ELITE NEWS BULLETIN 3-10-08
STRAND, DART, MORRISON & MARTIN BREAK TWO NJ LSC RECORDS IN
ONE RACE (4 X 50 MEDLEY) AT SECTIONALS:
DART CAPTURES 3RDS IN FREE EVENTS, MORRISON, STRAND ALSO
FINAL,
TEAM PLACES 6th AMONG BOYS SCORES;
Perfectly illustrating the definition of the term elite (a small yet powerful group of people), Elite’s four person Sectional squad accumulated enough points to place 6th within the Men’s Scoring race this past weekend at the Eastern Sectional Championships held the Nassau County Aquatic Center in Uniondale, Long Island. This meet is for all elite level swimmers (qualifying times are faster than the 15-18 Junior Olympic qualifying times) from Maine thru Delaware. Because it is an Olympic year, the meet was held in long course meters, giving swimmers another opportunity to qualify for Olympic Trials.
In a seldom competed relay event, the Elite quartet consisting of Michael Strand (back), Chris Dart (breast), Alex Morrison (fly) and Ricky Martin (free) shattered two New Jersey LSC records simultaneously in the 4 x 50 L:CM Medley Relay with a blistering time of 1.51.25 to place 3rd in the event. Elite’s relay swim broke both the New Jersey Men’s 15-18 Age Group standard (old record: 1.56.43) and the Men’s Open standard (1.55.34). Several other NJ clubs also had teams under the record but Elite’s team was the fastest!
Continuing his amazing swimming, Chris Dart placed 3rd in both the 50 free (24.44) and the 100 free (53.68), both being personal bests. Dart also finaled in the 100 back (6th with a 58.71 time), 200 IM (6th with a 2.12.97 time) and the 100 breast (11th with a 1.09.51 time).
Dart also teamed up with Strand, Martin and Morrison on 4 other relays: 1) the 400 medley relay placed 5th 2) the 200 free relay placed 7th 3) the 400 free relay placed 8th and 4) the 800 Free relay placed 14tth.
17 year old Alex Morrison turned in a personal best while in placing 16th in the 100 butterfly, breaking the minute barrier for the 1st time with a 59.29 time. Morrison also placed 22nd in the 200 back (2.19.52)
15 year old
and freshman Michael Strand finaled in the 200 back, placing 20th with a 2.17.98 time.
AWESOME SWIMMING CONTINUES AT 11-12 SILVER BRONZE:
BUCKHAM, DONG, FELSON, GORMAN, SHEPARD, YU WIN SILVER EVENTS;
FERGUSON, C LARAIA, K. MILLER-RADEST WIN BRONZE EVENTS;
Elite’s 11-12 swimmers were simply fabulous this past weekend at the 11-12 Silver Bronze North Championship Meet, held at the Bergen Community College in Paramus.
10 different Elite swimmers won 13 events (out of 72-counting each silver and bronze level as different events). 12 different Elite swimmers added 26 Junior Olympic qualifying times In the last 3 weeks of Silver Bronze competition, 28 different Elite swimmers have added 62 new JO qualifying times!!!
This weekends JO level swims bring
Elite’s final Junior Olympic totals to: 45 individual qualifiers and 284 individual
swims (29% of Elite swimmers qualified for JOs!!!). Last year’s totals were 32
swimmers and 178 events. Elite started the season with 15 swimmers qualified in
just 62 events.
12 year old Katie Gorman and 12 year old Ryan Buckham lead the way for Elite. Gorman won 3 separate Silver events (50 back-32.53, 100 fly-1.09.73 & the 200 fly-2.41.78), placed 4th in the 100 back (her only Silver swim) and went gold in the 200 back while entered with a bronze time (NJ Swimming does not recognize winning events with gold times in the bronze division-rule is meant to enter swimmers properly in the meet). Buckham matched Gorman’s spectacular performance by winning two Silver events (50 back-31.85 & 500 free-6.09.71), placing 2nd in two Silver events (200 free-2.16.08 & 100 back-1.11.02) and 3rd in the 200 back (2.38.36). Buckham went gold in 5 of his 6 swims.
11 year old Juliet Felson posted her 1st JO times this season when she won the Silver level 50 breast (36.91) and placed 2nd in the 100 breast (1.20.91). Juliet also placed 2nd in the 50 back (35.85). 12 year old Richard Yu won the 100 free (1.01.78) in JO fashion and also added two additional JO cuts (100 IM-1.12.16 and 200 free-2.16.14).
11 year old Andrea Shepard won the Silver level 100 breast (1.20.90) in route to going gold 3 times this weekend (100 free-1.02.27 & 200 breast-2.54.00). 11 year old Jeffrey Dong tied for 1st in the Silver level 50 fly with a gold time of 31.92. Dong also placed 2nd in the 100 fly-1.20.67.
12 year old Lindsay Stearns also added 3 JO times to her resume as she went gold in the 50 back-32.72, 100 breast-1.21.43 & the 200 breast-2.53.74. 11 year olds Alli Dorneo (400 IM-5.37.44) and Kara Miller-Radest (100 fly-1.13.13) each earned JO qualifying times. Miller-Radest also won two bronze level events (100 free-1.05.73 & 200 free-2.25.35).
12 year old Maggie Woodruff dropped 3 full seconds in the 100 free (1.02.32) to earn her 1st JO cut of the season. 11 year old Zachie Katz added another JO cut to his resume in the 400 IM (5.39.06) while 12 year old Sarah Weinbrom matched that feat in her own 400 IM swim (5.43.01).
Joining Miller-Radest in winning Bronze level events were 12 year old Emilie Ferguson, who motored a 1st place finish in the 100 fly (1.17.19) and 12 year old Clark LaRaia, who sprinted to a 1st place finish in the 50 free (30.57)!
Swimmers who participated in the 11-12Silver Bronze North Championships were (# in parathesis is number of best Elite SCY best times): Nicole Blum, Ryan Buckham (6), Thomas Burke (5), Drew D’Andrea (4), Jeffrey Dong (4), Alli Dorneo (1), Madeleine Faust (6), Juliet Felson (6), Emilie Ferguson (5), Ariel Gelman (2), Katie Gorman (5), Andre Guacelli (3), Emma Harris (3), Matthew Hong (4), Elana Horowitz (4), Zachie Katz (3), Patrick Lai (5), Clark LaRaia (6), Katie McGrath (4), Kara Miller-Radest (5), Isabella Morreale, Cesar Munoz (4), Julia Muro (1), Dara O’Gorman (3), Nick Pachiolo (4), Gabrielle Pick (3), Michelle Pick (3), Mikala Quinn (5), Taylor Savarese (6), Andrea Shepard (6), Lindsay Stearns (5), Rachel Tortorella (4), Spence Turkington (4), Caroline Watt (5), Sarah Weinbrom (4), Maggie Woodruff (4) & Richard Yu (5).
BILLS’ JO CHALLENGE: SCORE 1000 POINTS!!!
Elite’s 2008 SCY Junior Olympic Team is now set for this coming weekend: 45 individual swimmers (24 girls and 21 boys) and 24 relays!! Elite swimmers have qualified for 284 individual events!!! At the start of the season, Elite started with 15 swimmers having qualified for just 62 events.
Bill has a BIG challenge for this year’s Elite Squad: SCORE 1000 POINTS!!!
This challenge will involve every Elite JO swimmer, as relay points are actually double the amount of individual event points. Most of the 45 Elite swimmers are entered in relays. Top 16 swimmers/relays score points at championship meets.
Although Bill feels this challenge is absolutely within reach of the Elite Swimmers, the team will be partially handicapped as Chris Dart, a perennial point scorer, will be swimming a very abbreviated schedule (as he is tapering for British Olympic Trials in early April).
Last year at SCY JO’s, Elite scored 768 points and placed 12th overall. This year’s squad is certainly stronger than last summer’s team, and scoring 1000 points would put Elite in the top 10 teams of the LSC, possibly in the top 5.
Bill will post the score totals each day on the website (assuming he is provided with them)!!! Lets get behind the Junior Olympic Swimmers and get them revved up!!! Each point, each swim counts!!!
As the reservations for the Awards Dinner numbers are quite lower than expected, we have extended the reservation deadline until Wednesday, March 12th. Attached to the weekly memo are the family names and amount attended so far. If you are not on the list but would like to attend, please email Bill asap and then follow up by mailing the reservation form and check in.
Preparations are underway for the biggest party of the season: Elite’s 13th annual Winter Swim Team Banquet!!! This year’s party will be held Sunday, April 6, 2008 from 12:00 am to 4:00 pm.
This year, Elite will again be at the Hanover Marriott, located at 1401 Route 10 East, Whippany, New Jersey. This facility can accommodate up to 700 people!!! The last 6 Elite banquets have had an excess of 350 people each!!!
To reserve your dinner reservations, please print out an reservation form from the website, fill it in and mail the form with the appropriate check amount to Bill Deatly, 32 Prospect Street, Summit, New Jersey 07901.
Parents, Bill will do his best to honor your seating arrangement requests. Swimmers will be seated by Bill!!
SPRING
SESSION 2008 TO START:
The Age Group Program (the Wavebusters and the Marlins) will start on Monday, April 7 (the day after the banquet). The Spring Session practice schedule, until Friday, June 6th will be identical to the Winter 2007-08 schedule.
The Senior Program will have two different start dates: 1) for those swimmers who participate only in the 13 & Older Silver-Bronze Championships, the 1st practice will be Monday, March 24 and 2) for those swimmers who participate in the Junior Olympics, practice will start Monday, March 31.
TRYOUT
INFORMATION NOW POSTED:
Information regarding Elite’s tryouts and Spring Practice Schedule is now posted on the website. The practice schedule is identical to the Winter 2007-08 until long course begins. Long course schedules are still being worked on.
NOMINATIONS
WANTED FOR ESCPO:
Nominations for positions are wanted and needed for the Elite Swim Club Parents Organization. Parents who are interested or who have nominess should email Moya Chew-Lai at moya.chew-lai@prudential.com.
REMINDER:
SCHOLAR/ATHLETE AWARDS WILL BE HIGHLIGHT OF AWARDS BANQUET:
With the conclusion of the 2nd marking periods, swimmers are reminded that the ultimate award an Elite swimmer can earn at the season ending Awards Banquet (Sunday, April 6, 2008) will once again be the Elite Scholar-Athlete Awards. Great grades, in addition to great swim times, are required for a swimmer to earn one of these awards.
These awards will be broken down into three levels:
1) All-American
Scholar Athlete Award: Swimmer must have a 3.5 grade average and at least 1
Sectional Qualifying time. This award is actually a USA Swimming Award and will
be presented by New Jersey Swimming. Elite will also provide a certificate to
those swimmers who have qualified for this award.
2) The Elite
Scholar-Athlete Gold Award: A swimmer must have all A’s and no more than 1 B
(or the equivalent of all A’s and 1 B) plus at least 1 individual Junior
Olympic Qualify Time
3) The Elite
Scholar-Athlete Teal Award: Swimmer must have all A’s and B’s (of the
equivalent) plus at least 1 individual Silver Qualifying Time
In addition to each swimmer receiving an impressive certificate from Elite acknowledging this achievement, from this season forward Elite will post the names of its scholar athletes on its website-forever acknowledging its most special scholar-athletes.
Parents
of grammar school students should remember that Bill will review the grading
legend (assuming A’s and B’s are not given) to ascertain if the swimmer has
fulfilled the academic requirements to receive the award.
Bill is now accepting the scholastic information. If your swimmer made a JO or Silver qualifying time last summer or this winter and then aged up, an applicant must fill out the application form on the team website that will point Bill to the swim in question. All scholastic information needs to be to Bill by Tuesday, March 18.
THINKING SUMMER? THINK SUMMER SWIM CAMPS!:
Although the hot sun and humid weather seems millions of years away, summer is only 6 months away and top-notch swim camps are already taking registrations for the summer of 2007. When planning the upcoming summer, please consider sending your Elite swimmer to one of the numerous swim camps.
Each summer, numerous Elite swimmers spend a rewarding week (or two) at a summer swim camp. The benefits of such a camp are: 1) individual attention by reknown swim coaches 2) an increased knowledge of the sport of swimming and 3) personal growth that occurs as a result of “being on one’s own.” The formula that seems to work best is finding an Elite friend to spend the week with at the swim camp.
If you are considering sending your
swimmer to a swim camp, now is the time to do the research and make decisions
(many of these camps are sold out by mid-Spring). On
the website, under Swim Camps, there is a list of swim camps. Many of these
swim camps close out in late February and early March!!!
Thinking about summer? Think Swim Camps!!
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
GET YOUR PICTURES OF ELITE SWIMMERS TO BILL:
As the season heads to it’s conclusion, all amateur photographers who have been busy taking candid shots of our Elite stars need to get your pictures to Bill on a compact disk so that Elite can coordinate two major photography projects: 1) the memory book and 2) the slide show at the Elite Awards Dinner.
Courtesy of the Elite Swim Club’s Parents Organization, at the end of this season each swimmer will receive a memory book with dozens of pictures of Elite swimmers. Last year’s (1st year) book was an instant hit and this year’s is expected to be treasured by swimmers for years to come.
In addition, there is a slide show presentation at each year’s Awards Banquet. This year is no different as hundreds of slides will be reviewed for a place in the show.
Please place your pictures on a CD and place them in Bill’s mailbox at Newark Academy!!!
WHEN IN DOUBT, CHECK THE WEBSITE:
If you have questions about Elite, your first source of information is Elite’s website located at eliteswimclub.org. When in doubt, first check the website!!! If you do not see what you need, email Bill at eliteswimclubnj@comcast.net