stars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_jWHffIx5E

First, The Background  
There are 102 teams in the 17 divisions in the NVSL.  The First Division has the fastest and best teams that actually even recruit, and Division 17 has the smallest and, um, not so best teams.  Teams move up and down divisions based on some complex formula divined with frogs, magic hats, and secret sauce at a place in Scotland called "Hogwarts."

Every year, on the Wednesday after the third A meet, there is a meet consisting of all six teams in the division swimming 22 different relays mixed age, medley, and freestyle across the different age groups and genders (don't worry, things haven t changed since you were younger, there are still only two genders). Results from across the 17 divisions are compared, and the top 18 teams in each age/gender group make it the following Wednesday to a huge meet called All-Star Relays, along with one alternate team.

All-Stars is like Woodstock for swimming -- the best from the biggest summer swim league in the country -- a total of 396 relays swim, which results in approximately 1,700-1,800 swimmers.

In 2006, the Gators sent seven relay teams to All-Stars. In 2007, the number dropped to three (although they put on a show). In 2008, the number bounced back up to seven. Then, in 2009, the Gators hit a new high of nine relay teams going to All-Stars.  That "dropped" to eight in 2010, although there were some powerhouse relays, before bouncing back to nine in 2011.  Since then, it's been double digits of 11, 12, and now 11 again.  The Gators have averaged sending 10.75 relay teams in the past four seasons.  That 0.75 relay is strange to watch!

Now, the Details
The All-Star teams are seeded, from one to 18, and swim in three heats, with the slowest heat going first, and the fast six teams in the final heat. Teams can move up -- we've had Gator teams in the slow heat finish in the top six overall. (Of course, they can also go the other way).

Seven girls teams and four boys teams qualified for All-Stars.  Of statistical interest is that of the 11 teams, only seven were under last year's All-Star cuts, which means that the four relays that were not under the cut had swum these same events and times last year, they would not have made it.  That's a surprisingly huge variation in time.l

And so, without further ado, here are your 2013 Gator All-Star relays:

• Event 1 -- Girls mixed age relay -- seed 3: Sheridan Phalen, Emily Makin, Cassidy Bayer, and Sara Bertram
• Event 2 -- Boys mixed age relay -- seed 17: Nick Dupuis, James Piland, Cameron Morey, and Kevin Adams-Mardi
• Event 6 -- Boys 9-10 medley -- seed 14: Kenny Krogh, Colby Webber, Charlie Ruppe, and James Piland
• Event 7 -- Girls 11-12 medley -- seed 14: Taylor Makin, Lily Penn, Sheridan Phalen, and Juliana Skopp-Cardillo
• Event 8 -- Boys 11-12 medley -- seed 16: Andrei Zaitsev, Brian McNamara, Parker Blondin, and Nick Dupuis
• Event 9 -- Girls 13-14 medley -- seed 14: Parker Fulghum, Elaina Phalen, Cassidy Bayer, and Emma Jones.
• Event 11 -- Girls 15-18 medley -- seed 13: Anna Fracasso, Torie Bolger, Sara Bertram, and Jessie Bricker
• Event 17 -- Girls 11-12 free -- seed 9: Juliana Skopp-Cardillo, Taylor Makin, Lily Penn, and Sheridan Phalen
• Event 18 -- Boys 11-12 free -- seed 9: Clark Bayer, Brian McNamara, Andrei Zaitsev, and Nick Dupuis
• Event 19 -- Girls 13-14 free -- seed 4: Cassidy Bayer, Elaina Phalen, Parker Fulghum, and Emma Jones
• Event 21 -- Girls 15-18 free -- seed 11: Sara Bertram, Jessie Bricker, Anna Fracasso, and Jessica Metter

Congratulations to our All-Stars!

(Okay, so I've recycled the headline too many times to count now, as well as large chunks of this article, but Gators are green, recycling is green, and Bolger is an Irish name, so go with the green theme!)