Gator relays set six new team records at Divisional Relay Carnival on Wednesday night, with boys setting four new records and girls setting two. A number of Gators on hand last night saw that fame can be fleeting, as they watched their recent records get broken.
The 200 free Mixed Age boys started off the record-breaking in fine fashion, as Nick Dupuis, Andrei Zaitsev, Cameron Morey, and Cyrus Adams-Mardi swam a 1:59.75, just squeaking under the 1:59.91 set last year by Cameron, Nick, Kevin Adams-Mardi, and Cyrus by just 0.16.
The 9-10 boys medley record was the next to go down, as Andrei Zaitsev (back), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Charlie Ruppe (fly), and Clark Bayer (free) lowered their own mark set on June 29th from 1:13.71 to 1:12.03, a huge 1.68 second drop.
The Gators waited nine events, and a lengthy thunder/lightning delay, for the next team record. The 9-10 girls free team of Emily Makin, Olivia Blondin, Abigail Dittman, and Juliana Skopp-Cardillo swam a scintillating 1:04.87, knocking Molly Cabral, Emily Walzl, Mollie Passacantando and Torie Bolger's 2008 record of 1:05.67 out of the books by 0.80.
The very next event was eventful, as the 9-10 boys also wrote their names in the free relay record portion of the Gator Records Scroll. Andrei, Parker, Andrew Baker, and Clark swam a strong 1:04.06, to lower the previous mark by 2.08 seconds! The old record was set in 2011, by Sean Jansen, Cole Miller, Tyler Dunn, and Nick Dupuis.
The 11-12 boys then followed that act with a 57.40 by Sean Jansen, Collin Sundsted, Jack Brunton, and Nick Dupuis. Their swim was more than three seconds faster!!!! than the 2012 mark set by Cameron, Sean, Sam McBroom, and Dom Heratsch, which was a time of 1:00.78.
The final record broken was set by the 15-18 girls 200 meter free team of Maddy Bolger, Anna Fracasso, Torie Bolger, and Sara Bertram with a time of 1:58.37, fully 1.79 seconds quicker than the 2011 record. That mark, swum by Sara, Maddy, Sophia Passacantando, and Julia Bolger, had been 2:00.16.
For several years now, every girls relay record has been set in this century -- 2006 or later. Of the twelve boys relay records, seven have been in this century, with five old ones to go down. All of the old ones are in the 13-14 or 15-18 age groups, so as the strong cohort of boys age 12 and under get older, those records from the early 1990s are in jeopardy.
Gator Nation
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Gators Better In Pool vs. Mansion House Than DiCaprio was in the North Atlantic
Somehow the weather gods looked kindly on the Mansion House/MVP developmental
meet this past Monday. The annual event was not postponed although the meet ran as
long as the movie TITANIC -- all three hours.
Our swimmers fared much better than Leonardo DiCaprio in that film. Heat winners
included: William Mochel (twice), Gavin Fore, Eloiuse Normand (twice), Cece Theriot, Helen Milito (age 4!), George Pacious, Kenneth Krogh, Aidan Fischer, Abby Dittman, Leigh Kovalsky, Natalie
Terwilliger, Bea Heratsch, Kaila Stein (twice), Leah Myers, Nicholas Swetz, Nicky McBroom,
Emily Atkinson, Lucas Garvey, Ethan Tynan, Cecilia Morales, Molly Rutherford, Lauren Pacious,
and Brian McNamara.
Those taking more than 4 seconds off their personal bests included: Jack Waid, Alec Dillapain, Christopher Delaune, Luke Adrian, Sofia-Marie Khalil, Mikayla Gordon, Charlotte Fischer, Monica Morales, Ginny Grube, Dylan Morgan, Nicolas Swetz, Anna Grace Dickerson, Caroline Miller, Samantha Cowen, Hannah Leslie, Juliana Skopp-Cardillo, Leah Myers, and 5 year old Sarah Coggeshall.
Other little Gators finishing their first races were Graham Dale, Zach Staples, Jack Garuccio, and Tyler Swartz.
Congratulations to all the swimmers!
The last developmental swim of the summer is this coming Monday, 7/15 when the Gators face the Tsunami of
Riverside Gardens. Make sure all swimmers stay after practice on Monday to rally some pep!
meet this past Monday. The annual event was not postponed although the meet ran as
long as the movie TITANIC -- all three hours.
Our swimmers fared much better than Leonardo DiCaprio in that film. Heat winners
included: William Mochel (twice), Gavin Fore, Eloiuse Normand (twice), Cece Theriot, Helen Milito (age 4!), George Pacious, Kenneth Krogh, Aidan Fischer, Abby Dittman, Leigh Kovalsky, Natalie
Terwilliger, Bea Heratsch, Kaila Stein (twice), Leah Myers, Nicholas Swetz, Nicky McBroom,
Emily Atkinson, Lucas Garvey, Ethan Tynan, Cecilia Morales, Molly Rutherford, Lauren Pacious,
and Brian McNamara.
Those taking more than 4 seconds off their personal bests included: Jack Waid, Alec Dillapain, Christopher Delaune, Luke Adrian, Sofia-Marie Khalil, Mikayla Gordon, Charlotte Fischer, Monica Morales, Ginny Grube, Dylan Morgan, Nicolas Swetz, Anna Grace Dickerson, Caroline Miller, Samantha Cowen, Hannah Leslie, Juliana Skopp-Cardillo, Leah Myers, and 5 year old Sarah Coggeshall.
Other little Gators finishing their first races were Graham Dale, Zach Staples, Jack Garuccio, and Tyler Swartz.
Congratulations to all the swimmers!
The last developmental swim of the summer is this coming Monday, 7/15 when the Gators face the Tsunami of
Riverside Gardens. Make sure all swimmers stay after practice on Monday to rally some pep!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
From SwimSwam.com -- More Noteworthy Notes About MVP's Own Cassidy Bayer
Recognizing the vastly-different strategies being used this summer by junior level swimmers in terms of when to taper (some went to Indy, others will wait until the US Open or Juniors in Irvine in August to swim), USA Swimming has accepted all three meets as qualifiers for the Junior World Championship Team this year.
With that in mind, and to give targets for the later meets, USA Swimming has listed the top eligible swimmers for Junior Worlds in each of the qualifying events after the World Championship Trials in Indianapolis last week. The qualifying criteria are similar to those for the World Championships, with the top four 100 and 200 freestylers + the top two in the other individual events with two exceptions: only four swimmers from each of the two free relay events will be taken, and selections will be made only in Olympic events.
Below is the current rankings for eligible swimmers, which is specifically female candidates born from 1996-1999, and male candidates born from 1995-1998. The full team is expected to be named by August 12th. Note that unlike meets like the World University Games, there is no restriction on members of the World Championship Team that would prevent them from competing at Junior Worlds, which means swimmers like Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky can swim both meets if they so choose.
Also remember that swimmers lower than 6th in the final rankings, per USA Swimming rules, cannot be taken to Junior Worlds (by declines to swim, etc.) even if there is a spot for them. Despite USA Swimming ranking some events down to 8th place, those currently ranked lower than 6th are already eliminated from consideration.
Among contenders for this team who didn’t swim at Trials include butterflier Justin Wright, who was on the Jr. Pan Pacs squad last year.
With that in mind, and to give targets for the later meets, USA Swimming has listed the top eligible swimmers for Junior Worlds in each of the qualifying events after the World Championship Trials in Indianapolis last week. The qualifying criteria are similar to those for the World Championships, with the top four 100 and 200 freestylers + the top two in the other individual events with two exceptions: only four swimmers from each of the two free relay events will be taken, and selections will be made only in Olympic events.
Below is the current rankings for eligible swimmers, which is specifically female candidates born from 1996-1999, and male candidates born from 1995-1998. The full team is expected to be named by August 12th. Note that unlike meets like the World University Games, there is no restriction on members of the World Championship Team that would prevent them from competing at Junior Worlds, which means swimmers like Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky can swim both meets if they so choose.
Also remember that swimmers lower than 6th in the final rankings, per USA Swimming rules, cannot be taken to Junior Worlds (by declines to swim, etc.) even if there is a spot for them. Despite USA Swimming ranking some events down to 8th place, those currently ranked lower than 6th are already eliminated from consideration.
Among contenders for this team who didn’t swim at Trials include butterflier Justin Wright, who was on the Jr. Pan Pacs squad last year.
100 Butterfly
|
100 Butterfly
|
1. Katie McLaughlin (Mission Viejo Nadadores) 59.70
|
1. Justin Lynch (Terrapins Swim Team) 52.75
|
2. Cassidy Bayer (Nation’s Capital Swim Club) 59.99
|
2. Matthew Josa (SwimMAC Carolina) 52.76
|
3. Courtney Weaver (Flint “Y” Falcons) 1:00.75
|
3. Santo Condorelli (Bolles School Sharks) 53.55
|
4. Lindsey Engel (JCC Waves) 1:00.96
|
4. Kyle Gornay (Redlands Swim Team) 54.10
|
5. Sonia Wang (Redlands Swim Team) 1:01.11
|
5. Aaron Whitaker (Duneland Swim Club) 54.15
|
6. Elsa Welshofer (SwimMAC Carolina) 1:01.69
|
6. Andrew Liang (Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics) 54.56
|
7. Megan Kingsley (Mount Pleasant Swim Club) 1:02.04
|
7. Andrew Seliskar (Nation’s Capital Swim Club) 55.15
|
8. Madison Wright (Kingfish Aquatic Club) 1:02.34
|
8. Michael Domagala (Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics) 55.10
|
200 Butterfly
|
200 Butterfly
|
1. Katie McLaughlin (Mission Viejo Nadadores) 2:10.41
|
1. Andrew Seliskar (Nation’s Capital Swim Club) 1:57.48
|
2. Rebecca Mann (Clearwater Aquatic Team) 2:10.46
|
2. Justin Lynch (Terrapins Swim Team) 1:58.82
|
3. Madison Wright (Kingfish Aquatic Club) 2:11.18
|
3. Corey Okubo (Aquazot Swim Club) 1:59.31
|
4. Courtney Weaver (Flint “Y” Falcons) 2:11.38
|
4. James Yoder (Stingrays) 2:00.39
|
5. Cassidy Bayer (Nation’s Capital Swim Club) 2:11.44
|
5. William Buese (North Baltimore Aquatic Club) 2:01.56
|
6. Megan Kingsley (Mount Pleasant Swim Club) 2:11.45
| |
7. Caitlin Casazza (SwimMAC Carolina) 2:14.68
| |
8. Remedy Rule (Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club) 2:15.13
|
(Special thanks to Gator dad Tim Heck for calling it to my attention.)
Mansion House B Meet Photos
Lee-Graham A Meet Photos Are Here!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Gators Chow Down on Tuna-Safe Dolphin
The Mt. Vernon Park Gators enjoyed winning so much last week that they took their second A meet 230-190 over long-time NVSL powerhouse Lee-Graham. Coupled with the other results in the division, the Gators are now in sole possession of second place in Division 3.
Prior to the meet, it looked like it was going to be close, but the Gators were spurred onto victory by the questionable sportsmanship of their opponent. Between the pre-meet Zombie skit (which, prior to the season, the division had agreed no one would do) that included tearing off the head of a hanging Gator, the mocking Christmas music during Gator warm-ups, the signs inside the pool area, the attempts to intimidate the MVP swimmers backfired.
Besides all of that, the choice of slow-moving zombies as the theme for a swim meet didn't evoke speed in the Dolphins, as the Gators took what was supposed to be a tight meet and blew it open.
It was back before Nixon lied to us all on TV*. It was back before Mark Spitz. Back before Post-It Notes were invented. It was back before the original "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie -- you know, the good one starring Gene Wilder, not the weird one with Johnny Depp. It was back before "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was an iconic hit. It was the same year the Beatles broke up, and slightly less newsworthy. It was also just another year the Cubs did not win the World Series.
"It," of course, was the last time the Gators won two meets in Division 3 -- 1970. It's been 43 years since MVP has multiple victories in a season in one of the top three divisions of the NVSL. While 43 years may sound like a long time to you, it actually is a long time too!
*For those concerned that my Nixon reference is a partisan cheap shot, it's awfully given that I'm a Republican. First of all, he did lie to us all on TV. Secondly, and the main reason for that line, is it is from a classic Merle Haggard song, and anytime you can use a Merle Haggard reference in your writing, you pretty much have to do it. Now I just need to use a Dwight Yoakam and a Waylon Jennings reference, and my writing life is complete. But. . .I digress. . .back to the Gators.
MVP jumped out to a lead it would never relinquish by capturing the first four races, and seven of the ten freestyle events. Taking the 55-35 lead provided half of the margin of victory. The lead stayed the same during backstroke, as the two teams split the 90 points down the middle -- 45 each. The Gators won six of the ten backstroke events.
Breaststroke went the Gators way by a 51-39 margin, as MVPers won six of those as well. While fly was close, the 49-41 advantage in that stroke pushed the Gator lead out to 40 points -- meaning only three relay wins were needed for victory. MVP followed their six fly wins with splitting the relays at six each with Lee-Graham.
The race of the week was swum by Jessie Bricker, who beat her Lee-Graham opponent by a razor-thin 0.05 margin. Race of the week is based on the closest margin of victory for a Gator swimmer beating an opponent.
There were two Gator heroes this week. Nine year old Charlie Ruppe swam up as an 11-12 boys breaststrokers, and TJ Heck deserves special mention. Not only did the ten year old swim up in an 11-12 boys event, but he did the butterfly. Which means that instead of the 25 meters he's used to doing as a 9-10 swimmer, he did the whole 50 meter thing. Thanks to both for swimming above your age group (in swimming lingo -- or "swimgo" as no one other than me calls it -- that's known as "swimming up").
There were four Gator sweeps. The first came from the 11-12 girls freestylers, led by Emma Jones, with Claudia Theriot and Sheridan Phalen touching next for the whole nine points. The 15-18 girls backstrokers were the next to finish one-two-three. Maddy Bolger, Torie Bolger, and Anna Fracasso put the nine points on the scoreboard (note: there is no scoreboard, it's a figure of speech!). The 9-10 boys joined the broom party, as Parker Blondin, Will Friedman, and TJ Heck took the nine points for MVP. The 11-12 girls weren't done yet, as the butterfliers of Emma Jones, Natalie Terwilliger, and Mac Brotherton went one-two-three.
Of note were just how many Gators outperformed their seeds to turn a potential nail biter of a close meet (Editor's Note: Um, "nail biter" and "close" mean the same thing. Reporter's Note: Just want to reinforce the point!) into a healthy, good-sized win (Editor's Note: "healthy" and "good-sized" -- you are doing it again. Reporter's Note: Yes, as a matter of fact, I am). Many Gators swam as hoped -- taking firsts when expected, or seconds when projected, or thirds as conflected (Editor's Note: Now you are just making up words to rhyme. Reporter's Note: crickets chirping.).
But, given how many Gators garnered more points than projected, it's noteworthy highlighting them before breaking down the tape of five point/three point/one point earners. So, in no particular order, other than event number, here's the Gators who outdid themselves in the meet, along with how many more points they earned than "expected": Joseph Humphreys (one point), Clark Bayer (six points), Sara Bertram (two points), Maddy Bolger (one point), Lily Palmerino (two points) Katya Zaitsev (one point), Abigail Dittman (one point), Gus Leyden (two points), Will Friedman (two points), TJ Heck (one point), Brian McNamara (two points), Ian Baker (two points), Sam McBroom (one point), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (two points), and Torie Bolger (four points).
(For further explanation -- for example, Gus Leyden was projected to finish second in his backstroke to a Lee-Graham swimmer, but instead Gus won his race, earning five points instead of three. That, my loyal readers -- and folks who stumble on this blog post by mistake and are currently regretting it -- is why we actually swim the meets instead of just compare times!)
(By the way, in breaking the numbers down in this fashion, I may have gone to the next level of stat geekdom, for which I am both excited -- for me -- and apologetic -- to you! Admit it -- it's kind of a cool way to look at data.)
But, I digress. . .
Gator double winners include Andrei Zaitsev (free and back), Cage Theriot (free and fly), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (free and breaststroke), Emma Jones (free and fly), Cassidy Bayer (free and fly), Sara Bertram (free and back), and Colby Webber (back and breaststroke).
(Stat Boy observation -- six of the seven Gators who won freestyle also won another race. File that under "things that make someone go hmmm. . .")
MVP swimmers who also won races were James Piland (free), Claudia Theriot (back), Gus Leyden (back), Jessie Bricker (back), Maddy Bolger (back), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Sheridan Phalen (breaststroke), Ian Baker (breaststroke), Torie Bolger (breaststroke), Clark Bayer (fly), and Olivia Blondin (fly). So, out of the 40 individual events, Gators won 25.
Picking up three points for the team by finishing second were Clark Bayer (free), Nick Dupuis (free and fly), Claudia Theriot (free), Cameron Morey (free and fly), Jessie Bricker (free), Maddy Bolger (free), Lily Palmerino (back), Emily Makin (back and fly), Taylor Makin (back), Torie Bolger (back), Will Friedman (breaststroke), Olivia Blondin (breaststroke), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (fly), and Natalie Terwilliger (fly). The Gators took 20 of the 40 second place finishes.
Third place points were garnered by Joseph Humphreys (free), Annie Terwilliger (free), Sheridan Phalen (free), Katya Zaitsev (back), Abigail Dittman (back), Anna Fracasso (back), Jack Klopson (breaststroke), Caroline Baker (breaststroke), TJ Heck (breaststroke), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Sam McBroom (breaststroke), Jayne Orleans (breaststroke), James Piland (fly), Mac Brotherton (fly), Elaina Phalen (fly), and Emily Walzl (fly).
Oddly, there were no team records set this week. Back in the day, when this grizzled old blogger didn't have gray hair, new team records were unusual happenings. Now, this is the first time in a long time I'm not adding an article with new records. In fact, in a way this is probably a new team record for most consecutive weeks setting new team records. Maybe that's too obscure to be a record.
The Gators take on 3-0 Wakefield Chapel next Saturday at MVP.
Prior to the meet, it looked like it was going to be close, but the Gators were spurred onto victory by the questionable sportsmanship of their opponent. Between the pre-meet Zombie skit (which, prior to the season, the division had agreed no one would do) that included tearing off the head of a hanging Gator, the mocking Christmas music during Gator warm-ups, the signs inside the pool area, the attempts to intimidate the MVP swimmers backfired.
Besides all of that, the choice of slow-moving zombies as the theme for a swim meet didn't evoke speed in the Dolphins, as the Gators took what was supposed to be a tight meet and blew it open.
It was back before Nixon lied to us all on TV*. It was back before Mark Spitz. Back before Post-It Notes were invented. It was back before the original "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie -- you know, the good one starring Gene Wilder, not the weird one with Johnny Depp. It was back before "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was an iconic hit. It was the same year the Beatles broke up, and slightly less newsworthy. It was also just another year the Cubs did not win the World Series.
"It," of course, was the last time the Gators won two meets in Division 3 -- 1970. It's been 43 years since MVP has multiple victories in a season in one of the top three divisions of the NVSL. While 43 years may sound like a long time to you, it actually is a long time too!
*For those concerned that my Nixon reference is a partisan cheap shot, it's awfully given that I'm a Republican. First of all, he did lie to us all on TV. Secondly, and the main reason for that line, is it is from a classic Merle Haggard song, and anytime you can use a Merle Haggard reference in your writing, you pretty much have to do it. Now I just need to use a Dwight Yoakam and a Waylon Jennings reference, and my writing life is complete. But. . .I digress. . .back to the Gators.
MVP jumped out to a lead it would never relinquish by capturing the first four races, and seven of the ten freestyle events. Taking the 55-35 lead provided half of the margin of victory. The lead stayed the same during backstroke, as the two teams split the 90 points down the middle -- 45 each. The Gators won six of the ten backstroke events.
Breaststroke went the Gators way by a 51-39 margin, as MVPers won six of those as well. While fly was close, the 49-41 advantage in that stroke pushed the Gator lead out to 40 points -- meaning only three relay wins were needed for victory. MVP followed their six fly wins with splitting the relays at six each with Lee-Graham.
The race of the week was swum by Jessie Bricker, who beat her Lee-Graham opponent by a razor-thin 0.05 margin. Race of the week is based on the closest margin of victory for a Gator swimmer beating an opponent.
There were two Gator heroes this week. Nine year old Charlie Ruppe swam up as an 11-12 boys breaststrokers, and TJ Heck deserves special mention. Not only did the ten year old swim up in an 11-12 boys event, but he did the butterfly. Which means that instead of the 25 meters he's used to doing as a 9-10 swimmer, he did the whole 50 meter thing. Thanks to both for swimming above your age group (in swimming lingo -- or "swimgo" as no one other than me calls it -- that's known as "swimming up").
There were four Gator sweeps. The first came from the 11-12 girls freestylers, led by Emma Jones, with Claudia Theriot and Sheridan Phalen touching next for the whole nine points. The 15-18 girls backstrokers were the next to finish one-two-three. Maddy Bolger, Torie Bolger, and Anna Fracasso put the nine points on the scoreboard (note: there is no scoreboard, it's a figure of speech!). The 9-10 boys joined the broom party, as Parker Blondin, Will Friedman, and TJ Heck took the nine points for MVP. The 11-12 girls weren't done yet, as the butterfliers of Emma Jones, Natalie Terwilliger, and Mac Brotherton went one-two-three.
Of note were just how many Gators outperformed their seeds to turn a potential nail biter of a close meet (Editor's Note: Um, "nail biter" and "close" mean the same thing. Reporter's Note: Just want to reinforce the point!) into a healthy, good-sized win (Editor's Note: "healthy" and "good-sized" -- you are doing it again. Reporter's Note: Yes, as a matter of fact, I am). Many Gators swam as hoped -- taking firsts when expected, or seconds when projected, or thirds as conflected (Editor's Note: Now you are just making up words to rhyme. Reporter's Note: crickets chirping.).
But, given how many Gators garnered more points than projected, it's noteworthy highlighting them before breaking down the tape of five point/three point/one point earners. So, in no particular order, other than event number, here's the Gators who outdid themselves in the meet, along with how many more points they earned than "expected": Joseph Humphreys (one point), Clark Bayer (six points), Sara Bertram (two points), Maddy Bolger (one point), Lily Palmerino (two points) Katya Zaitsev (one point), Abigail Dittman (one point), Gus Leyden (two points), Will Friedman (two points), TJ Heck (one point), Brian McNamara (two points), Ian Baker (two points), Sam McBroom (one point), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (two points), and Torie Bolger (four points).
(For further explanation -- for example, Gus Leyden was projected to finish second in his backstroke to a Lee-Graham swimmer, but instead Gus won his race, earning five points instead of three. That, my loyal readers -- and folks who stumble on this blog post by mistake and are currently regretting it -- is why we actually swim the meets instead of just compare times!)
(By the way, in breaking the numbers down in this fashion, I may have gone to the next level of stat geekdom, for which I am both excited -- for me -- and apologetic -- to you! Admit it -- it's kind of a cool way to look at data.)
But, I digress. . .
Gator double winners include Andrei Zaitsev (free and back), Cage Theriot (free and fly), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (free and breaststroke), Emma Jones (free and fly), Cassidy Bayer (free and fly), Sara Bertram (free and back), and Colby Webber (back and breaststroke).
(Stat Boy observation -- six of the seven Gators who won freestyle also won another race. File that under "things that make someone go hmmm. . .")
MVP swimmers who also won races were James Piland (free), Claudia Theriot (back), Gus Leyden (back), Jessie Bricker (back), Maddy Bolger (back), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Sheridan Phalen (breaststroke), Ian Baker (breaststroke), Torie Bolger (breaststroke), Clark Bayer (fly), and Olivia Blondin (fly). So, out of the 40 individual events, Gators won 25.
Picking up three points for the team by finishing second were Clark Bayer (free), Nick Dupuis (free and fly), Claudia Theriot (free), Cameron Morey (free and fly), Jessie Bricker (free), Maddy Bolger (free), Lily Palmerino (back), Emily Makin (back and fly), Taylor Makin (back), Torie Bolger (back), Will Friedman (breaststroke), Olivia Blondin (breaststroke), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (fly), and Natalie Terwilliger (fly). The Gators took 20 of the 40 second place finishes.
Third place points were garnered by Joseph Humphreys (free), Annie Terwilliger (free), Sheridan Phalen (free), Katya Zaitsev (back), Abigail Dittman (back), Anna Fracasso (back), Jack Klopson (breaststroke), Caroline Baker (breaststroke), TJ Heck (breaststroke), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Sam McBroom (breaststroke), Jayne Orleans (breaststroke), James Piland (fly), Mac Brotherton (fly), Elaina Phalen (fly), and Emily Walzl (fly).
Oddly, there were no team records set this week. Back in the day, when this grizzled old blogger didn't have gray hair, new team records were unusual happenings. Now, this is the first time in a long time I'm not adding an article with new records. In fact, in a way this is probably a new team record for most consecutive weeks setting new team records. Maybe that's too obscure to be a record.
The Gators take on 3-0 Wakefield Chapel next Saturday at MVP.
Gator Nation
The caravan gathers at MVP before going off to Lee-Graham for the win.
Photo by Rita Bertram. Click on the photo for the best look.
Patriot Games!
Photo by Rita Bertram. Click on the photo for the best look.
Swimmers of the Week: Juliana Skopp-Cardillo and Ian Baker
Juliana Skopp Cardillo won a scintillating freestyle race and then took first place in breaststroke from lane two, while Ian Baker dropped more than two seconds off his breaststroke time to stun the previously-faster Lee-Graham swimmer and win breaststroke for the Gators.
For those accomplishments, Juliana and Ian have been chosen as this week's Gator Swimmers of the Week. It was not an easy task, as there were a number of swimmers considered, including Clark Bayer, Colby Webber, Gus Leyden, Torie Bolger, Sara Bertram, and Emma Jones all received consideration, but only one can be chosen.
Juliana won her freestyle race by just 0.22, as she was under the All-Star cut by a little. That win helped the Gators jump out to a 55-35 lead in that event. She also sliced nearly a second off her breaststroke time, taking two firsts.
Ian went into the race with a seed time that was 0.78 seconds slower than his main Dolphin opponent. However, that's why they swim. Ian swam a 38.64, which was 2.16 seconds faster than his seed time, and pulled out the victory.
Congratulations to both!
For those accomplishments, Juliana and Ian have been chosen as this week's Gator Swimmers of the Week. It was not an easy task, as there were a number of swimmers considered, including Clark Bayer, Colby Webber, Gus Leyden, Torie Bolger, Sara Bertram, and Emma Jones all received consideration, but only one can be chosen.
Juliana heading to victory.
Juliana won her freestyle race by just 0.22, as she was under the All-Star cut by a little. That win helped the Gators jump out to a 55-35 lead in that event. She also sliced nearly a second off her breaststroke time, taking two firsts.
Ian motoring home -- knocking
2.16 off his previous best time.
Ian went into the race with a seed time that was 0.78 seconds slower than his main Dolphin opponent. However, that's why they swim. Ian swam a 38.64, which was 2.16 seconds faster than his seed time, and pulled out the victory.
Congratulations to both!
Friday, July 5, 2013
Green & White Meet pics
Dave Anderson's shots are up, with LOTS of pics of cute little kids, and even a few of teenagers!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114682110635489328722/albums/5896759953141464609?gpinv=AMIXal8zPqo8bphYqz-s5_iVy2sTyEza4FHfLdRAoPnT-ak3LxaU1LpgKqiPIzLVxO7eDf_UnXyEzxxpVOrZGLjYAK06mH3H_gSilyl_Sx6yxrA1gTw9NBs&cfem=1&authkey=CJSKuI2l9-awfw
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114682110635489328722/albums/5896759953141464609?gpinv=AMIXal8zPqo8bphYqz-s5_iVy2sTyEza4FHfLdRAoPnT-ak3LxaU1LpgKqiPIzLVxO7eDf_UnXyEzxxpVOrZGLjYAK06mH3H_gSilyl_Sx6yxrA1gTw9NBs&cfem=1&authkey=CJSKuI2l9-awfw
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Cassidy update
Great picture of Cassidy after her 100 fly at US Nationals. It's from the SwimSwam.com website, and passed along by Gator parent Tim Heck.
For more stunning swim pics from that meet, go to:
http://swimswam.com/usa-nationals-one-more-look/
Also, the NVSL home page has a VERY nice write-up on Cassidy's newest league record. Scroll down a little to find it:
http://nvsl.nvblu.com/
Also, for those new to the site, there's a lot of great standings, results, leaders info on it. Enjoy!
For more stunning swim pics from that meet, go to:
http://swimswam.com/usa-nationals-one-more-look/
Also, the NVSL home page has a VERY nice write-up on Cassidy's newest league record. Scroll down a little to find it:
http://nvsl.nvblu.com/
Also, for those new to the site, there's a lot of great standings, results, leaders info on it. Enjoy!
Surprisingly Thoughtful Swim/Life Haiku
Not always best times
But always important times
A life lesson
Green & White Ends With Dramatic Score.
As Kermit the Frog often says, "It's not easy being green."
Not easy, but at least victorious when it comes to the MVP Green vs.
White meet this past Monday.
The GREEN team squeaked out a win over WHITE, 106 - 105.
At this point in the season more than 200 Gators have participated in
meets. So throngs of new swimmers -- hit
the deck Monday. The 68 and unders having been waiting for weeks to strut their
strokes. For the boys they were: Jude Lopson, Hugh Sullivan, Liam Garvey, Gavin
Moore, Christopher Delaune, Eddie Muir, Grayson Norman, Frazier O'Leary, Jack
Hills, and Luke Adrian.
Girls dipping their toes in for the first time included: Caroline Myers, Delancey Adrian,
Samantha Cowen, Nora Hixson, Ginny Grubbs, Elizabeth Delaune, Sarah Petz,
Catherine Delaune, Rose O'Brien, and Sarah Coggeshall.
Extra big cheers for our youngest
swimmers diving, or not quite diving, in the pool on Monday: Four year olds Josie Cowen, Lizzie
Grubbs, Michael Hills, and Tommy Kelly (they are all nearly five, and are allowed to join swim team because they showed enough prowess).
Close to 85 heats ran through the
pool during the evening yet the Gators managed to finish before a darkness on
the edge of town. Single heat winners were: Antonio Marcucci, Alex Heurtas,
Jude Klopson, Hugh Sullivan, Jackson Hannah, Cecily Theriot, Jill Humphreys,
Simone Burdick, Lizzie Grubbs, Chris Kelly, Connor Dunn, Paige Humphreys, Tyler
Dunn, Olivia Johansson, Cole Snodgrass, Bea Heratsch, Kevin Adams-Mardi, Leigh
Orleans, Matthew Makin, Kathryn Coggeshall, Elizabeth Delaune, Kenneth Krogh,
Will Freidman, Mary Claire O'Brien, Donovan Kovalsky, Ella Fischer, TJ Heck,
Nick Dupuis, Lily Penn, Kelly Riley, Kaila Stein, Jayne Orleans, Jack Dupuis,
Cole Miller, Elaina Phalen, Juliette Fore, Taylor Makin, Mollie Passacantando,
and Cyrus Adams-Mardi.
Multiple heat winners were: Colby Webber (2),
Joseph Humphreys (2), Jackson Hannah (2), Katya Zaitsev (2), Isabella Van Damme
(2), Delaney Adrian (2), Olivia Blondin (2), Dom Heratsch (2), Sara Bertram (2),
Olivia Heck (2), Molly Rutherford (2), Cage Theriot (2), Claudia Theriot (2),
Tristan Colaizzi (2), Emma Jones (2), Anna Fracasso (2), Ian Baker (2), Jessie
Bricker (2), Clark Bayer (3), Sean Jansen (3), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (3).
More than 130 personal bests were
posted. Swimmers dropping more than 5 seconds on their times were: Sean
Oelschlager, Calvin Sullivan Wiliam Milito, Sam Sabo, Andrew Sabo, Noah Webber,
Lauren Scott, Simone Burdick, Kathryn Coggeshall, Chris Kelly, Boede Offringa,
Mackenzie Dickerson, Zach Staples, George Schulte, Jill Humphries, Giovanni
Marcucci, Olivia Blondin, Juliette Fore, Emily Makin, Frances Webber, Cole
Miller, Bea Heratsch, and Carl Questad.
Stay tuned for the next B meet
versus the Piranhas of Mansion House on Monday 7/8 -- thunderstorms permitting.
Diving for pennies to pep up swimmers for the meet right after morning practice.
Make sure you sign up your swimmer and yourselves to volunteer. Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Vienna Woods Photos Are Up
Gators Clear Cut Vienna Woods (In An Environmentally-Responsible Way, Of Course)
The MVP Gators haven't smelled victory in Division 3 since 1979, when "Apocalypse Now" came out. While it wasn't quite "Kramer vs. Kramer," the Gators defeated Vienna Woods 228-192 to earn the victory. Success at this level has been "Alien" to MVP since 1979, although it's much easier to win when the team is "Being There."
(Editor's Note: Knock it off with the 1979 movie titles. It's campier than "Moonraker" was. Reporter's Response: Don't be "The Jerk.")
Two seasons ago, when the Gators got moved to Division 3 after consecutive championship wins in D-6 and then D-5, the team finished 0-5, including a 233.5-168.5 defeat at the hands of D-3 Champion Vienna Woods. Last year, the Gators went 4-1 in Division 4, while Vienna Woods suffered through a 0-5 season in the no fun league -- Division 1.
There were an astounding 53 best times posted by Gators at the meet, as swimmers consistently outperformed their seed times. Gators who took more than one second off their previous bests included Jack Klopson to win the 8 & under back, Leah Myers in 8 & under back, Kenny Krogh in 9-10 back, Mac Brotherton to win 11-12 back, Katya Zeitsev in the 8 & under breaststroke, Parker Blondin to win 9-10 breaststroke, Olivia Blondin to win 9-10 breaststroke, Sean Jansen to win 11-12 breaststroke, Lily Penn in 11-12 breaststroke, Parker Blondin in 9-10 fly, Clark Bayer in 9-10 fly, Nick Dupuis to win 11-12 fly, Jack Brunton in 11-12 fly, and Ian Baker in 13-14 fly.
The Gators set four team records and tied a fifth (see related story), with Cassidy Bayer having set another NVSL record in the 13-14 fly. Parker Blondin just missed the breaststroke record by 0.06, so hopefully that record will go down in the next meet or two.
The meet started much as projected, as the Gators won freestyle 51-39, including ripping off six straight wins to start the meet, and seven freestyle wins overall. The teams were expected to be fairly evenly matched in the backstroke, but Gator swimmers won it by a 57-33 score, opening up a 36 points lead. The Gators won eight out of ten backstroke events.
Now, it was on to breaststroke, where Vienna Woods was projected to crush the Gators. And, VW did win those events handily, but not by as much as expected because Gators swam well enough to dent the VW strength. Despite losing 29-61 in breaststroke, the Gators held a tenuous 137-133 lead, rather than being in a deficit.
The Gators flew through butterfly. Winning seven fly races out of ten, the Gators virtually clinched the meet with a 56-34 win to push the lead to 28 points -- 193-167.
Needing just four relay wins to clinch the meet, MVP won three of the first four relays before running into trouble. Finally, the girls 11-12 relay win was determined to be a legal swim, and victory was reached. Three more relay wins pushed it to the final score, giving the Gators seven of the twelve relays.
Gator sweeps came in three events. The 9-10 girls backstrokers pulled all nine points as Emily Makin, Abigail Dittman, and Juliette Fore swept the event. The 15-18 girls backstrokers did the same behind a one, two, three sweep by Maddy Bolger, Torie Bolger, and Sophia Passacantando. The 13-14 boys swept the butterfly as Cameron Morey, Gus Leyden, and Ian Baker did the honors.
The race of the week came early -- the second event. Cage Theriot won the 8 & under free by just 0.03 over her Vienna Woods competitor -- swimming a time of 18.00 flat to earn the five points against the Woods swimmer's 18.03.
Gator heroes were 13 year olds Carl Questad and Ian Neal swimming in the 15-18 backstroke and 14 year old Carter Engvall swimming in the 15-18 breaststroke.
The Gators had seven double winners. The double winners were Cage Theriot (free and back), Andrei Zaitsev (free and back), Nick Dupuis (free and fly), Emma Jones (free and fly), Cassidy Bayer (free and fly), Colby Webber (breaststroke and fly) and Olivia Blondin (breaststroke and fly).
Individual winners were James Piland (free), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (free), Jack Klopson (back), Emily Makin (back), Collin Sundsted (back), Mac Brotherton (back), Gus Leyden (back), Maddy Bolger (back), Colby Webber (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Cameron Morey (fly), and Sara Bertram (fly). Overall, the Gators won 27 out of 40 races.
Second place points were earned by Claudia Theriot (free and back), Cameron Morey (free), Sara Bertram (free), Abigail Dittman (back), Jessie Bricker (back and fly), Torie Bolger (back), James Piland (fly), Parker Blondin (fly), Emily Makin (fly), Cole Miller (fly), and Gus Leyden (fly). MVP only took 13 out of 40 second places.
Third place points were garnered by Joseph Humphreys (free and back), Andrew Baker (free and back), Abigail Dittman (free), Sean Jansen (free), Mollie Passacantando (free), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (free and breaststroke), Maddy Bolger (free), Juliette Fore (back), Kevin Adams-Mardi (back), Sophia Passacantando (back), Jack Klopson (breaststroke), Caroline Baker (breaststroke), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (breaststroke), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Ian Baker (breaststroke and fly), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Torie Bolger (breaststroke), Clark Bayer (fly), and Jessica Metter (fly).
Next week, MVP travels to Lee-Graham. The Dolphins are also 1-1, so this will be a battle in which the winner virtually assures themselves another season in Division 3 next year. It was nice to be "Reunited" with victory in D-3, so hopefully the Gators will win again so we can all sing "YMCA." If they don't, it's okay, it's not a "Tragedy," because "I Will Survive." Even if we do come "Stumblin' In," it's fine because "We Are (Gator) Family."
(Editor's Note: Knock off the song titles from 1979 meme. Reporter's Reply: I can't help it, it's "My Life. . .do, do, doo-doo-do" so "Don't Bring Me Down." Editor's Riposte: Well, given your singing, it's clear you are not one of the "Sultans of Swing.")
(Editor's Note: Knock it off with the 1979 movie titles. It's campier than "Moonraker" was. Reporter's Response: Don't be "The Jerk.")
You say "Colby Webber!"
I say "Double Winner!"
Two seasons ago, when the Gators got moved to Division 3 after consecutive championship wins in D-6 and then D-5, the team finished 0-5, including a 233.5-168.5 defeat at the hands of D-3 Champion Vienna Woods. Last year, the Gators went 4-1 in Division 4, while Vienna Woods suffered through a 0-5 season in the no fun league -- Division 1.
Neither Juliette nor Olivia were already
hurt when Coach Shanahan sent them
back in to the meet.
There were an astounding 53 best times posted by Gators at the meet, as swimmers consistently outperformed their seed times. Gators who took more than one second off their previous bests included Jack Klopson to win the 8 & under back, Leah Myers in 8 & under back, Kenny Krogh in 9-10 back, Mac Brotherton to win 11-12 back, Katya Zeitsev in the 8 & under breaststroke, Parker Blondin to win 9-10 breaststroke, Olivia Blondin to win 9-10 breaststroke, Sean Jansen to win 11-12 breaststroke, Lily Penn in 11-12 breaststroke, Parker Blondin in 9-10 fly, Clark Bayer in 9-10 fly, Nick Dupuis to win 11-12 fly, Jack Brunton in 11-12 fly, and Ian Baker in 13-14 fly.
Little hands, little feet. . .
Our 8 & unders can't be beat!
(Plus they are soooo cute at that age.
Once they are teenagers, well, that's for
a different blog altogether.)
The Gators set four team records and tied a fifth (see related story), with Cassidy Bayer having set another NVSL record in the 13-14 fly. Parker Blondin just missed the breaststroke record by 0.06, so hopefully that record will go down in the next meet or two.
The Emma Jones finish -- touch, look, first place!
The meet started much as projected, as the Gators won freestyle 51-39, including ripping off six straight wins to start the meet, and seven freestyle wins overall. The teams were expected to be fairly evenly matched in the backstroke, but Gator swimmers won it by a 57-33 score, opening up a 36 points lead. The Gators won eight out of ten backstroke events.
Cyrus and his VW opponent display some of
the good sportsmanship that marked the meet.
Now, it was on to breaststroke, where Vienna Woods was projected to crush the Gators. And, VW did win those events handily, but not by as much as expected because Gators swam well enough to dent the VW strength. Despite losing 29-61 in breaststroke, the Gators held a tenuous 137-133 lead, rather than being in a deficit.
Is Katie happy because we're winning?
No, she's happy because Clerk of Course is
easier at an A Meet than a B Meet!
The Gators flew through butterfly. Winning seven fly races out of ten, the Gators virtually clinched the meet with a 56-34 win to push the lead to 28 points -- 193-167.
Any Sophia brave enough to wear Spazz
on her cap deserves her picture in a blog
read by as many as a couple hundred people.
Needing just four relay wins to clinch the meet, MVP won three of the first four relays before running into trouble. Finally, the girls 11-12 relay win was determined to be a legal swim, and victory was reached. Three more relay wins pushed it to the final score, giving the Gators seven of the twelve relays.
Where there's a Will there's a. . .Friedman!
Gator sweeps came in three events. The 9-10 girls backstrokers pulled all nine points as Emily Makin, Abigail Dittman, and Juliette Fore swept the event. The 15-18 girls backstrokers did the same behind a one, two, three sweep by Maddy Bolger, Torie Bolger, and Sophia Passacantando. The 13-14 boys swept the butterfly as Cameron Morey, Gus Leyden, and Ian Baker did the honors.
Coach Paul, collecting coin donations for
his haircut fund. Please give. Please!
The race of the week came early -- the second event. Cage Theriot won the 8 & under free by just 0.03 over her Vienna Woods competitor -- swimming a time of 18.00 flat to earn the five points against the Woods swimmer's 18.03.
Sean looks stunned that he crushed his
personal best time by 1.61 seconds.
We are not stunned.
Gator heroes were 13 year olds Carl Questad and Ian Neal swimming in the 15-18 backstroke and 14 year old Carter Engvall swimming in the 15-18 breaststroke.
Thanks to Mrs. Team Rep, MVP now has the
best looking backstroke flags in the NVSL.
The Gators had seven double winners. The double winners were Cage Theriot (free and back), Andrei Zaitsev (free and back), Nick Dupuis (free and fly), Emma Jones (free and fly), Cassidy Bayer (free and fly), Colby Webber (breaststroke and fly) and Olivia Blondin (breaststroke and fly).
25 meters later, Claudia's touch clinches the meet.
Excitement is intense!
Individual winners were James Piland (free), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (free), Jack Klopson (back), Emily Makin (back), Collin Sundsted (back), Mac Brotherton (back), Gus Leyden (back), Maddy Bolger (back), Colby Webber (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Cameron Morey (fly), and Sara Bertram (fly). Overall, the Gators won 27 out of 40 races.
Sara and Maddy know we've won, and
yet they are still intense.
Save Mac! There's a hand attacking her face!
Third place points were garnered by Joseph Humphreys (free and back), Andrew Baker (free and back), Abigail Dittman (free), Sean Jansen (free), Mollie Passacantando (free), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (free and breaststroke), Maddy Bolger (free), Juliette Fore (back), Kevin Adams-Mardi (back), Sophia Passacantando (back), Jack Klopson (breaststroke), Caroline Baker (breaststroke), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (breaststroke), Brian McNamara (breaststroke), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Ian Baker (breaststroke and fly), Kaila Stein (breaststroke), Torie Bolger (breaststroke), Clark Bayer (fly), and Jessica Metter (fly).
Cameron can't restrain his joy at winning
fly. (Uh, Cameron, can you help us out
by showing a little more excitement!)
Next week, MVP travels to Lee-Graham. The Dolphins are also 1-1, so this will be a battle in which the winner virtually assures themselves another season in Division 3 next year. It was nice to be "Reunited" with victory in D-3, so hopefully the Gators will win again so we can all sing "YMCA." If they don't, it's okay, it's not a "Tragedy," because "I Will Survive." Even if we do come "Stumblin' In," it's fine because "We Are (Gator) Family."
We Are (Gator) Family! I've got
all my swimmers and me!
(Editor's Note: Knock off the song titles from 1979 meme. Reporter's Reply: I can't help it, it's "My Life. . .do, do, doo-doo-do" so "Don't Bring Me Down." Editor's Riposte: Well, given your singing, it's clear you are not one of the "Sultans of Swing.")
While it's not quite Game 7 of the Stanley Cup
(it's more important!), the two teams still
formed a post-meet handshake line.
Present And Future American Fliers
Dana Vollmer, Olympic Gold Medalist, and Cassidy Bayer, 13-14 year old swimmer for the Mt. Vernon Park Gators, meet on deck at the USA Nationals. Dana gave Cassidy the medal Vollmer won for the 100 fly at nationals on Wednesday. Dana has four Olympic gold medals.
From Wikipedia:
Vollmer has won a total of thirty medals in major international competitions, including eighteen gold medals, eight silver, and four bronze, spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan American Games, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Goodwill Games.
Stratford B Meet Photos Link
Laura Kovalsky's Photos from Stratford are here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114682110635489328722/albums/5894729851271400353?gpinv=AMIXal9uK2BvYN0KH7jEgYegpVqJNoqDCsUOGVQFvpG3A-l3J6bB1sXCNgMejrB7daihey9cMNSB_jIMsDVyEVl9zTpINQnBlPCa1H-ax7_TYAUtjDcgipY&cfem=1&authkey=CKneps6Qt6XUOQ
We now have a crack (cracked?) staff of three photographers, led by Dave Anderson.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114682110635489328722/albums/5894729851271400353?gpinv=AMIXal9uK2BvYN0KH7jEgYegpVqJNoqDCsUOGVQFvpG3A-l3J6bB1sXCNgMejrB7daihey9cMNSB_jIMsDVyEVl9zTpINQnBlPCa1H-ax7_TYAUtjDcgipY&cfem=1&authkey=CKneps6Qt6XUOQ
We now have a crack (cracked?) staff of three photographers, led by Dave Anderson.
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