December 2006

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

click picture for larger image

Cindy, Peter, Karl and Natalie!

2006 Jingle Bell Invitational results

The last swim meet of the year has come and gone, and the final swims of 2006 for Karl and Natalie were simply outstanding! Case in point; they were among only 26 swimmers to post 5 or more personal best times, out of over 100 the Sarasota Sharks sent to the 2006 Jingle Bell Invitational in Clearwater. This meet featured some of the best age-group athletes from Orlando, Tampa, Daytona, Tallahassee, Clearwater and of course, Sarasota!

The venue was the Clearwater Aquatics Center, a large, glass enclosed facility with a 50M pool and a smaller 4-lane cool-down pool. All parents had to sit in the upper deck, which afforded an enviable view of the swimmers, their stroke technique, and the inevitable "ugly swim," usually by a weak 8 yo! You can see the facility HERE

Natalie had a superlative meet! She dropped major time in everything she swam, and made 2 new JO cuts in the 100 Fly and 100 Back! Additionally, she lowered her 50 back time to 36.03, a AA time! She has now qualified for Junior Olympics in 5 events. You can see her 50yd backstroke swim HERE.

Karl had an impressive 3 days in the water, starting with the 50yd and 500yd freestyle on Friday evening, when he dropped .4 and 23.33 seconds, respectively. He followed that up with a 2:48.57 in the 200IM, and a 1:15.51 in the 100IM on Saturday. The best swim was the last; the 100yd breaststroke on Sunday, when he lowered his time by 2.30 to 1:21.83, just .74 from a JO cut! Although he did not make a JO time at this meet, he is within a second in another 3 events, and with 3 more meets till Junior Olympics in February, he is all but guaranteed admittance! You can see Karl's 50yd Fly HERE.

Cindy was the videographer, and has improved dramatically in the art of steadiness, panning, and overall composition. Finally, I have completed my Stroke & Turn Official apprenticeship and can now work USA Swimming meets as a S & T judge.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Peter, Cindy, Karl, Natalie and Max the wiener-dog!

Praiseworthy

Again, our heartiest congratulations! Your latest feat is very impressive. Now, after months of very hard work, you are in the top echelon of swimmers in your age class. To find new words of praise in English are hard to come by! Soon, I have to resort to words in German, Swedish or French, like: "ausgezeichnet, hervorragend, utmaerkt, mycket bra, tres bien, zielbewusst, aufregend, and spaenannde." The exciting feature about swimming is the constant focus on eliminating another second or so. The events are like a rope. It is always in front of you, but some sinister gnome pulls it slowly away from you, triggering more effort to catch the rope...

Keep up the good work. You have got the right attitude, which will be of great benefit for you in your future. Of course, needless to say we all enjoyed your Dad's Blog entry.

PS: Are you entering highlights of your glorious moments into your DIARY? Do it, you will be glad you did as you read your short stories in later years. I just happen to know these funny things.

Opa with Oma and Thomas in tow.

2006 Florida West "B" Championships Results

Clearwater: The results are in from the 2006 Florida West "B" Championships, and both Natalie and Karl did very well. In fact, Karl WON his first event ever, the 50yd Fly in a new personal best time of 33.61! He followed that with a 2nd-place finish in the 50yd Breaststroke, dropping his time to 39.16. In the 50 Free, he just missed his previous best by 2/10ths; apparently the cold water had a negative effect! He placed 7th.

Not to be outdone, Natalie dropped time in all three of her events and in the process, notched another Junior Olympic qualifying time; a 31.61 in the 50yd Freestyle, good for 2nd place! She also placed second in the 50yd Breaststroke (42.46) and a 3rd-place finish in the 50yd Backstroke (37.45){Edit: she made the JO cut for the 50yd Backstroke too}. Her coach was very pleased with her performance, in light of the meltdown at the Sharks "Turkey" Meet.

We finish the 2006 swimming year this weekend at the "Jingle Bell" Meet," again, in Clearwater. It is a large indoor venue with an expansive upper-deck for spectators, but the air inside is somewhat humid and carries a moderate Chlorine smell. It is a 3-day meet with over 800 swimmers expected to compete. This will be the 2nd to last chance for Karl to get a JO cut and join Natalie at the Junior Olympics in February in Gainesville. Wish him luck!

"There is always something new from Africa!"

Pliny the Elder c. A.D. 77

After Pliny, now comes Karl and a friend to discover the world by reporting about Tunisia. Your presentation offered a broad range of subjects, all very interesting and in the possible shortest time. The focus is on the essentials about a faraway country most people know diddlysquat about. A longer version would not have been as attention-getting as this one (when I was 11 years old in 1937, we knew where France and Italy and Austria was but had little interest in exploring barren Africa).

Your presentation was excellent, evidenced by your teachers' action to display it for all to see. Keep up the good work.

PS: While I am on Thomas' computer, you probably by now have your head in the ice cold water of the Clearwater Aquatic Center, breathing like a walrus, kicking and pulling, in short, B-K-P-B-K-B...

Do you know Tunisia?

How is your knowledge of Northern Africa? Can you find Tunisia on a map? What is a Dinar? Those questions and many more can be answered after watching a video Karl and his schoolmate, Austin Cruz, put together for their language arts class. Watch it here.

The boys were the first in the whole IB (International Baccalaureate class to complete the project, one time, and within guidelines (no more than 3 minutes). Karl did most of the research and picture selection, including a short video clip of Tunisian musicians playing traditional Malouf music. Austin did the typing and compiling of the various slides, as well as all the transitions. Their teacher was so impressed, she had the entire class watch it, then placed the movie on the Brookside Middle School web site!

The boys are very proud of their work (could one of them be a budding Hollywood Director??).

Enjoy!

Holiday Advice

As the most senior member of the H-Tribe (Stamm), I feel duty-bound to enlighten everybody at this crucial time about a foolproof cure for overindulgences during the Holiday season...and beyond. This urge to write about YOUR problems is a golden opportunity for me to appear yet again on the Blog, since I am unable to write firsthand about exhilarating achievements in sport by respective youngsters. Recently, Natalie appeared as a freelance writer on the Blog. Soon she will be a real competition to Peter. And John, a nice photo of Michaela you placed on the screen. All good-looking girls, and so cheerful. A sign of good motivation and coaching!

Back to the first sentence. Even now, you may feel already discouraged at your high cholesterol and blood-pressure level. No longer need you fear the devastating consequences. Just follow my simple instructions:

1. Secure a clean Mason Jar.

2. Peel 2 carrots, 1 apple(any kind), and 4 shriveled-up ginger roots.

3. Cook the above for four minutes then chill.

4. Add one whole, peeled garlic clove.

5. Add 1 teaspoon each of coriander & turmeric.

6. Add cup of granulated Lecithin to mix.

7. 1/2 cup or thereabout of OJ (preferably fresh).

8. Add red wine or rice wine or any old vinegar, about one cup or according to taste.

9. Mix and blend in handy blender. Refrigerate.

Indulge every morning after your breakfast in one full serving spoon of this delightful concoction. I have been using this brew for several years.

PS: While you are at the Health Food Store, purchase 3 # of oatmeal out of their large barrel (.69 #). Equipped with this bag, you are now ready to bake some "Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies. The recipe is easily available at Publix. Buy a small unit at $ 2.79 and voila!, you have the recipe on the underside of the lid. I usually double the amount indicated, which yields some 74 cookies, about two inches in diameter. The recipe is very good, so follow it religiously. Should you not like raisins, use dried, chopped-up apricots. A small ice cream scoop is helpful in forming the dough.

Good luck - and let me know via this Blog about your adventures in Baking!

Opa, December 3, MMVI

From one writer to another...

Although Oma hastened to call you immediately after she saw the Blog entry about you, the following lines should further cement our feelings about your success. What one possesses in writing, one can carry home.

1. Your description of homeless people, possessing few goods, was in the "unique" category. You recognized their needs and had plans to help.

2. Sensing of these needs reveals keen observation and empathy. Not many people have this gift and know what to do about it.

3. Your goal in life, once already announced on stage at a downtown theater some four or five years ago, was to become a doctor. Work hard for your dreams.

4. Grasping the fundamentals of sound money management at your tender age is very praiseworthy; particularly when facing a windfall of one million dollars. Your plans show great foresight. Keep up this pace, you are definitely on the right track. Of course, proper counsel from Mom and Dad is essential, which you obviously enjoy. Congratulations!

Opa, Oma and Thomas. December 1, MMVI