ELITE NEWS BULLETIN               5-19-08

 

ELITE DISTANCE SWIMMERS CRUSH LONG COURSE “800”CHALLENGE;

GREAT OMEN FOR SUMMER SEASON;

KOLOGY PLACES 2ND IN OPEN EVENT, MILLER-RADEST QUALIFIES FOR ZONES;

GORMAN, MILLER-RADET, SHEPARD, STEARNS QUALIFY FOR JO’S:

 

            With only several weeks of training under their belts and competing in long course in distance events with no long course training, logic would dictate “flat” performances this weekend by Elite swimmers at the 2008 Tiger Challenge. Guess again!

 

            Entered into the meet solely to compete in the 800 free (with one exception), which is a rarely offered event this coming summer, ALL 10 Elite swimmers took full advantage of their opportunity and attacked their swims. The results are astonishing:

 

            11 year Regan Kology, competing in both the 400 free (the exception) and the 800 free, was simply magnificent. Based upon her January Burgdorff performances, Regan is ranked in the top 10 nationally as an 11 year old in both the 400 and 800 lcm free events. Regan ages up this week so this was a last chance to improve her times (since other 11 year olds will have all summer to post times). On Saturday, Regan dropped 5 seconds in the Open 400 Free to finish 2nd (in an Open Event!!) with a 4.55.01 time! Following up on Sunday, Regan churned to a 10.04.45 time, dropping 44 seconds from last summers JO swim and posting an amazing 5.02.17 on the front end and a 5.02.28 on the back end!!!!

 

            14 year old Brendan Miller-Radest topped his fabulous spring JO 1000 yard performance by qualifying for LCM Eastern Zones with his 9.41.00 performance-over a second under the cut. Both the front end 400 (4.49.66) and the 800 times were JO qualifying times for Brendan.

 

            12 year olds Katie Gorman (10.57.72), Andrea Shepard (10.57.77) and Lindsay Stearns (10.59.09) all crushed the 12 & O JO qualifying time with their efforts-each by approximately 40 seconds!!! In addition, all 3 topped the 400 free JO time (5.24.33, 5.30.13 & 5.25.92 respectively) as well with their front end 400s!!!

 

            14 year old Spencer Fisch, who ages up this week, just missed the 13-14 JO qualifying time with a 10.31.68 time (just .3 over the cut). 13 year old Dan Muro cruised to a 10.35.76 time (just 3 seconds from the JO cut) while 14 year old Ryan Wyer posted a 10.36.64 time, just 4 seconds over the cut.

 

            16 year old Lindsay Anderson, in her 1st career 800 swim, splashed to a 10.51.82 time in winning her heat while 13 year old Matt Ahlmeyer just missed breaking the 11 minute mark, posting an 11.00.02 in his first career 800 swim.

 

            Swimmers who participated (# of times are # of best Elite times): Matt Ahlmeyer (1), Lindsay Anderson (1), Spencer Fisch (1), Katie Gorman (1), Regan Kology (2), Brendan Miller-Radest (1), Dan Muro, Andrea Shepard (1), Lindsay Stearns (1) & Ryan Wyer (1). 

 

            Official results have not yet been received. When they are, they will be posted on the team website.

 

LONG COURSE TRAINING STARTS NEXT WEEK FOR SENIORS, SENIOR PREPS AND WAVE GOLDS;

 

            Elite will begin its long course training next Tuesday, May 27 with practices at the Summit Municipal Pool. For two weeks (9 total practices), Elite will train in the heated long course pool in Summit. The practice schedule is posted on the website.

 

            Elite Seniors, Senior Preps and Wave Golds will take advantage of this early season long course training. Swimmers in the Wave Gold who can’t get to Summit are encouraged to train at Newark Academy with the Wavebuster Blacks during this period. Wave Golds are also encouraged to seek out carpools with Seniors and Senior Preps to get to practice, if possible.

 

            By its definition, long course competition is more grueling. Long course training, in preparation for long course competition, gives the swimmer the best opportunity to perform well at long course competition.

 

SHUT OUT OF SUMMER SOLSTICE, ELITE WILL HOLD INTRACLUB MEET ON SUNDAY, JUNE 29:

 

          This week, despite emailing our entries at the designated time, Elite was shut out of Summer Solstice meet, to be held on Saturday, June 28 & Sunday, June 29 at Princeton. As a result, Elite will host an Intraclub Meet on Sunday morning, June 29 at Morristown-Beard School. “Converted” results from this meet will be used to enter swimmers in summer championship meets, including Junior Olympics.

 

            In the past, entries to NJ Swimming meets were done as a 1st come, 1st serve basis after the meet announcement was posted. Summer Solstice handled it differently, stating it would only accept entries starting at noon on Monday, May 12. Although Elite sent their entries electronically at noon, they were not received until 12:05 pm. Entries received between 12:00 pm and 12:04 pm filled up the meet.

 

            The Intraclub Meet will be held for those swimmers who did not qualify for Summer Sizzle, which is also being held the same weekend at Rutgers University. In addition, Wave Teal swimmers, who were not going to compete at Summer Solstice, will be included in this meet.

 

            Details regarding the meet will be forthcoming. At the moment, it is contemplated that swimmers will be allowed to compete in 4 events at this meet. Despite Bill’s reluctance to use “converted” times (since there is no accurate scientific conversion equation), circumstances dictate that using “converted” times for entry times in this summer’s championship meets is necessary.

 

TIME STANDARDS POSTED; LCM JO’S, SECTIONALS, ZONES:

 

            With New Jersey Swimming releasing their summer LCM time standards last week, Elite has now posted the LCM time standards for Sectionals, Eastern Zones, JO’s and Silvers under Time Standards.

 

            Summer Sectionals are known as “Super Sectionals,” as it will be 1 meet within the entire Eastern Zone. Each spring, there are 2 Sectionals meets held-a “north” and a “south.”  Super Sectionals will be held at Penn State University on July 17 thru July 20.

 

            Eastern Zones, which in the summer is a time qualifying meet, will be held August 6 thru August 10 in Rockville, Maryland.  Each Spring, Zones teams are picked based upon the 2 fastest times swum in each event.

 

            Junior Olympic and Silver Times are also posted.  

 

LONG COURSE JO’S SCHEDULED ALTERED THIS YEAR: 13  & O IN AM:

 

            As are result of serious discussion at the New Jersey LSC House of Delegates Meeting on May 7, the event schedule for LCM Junior Olympics will be altered this year, flip flopping the 13 & O and the 12 & Under Sessions.

 

            This year, the 13 & Olders will compete in the am session with the 12 & Unders competing in the pm.

 

            Junior Olympics will be held Friday, July 25 thru Sunday, July 27.

 

EASTERN ZONE APPLICATIONS AND HOTEL INFORMATION POSTED ON NJ SWIMMING WEBSITE:

 

            New Jersey Swimming has posted the Swimmer Application and hotel information regarding the Summer 2008 Eastern Zones Meet on the New Jresey Swimming website under “Zones.”

 

            Once a swimmer has qualified, they are encouraged to fill out the application and mail it to Stephanie Crofton at New Jersey Swimming. This gives Stephanie more time to process the application. If swimmers qualify for additional events, the application can be easily amended.

 

            If you have qualified for Zones and plan to attend, please consider filling out the application and mailing as soon as possible. In addition, getting a hotel room now is always prudent.

 

23 MEMBERS SWIM FOR CHARITY IN  TEAM’S 7th ANNUAL ELITE-A-THON,

MANY RAISE $ FOR CROHN’S IN THANKS TO LEIGHANN;

           

Twenty-one Elite swimmers swam up to 2 hours last Saturday in the 7th Annual Elite-a-thon fundraiser. 

 

Like all past “Elite-a-thons,” this year’s event was structured so each individual participating will be raising money for the “charity of their choice.”

 

Those who participated were: Chris Balbo, Megan Balbo, Tad Deatly, Andy Fresen, Andrea Ferrell, Erika Fresen, Andrea Galea, Clio Galea, Alyssa Hartigan,  Greg Keiser, Emmie Lai, Jesse Lowe, Sarah Lowe, Daniela Manzi, Marisa Manzi, Dan Muro, Darragh O’Gorman, Mikala Quinn, Brittany Ross, Kaitlin Stearns, Lindsay Stearns, Will Stearns, Michael Strand, Michael Tortorella, Rachel Tortorella . 

 

In a tradition begun four years ago, Bill swim 2000 yards (40 x 50 on 2:00) to raise money for his yearly charity. This year, Bill raised money to help research on Crohn’s Disease, the illness inflicting Coach Leighann Marcelliano. All of Bill’s money will be pledged to Maya Epelbaum, who is also raising money for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America by participating in a walk-a-thon on May 18, 2008 at College of St. Elizabeth’s in New Jersey (Elite swimmers who also wish to walk with Maya should contact her at swimster633@yahoo.com ).

 

Tad Deatly, this year’s event coordinator, will compile information regarding how much money was raised and to what charities the money helped. That information will be in the next few memos.

 

ALL THREE LONG COURSE PRACTICE SCHEDULES NOW POSTED:

 

           Starting Tuesday May 27, the practice schedule for the Wavebusters and the Seniors will change drastically (and several times) as the team transitions into the summer long course practice schedule. There are 3 separate schedules that will be in affect from May 27 thru July 31 for Waves and Seniors.

 

1)                          Elite has secured practice time at Summit Municipal Pool from Tuesday, May 27 thru Friday, June 6 (excluding weekends). Summit is a long course pool that is heated. Getting this extra practice time in at a long course pool is a significant benefit for Elite swimmers. This practice schedule is now posted.

 

2)                          After Friday June 6, Elite no longer has pool time at Newark Academy or Summit (Marlins season is now concluded). Elite begins long course practice for Wavebusters and Seniors at Springfield Municipal Pool in the am (for those private school swimmers who are out of school) and will also hold practice at Morristown-Beard School from 7:00 pm to 9:00 (thru Thursday, June 19).  This schedule is now posted. During this period when practices at MBS are expected to be very crowded, no Senior or Senior Prep swimmer is invited to do doubles.

 

3)                          Starting Monday June 23, Elite will conduct practices at Springfield in the am and Morristown-Beard in the afternoon (time switches to 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm). This practice schedule will last the remainder of the summer season. This schedule is now posted.  Senior and Senior Prep swimmers are invited to do doubles.

 

PARKING AN ISSUE AT NEWARK ACADEMY & MORRISTOWN-BEARD:

 

            Parents are reminded that there is a distinct shortage of parking spaces at Newark Academy, especially on weekdays between 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Parents are welcome to “drop off” or “pick-up” their swimmers by the field house entrance during this time period if the driver remains in the car. If a parent is coming into the building, they are requested to park in the “upper” lot and walk thru the school to reach the pool.

 

            With the construction work at Morristown-Beard, parking on the weekends can also be difficult. Elite parents are reminded not to park in fire lanes for the obvious reason plus the Morristown Police are now ticketing cars parked in no parking zones.

 

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