ELITE NEWS BULLETIN               10-15-07

 

AGE GROUPERS START COMPETION WITH A BANG; HANG WITH BAC;

ALELOV, BUCKHAM, FISCH, HONG, LEVIN & STEARNS POST JO TIMES:

 

Although having started their training just weeks ago, the Elite Age Groupers (Wavebusters and Marlins) stepped up and went toe-to-toe with Berkeley Aquatic Club (acknowledged as the top team in New Jersey Swimming year after year) in a pair of dual meets at BAC’s pool in Berkeley Heights yesterday.

 

Both teams were broken into “A” and “B” squads in an attempt to keep the competition as even as possible. In the A meet, BAC’s final score was 778.5 to Elite’s 654.5. Thru both competitions, 5 Elite swimmers posted their 1st Junior Olympic qualifying times of the season while a total of 6 swimmers added 7 times to their totals. Numerous other swimmers posted JO qualifying times but these swimmers age up prior to the March, 2008 competition.

 

A Meet:

 

In the A meet, 9 year old Kaitlin Stearns led Elite with two Junior Olympic times (100 yd. IM-1.22.21 & 50 yd free-31.98) and three 1st place finishes. 10 year old Aaron Levin added a Junior Olympic time (to his other 5) in the 50 back (37.93). Newcomer 11 year old Matthew Hong posted his 1st JO time as an Elite swimmer in the 50 butterfly (32.62) while newcomer Michael Alelov posted a Junior Olympic time in the 100 butterfly (1.01.24). 14 year old Spencer Fisch cruised to a JO time in the 100 breast.

 

Also placing 1st in 3 of his events was 11 year old Jeffrey Dong (50 breast, 50 fly & 50 free). 12 year old Brannon Cho won 2 events: 50 breast and 50 free while 11 year old Regan Kology won the 50 free. Newcomer Silas Newcomb (15) sprinted to a 1st place finish in the 100 back while 9 year old Christina Pick won the 50 breast. 8 year old Abbie Bigham won the 25 fly while 15 year old John Burns won the 100 free.

 

Swimmers who participated in the A meet were (# in parathesis is number of best Elite SCY best times): Matt Ahlmeyer (2), Michael Alelov (3),  Chris Balbo (4), Megan Balbo (2), Abbie Bigham (3), Ethan Blum (2),  John Burns (1), Brannon Cho (2), Jeffrey Dong (3), Alli Dorneo (2), Avinash Duvvuri (2), Krishna Duvvuri, Maya Epelbaum (1), Andrea Ferrell, Spencer Fisch (2), Katherine Friday (3), Emily Goad, Dominique Gordon (2), Katie Gorman (1), Lydia Gracey (2), Andre Guacelli (2), Scott Harris (1), Alyssa Hartigan (2), Matt Hong (2), Patrick Hong (3), Brent Jones, William Kaiser (2), Eamonn Keenan (3), Rachel Keselman (3), Regan Kology (1), Jared Kovacs (3), Isabel LaRaia (3), Aaron Levin (3), Brandon Li (1), Daniela Manzi (2),Marisa Manzi (2), Colin Miller-Radest (2), Isabella Morreale (1), Cesar Munoz (1), Madison Munoz (1), Dan Muro (2), Julia Muro (3), Caroline Nash (3), Silas Newcomb (3), Rebecca Niccolai, Dara O’Gorman (1), Nick Pachiolo (2), Christina Pick (2), Gabrielle Pick (2), Michelle Pick (1), Andrea Shepard (1), Katy Shepard (3), Kaitlin Stearns (1), Lindsay Stearns (1), Alex Sudyn (2), Erica Takahashi, Lexi Tedesco, Michael Tortorella (4), Rachel Tortorella (2), Spence Turkington (1), Sarah Weinbrom (3), Maggie Woodruff (2), Ryan Wyer (1) & Richard Yu (2).

 

B Meet:       

 

In the B meet, 12 year old Ryan Buckham, returning to Elite after taking a year off from swimming, churned to a JO time in the 50 Fly (32.58).

 

11 year old Juliet Felson (the 100 IM & the 50 breast) and Brendan Miller-Radest (200 IM & the 100 fly) were Elite’s double winners. Also winning events were: Brielle Barba (50 free), Nicole Blum (50 Free), Sam Duren (50 Free), Ariel Gelman (50 back), Sarah Kleppe (50 fly), Patrick Lai (50 breast), Kara Miller-Radest (50 fly), Gregory Niccolai (50 breast) & Taylor Savarese (50 back)

 

Swimmers who participated in the B meet were (# in parathesis is number of best Elite SCY best times): Arlynn Baer (1), Brielle Barba (2), Lindsay Behar (1), Nicole Blum (2, Ryan Buckham (3), Thomas Burke (3), Eloise Burn (3), Meggie Butler (3), Mac Charvala (2), Elizabeth D’Altrui, Drew D’Andrea (1), Amy Duren (1), Sam Duren (1), Helena Elston (2),Madeleine Faust (2), Juliet Felsen (2), Emilie Ferguson (1), Andy Fresen (2), Erika Fresen (4), RJ Fresen (3), Ariel Gelman (1), Hannah Gleason, Joe Gleason (2), Alexandra Gordon (1), Julia Guacelli (2), Elana Horowitz (1), Sarah Kleppe (1), Patrick Lai (3), Clark LaRaia (2),Jessie Lowe (1), Sarah Lowe (3), Katie McGrath, Brendan Miller-Radest (2), Kara Miller-Radest (1), Gregory Niccolai (2), Spencer Pearce (2), Mikala Quinn (2), Collin Reilly, Abigail Rollenhagen (1), Taylor Savarese (1), Jonathan Scott (2),  Jonas Singer (3), Jessica Solodkin (2), Sydney Todd, Katie Tselepis (2), Michael Wang (1), Caroline Watt (1), Olivia Woodruff (2) & James Yoon (2).

 

SWIM WITH AN OLYMPIAN THIS WEEKEND!!! PHENOM KATE ZIEGLER & OLYMPIAN JOSH DAVIS TO HANG WITH THE ESC ON  SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21!!! RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!

 

19 year old distance phenom Kate Ziegler & Olympian Josh Davis are on their way to the Elite Swim Club on Sunday, October 21 for a swim clinic sponsored by the Elite Swim Club Parents Organization!!

 

In June 2007, Ziegler shattered the oldest World Record in the books-Janet Evans’s March, 1988 1500 meter free time of 15.52.10 by turning in a head turning, mind boggling time of 15.42.54 (10 seconds under the 19 year old WR time!!!). Ziegler is also currently the top USA swimmer in the 400 meter and 800 meter free. Kate is expected to participate in her first Olympics in China in 2008.

 

Davis is a two time Olympian-1996 & 2000. Davis was the only triple gold medallist at the 1996 Olympic Games, winning gold medals in 400 meter and 800 meter free individual events plus the participating in the 400 medley relay. Davis also placed 2nd in the 400 and 800 meter free in the 2000 Olympics.

 

To reserve your spot in the clinic, please mail a $50 check made out to ESCPO to Moya Chew-Lai at 2 Birch Hill Drive Chatham, NJ 07928. The clinic will be closed to the first 100 swimmers and no additional participants will be added after Oct 17.

 

Each participant will receive a goody bag including an autographed picture of each clinician and a clinic t-shirt!!

 

TEAM DIRECTORY TO BE ELECTRONIC THIS YEAR AND IS ATTACHED:

 

            For a variety of reasons, the Elite Swim Club Parent’s Organization has decided that an electronic version of the team directory should be provided this year, rather than a hard copy (as produced last year).

 

            The most compelling reason to provide the directory electronically is that if mistakes within it are discovered, we can easily correct them and then resend the directory to all families. Last year, mistakes in phone numbers and email addresses made the directly less than perfect.

 

            In addition, there is a cost to the parents organization to provide a hard copy, as well as significant work involved in producing it. Lastly, it is a green solution!

 

PARENTS SOCIAL A BIG SUCCESS:

 

Last Friday night, the Elite Swim Club Parents Organization (ESCPO) hosted a fabulous social gathering at the Chatham Fish & Game Club.

 

            Over 100 parents and coaches attended the affair which featured a chocolate foundation, great food and beer and wine supplied by ESCPO. The event allowed Elite parents to acquaint and reacquaint themselves with other Elite parents in a non-chlorinated environment. By all accounts, people had a great time.

 

            Thanks ESCPO for your efforts!!!

 

MEET DELAY LAST SUMMER LEADS TO ELITE’S NEW POLICY REGARDING TRAINING DURING STORMS:

 

            The only silver lining to the 3 hour delay at LCM Junior Olympics this past summer is the new policy Elite has adopted regarding training in storms.

 

            Given plenty of time to discuss with other NJ Swimming Coaches the situation during the JO lightning storm, it was discovered that there is actually no NJ law that prohibits swimming indoors during a thunder/lightning storm. What has happened is that Rutgers University has a school policy not to allow their facilities to be used during storms. Over the years, this Rutgers policy, which stems directly from a reduction in their premiums on an insurance policy if they stop all activities during a storm, has morphed into the incorrect assumption that it was against the law to train during storms.

 

            For years, Elite has followed this incorrect assumption and stopped training during storms. Our new policy will be to assess the situation and if coaches feel it is safe to train during the storm, they will continue to conduct practice. If the coaches feel it is dangerous to train during the storm (if the storm is directly over the pool, there is significant & close lightning, etc), they will stop training. And if the weather conditions are forecasted to be extreme, practice will be cancelled before practice starts (we have cancelled practices in the past due to snow storms and nor’easters, and will continue to do so).          

 

LCM JO’S: STATS TELL STORY OF ELITE’S SUCCESS VERSES COMPETITION:

 

            Statistics provided by New Jersey Swimming show just how well Elite performed this past July at the Long Course Junior Olympics against its competition.

 

            In addition to scoring a LCM history high 620.5 points to place 11th overall (last year at SCY JO’s the team scored a history high 768 points to place 12th), Elite had the 2nd lowest percentage of swims over the qualifying times for teams that competed in a minimum of 100 events (Elite competed in 98 events). As a team, Elite had only 7 swims over the Junior Olympic cut times for an 8% average. New Jersey Wave had the lowest at 7.4% in 227 swims.

 

            There were a total of 47 teams whom competed and there were 14 teams with 100 or more events. The over the cut time percentages ranged from NJ Waves low to a high of 38.1%. In addition to swimming spectacular, this tremendous performance also collaborates that there is no correct conversion time standard. Many NJ teams convert times from SCY competition to enter their swimmers; NJ Wave and Elite do not.

 

DISTANCE DERBY IS FULL!!

 

            Distance Derby, Elite’s sanctioned New Jersey Swim Meet held November 17 & 18 is the 1st meet of the 2007-08 calendar to be fully subscribed and closed out!

 

            Co-ordination efforts are underway by Elite parent volunteers to organized this year’s meet. All parents of the team are expected to participate in running this meet (information will be forth coming).

 

Claire Gorman is this year’s volunteers meet coordinator. Claire is looking for volunteers help her organize the volunteers. Please contact her at mailto:cgorman@connellfoley.com.

           

REGISTRATION FORMS IN WELCOME PACKETS NEEDED BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:

 

                The month is October and we are still missing Registration packets from the following swimmers:

 

Wave Golds: Morgan Kiley (Membership & Emergency), Lexi Tedesco (Membership & Emergency), Michael Wang (all forms)

 

Wave Teals: Amy Duren (Code of Conduct)

 

Marlin Teals: Eloise Burn (Code of Conduct), Andy Fresen (Code of Conduct), Erika Fresen (Code of Conduct), RJ Fresen (Code of Conduct), Mathew Migliozzi (Code of Conduct) and Spencer Pearce (Code of Conduct).

 

It is critical that these forms be returned to Bill’s mailbox as soon as possible so that each Elite swimmer is registered (and thus insured). 

 

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