July 2007

Video from the Junior Olympics

Here are two short videos of Karl and Natalie from the 2007 Florida Long Course Junior Olympics. Click Here for Karl and Here for Natalie. The video of Natalie is interesting to watch; can you see the false start at the beginning of the race by the swimmer in lane 4? That was the girl that tied with Nat, and should have been DQ'ed...

Sharks Do It Again! Win 4th Consecutive Junior Olympics!

The Sarasota YMCA Sharks have done it once again; winning the Florida Long Course Summer Junior Olympics, their 4th title in a row!

The post-meet celebration! Natalie is 3rd row, 3rd from the left, and Karl is 5th row, 2nd from the left!

Now for the particulars: Natalie had the best meet of her short career, placing 3rd overall in the 10 & U Individual High Point standings. On Friday, she tied Sydney Pickrem (Clearwater Aquatics) for the Gold medal in the 100m breaststroke, going 1:28.90 in perhaps the most exciting race of the meet! Later that day, she swam leadoff on the 200m free relay, clocking a 31.61 (new individual record) that paced her teammates to a new team record of 2:11.26 and the Gold medal. Before the end of the day, she swam the 50 backstroke, finishing in 2nd in a time of 37.00 (-1.08).

Karl started his JO's in the 100m breast as well, making the top 16 and the evening finals. He swam on the "B" 200m free relay team that claimed 6th place among 22. Later, he swam the 50m fly, but did not make finals. That evening, he ripped off a new personal best time of 1:27.00, almost 2 seconds off his previous mark, and took 11th place, moving up 1 spot! He had to swim it again 30 minutes later on the "A" 400 Medley relay squad, finishing in 2nd place behind their "B" teammates (coach split the eight 11-12 boys into 2 balanced teams to maximize points).

On Saturday, Natalie had only the 50m breast, which she swam in 41.40, good for 3rd. Natalie repeated that effort on the 10 & U 200m Medley relay, coming in a close 2nd to Clearwater (CAT). Karl had only the 50m free, but swam nowhere near his potential, going 32.96. Earlier, he was part of the 2nd place 200m Medley relay team. That evening, he swam on the "B" 400m free relay, taking 5th place.

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, but not for the Sharks...Natalie got the day started with a superb effort in the 200m IM, dropping almost 4 seconds to finish 2nd in a blistering 2:50.82! After a brief rest, she tackled the 100m fly, her least favorite event. Alas, the good times came to an end when she struggled at the end to finish in 8th place (out of 57). Nonplussed she focused on her last and best event; the 100m backstroke. Racing the unbeaten Summer Finke (St. Pete Aquatics), Natalie gave chase, touching the wall in 1:18.82, a new personal best and Sharks team record!

Karl's Sunday began with 200m IM as well, but he faded to finish 28th. He ended the morning session with a perfunctory 50m breaststroke that had him upset and ready to quit. He did make the finals, so another chance awaited. That evening, he swam his heart out, posting a new personal best of 40.41 to again take 11th! His coach was very happy and gave him several high-five's! I don't think his is going to quit now!

We are now in the midst of the Summer break; the training pool is being drained for maintenance, the Seniors are going to Summer Nationals, and all the "B" level swimmers are off to the Area 3/5 Championships. Both Karl and Natalie have now completed their first year of swimming, and it is apparent that both have the "feel" for the water. As soon as Karl goes through puberty, his stock on the team is destined to soar! Natalie is getting ready to make the transition to 11-12 girls, where the competition is quite stiff; she is ready (or so she says...).

Fritz Hits 81!

Yesterday, we celebrated Fritz's 81st birthday at the usual place; Ann's Abode! Arriving a bit early to sample the hors d oevres and check out the new FIOS (fiber optic internet/TV/phone), we were greeted at the door by Fritz in his trademark blue "comfort" shirt!

The dinner was expertly prepared, including a surprise offering from Jennifer and Bobby of Carrabas' Calamari! As usual, Ann made more than enough food, a whole bowl of cooked red potatoes destined to be remade into potato salad! Thomas spent 15 minutes arranging a limited supply of birthday candles on the birthday cake; a chocolate-drizzled chocolate cake with a layer of tart Bing cherries. Fritz was up to the task of extinguishing the inferno, a single puff, mind you. This delighted the youngest attendee, Hunter, who then banged away on his toy drum (Keith Moon?).

During our stay while our house was being tented, we noticed a total lack of reading material (current) at Ann's. I knew Fritz was craving the written word, so off to Barnes & Noble for an assortment of magazines and two new books, guaranteed to irritate the non-bibliophile!

Happy Birthday, Fritz! May you survive the 80's!!

2007 Sarasota "Y" Sharks Open: Results and Discussion

On second thought; I'll leave out the minutiae and simply describe the best long course swim meet in many a year (according to long-time parents on the team). With picture-perfect weather, water clear as Boodles, and teams from Atlanta, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, the 2007 Sharks Open was an experience the kids will not soon forget, especially Natalie. Why? She won her first High Point Trophy!! After missing out at the last meet by 2 points, she swam away from the rest of the 10 & U girls, winning by 7. She lowered her times in 3 of 7 events, and led off the 200 free relay, spotting the rest of the team an insurmountable lead.

Karl also shed time in 3 of 7 events, but was a victim of the grueling Gold Team practices. He felt tired, but rebounded on Sunday to take 3rd in the 100 Breaststroke! He also inched ever closer to the magic "30" in the 50 meter Free, important for placement on relays. As it stands, Karl is on the "B" relays for the JO's, beating out 5 other 11-12 y.o. boys!

Karl chilling (?) out in between races.

Natalie with her trophy. It is sitting next to a pile of underwear on her dresser...