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ARIZONA AGE GROUP STATE 2011

from Coach Ryan

This past weekend the Westside Silver Fins competed in the Arizona Age Group State Championships and walked away with 3rd Place Honors. We as a team, have never before cracked the top 3 at Age Group State, which has always been a HUGE goal. In achieving this, we have started a new chapter in the WSF path to GREATNESS.

The performances that were displayed this weekend, by EVERY WSF SWIMMER left me and every spectator speechless. I have never been more proud to call myself a WSF coach. Not only did everyone swim fast, but the sense of TEAM and everyone swimming for each other, radiated throughout the WSF camp. The team effort and spirit had me in tears as our AMAZING kids hoisted the trophy high in the air! Everyone at the event could feel the blood, sweat, and tears that every Silver Fin put into this season.

The most AMAZING thing about this accomplishment is that we beat teams with nearly 30 more swimmers than we had. That speaks volumes about how well our State Team competed, whilst being vastly outnumbered.

Individual Highlights

Olivia Bender - Every time Olivia swam she went a best time. She dropped 12 seconds in the 100 Breast (1:17.56), over 4 seconds in the 50 Breast (35.10), nearly 5 seconds in the 50 Back (33.52), and over 22 seconds in the 200 Breast (2:51.44). Livie was also INCREDIBLE in every WSF relay!

Kelly Church - Kelly dropped time in every individual event, especially the distance events where she shaved over 27 seconds in the 1650 Free (18:54.82) and more that 33 seconds in the 1000 Free (11:20.31). She accumulated 79 individual points for WSF, not even including how many points she helped get in the relays.

Kendall Church - Kendall was the foundation in all 13 & 14 Girl relays. She swam the lead-off leg in every relay, which set the tone for our success. Kendall also had a GREAT 200 Back (2:19.66, made finals) and 1000 free (11:20.31), where she negative split her 500's (very hard to do).

Hayden Clark - Haydo went best times in nearly every event. She was named State Champion in the 200 (2:15.40) and 100 Fly (1:00.41, barely missing the State Record). A true leader for the 12 & Under Relays, which came in 1st multiple times. Hayden amass 104 points for the team from her individual events.

Dana "Danamite" Clements - Dana had 4 HUGE drops. She took nearly 4 seconds off her 50 Fly (31.61), 3 seconds in the 100 I.M. (1:12.17), 2 seconds in the 50 Breast, and almost 4 seconds in the 200 Breast (2:57.08). More importantly, Dana swam the crucial Anchor leg in multiple 11 & 12 Relays.

Andrew "Flash" Floyd - Andrew is another WSF swimmer who went BEST TIMES in EVERY EVENT he swam. By dropping 7 seconds in the 500 Free (5:29.66) and over 16 seconds in the 1000 Free (11:21.50), Andrew showed dominance in the distance events. He made finals in the 50 and 100 Back and swam OUT OF HIS MIND in the 13 & 14 relays (his anchor leg in the 400 Medley was Legendary!).

Nick Floyd - This was the biggest meet Nick has ever competed in and he more than rose up to the occasion! There is a ton of pressure on the anchor leg swimmer of a relay, but Nick handled it like a true pro. I was extremely proud of how hard he swam every chance he got. GREAT JOB NICK!

Trent Floyd - Trent recently grabbed his first 11 & 12 State Q-time, which allowed him to compete in this meet. He swam the 50 Back and did a GREAT job, showing the competition what they will have to face in the years to come. Trent will be a force!

Xander Gomez - Xander was an assassin this weekend! He burned up the pool EVERY TIME HE SWAM. The most impressive thing about his State meet was the fact that he swam faster in every final, and didn't settle for the time he dropped in prelims. Xander swam beautifully in the Back and Fly events, also killing it in the 200 I.M (2:26.20).

Isabel Gomez - Izzy was the 10 & Under Relay Queen! She swam LIGHTS OUT in some HUGE scoring relays. Along with her GREAT relay swims, she also dropped over a second in the 50 Breast (44.15). Plus, she is still only 9 years old.

Rachel "Nerd" Johnson - Rachel is another 9 year old WSF phenom. She dropped over 4 seconds in the 100 Breast (1:30.02) this weekend, and also dropped over 2 seconds while swimming the lead-off leg in the 200 Free relay.

Destiny "Dragon" Kling - Destiny was a MONSTER in the pool this weekend! She never placed lower than third in her individual events and became State Champion in the 100 Fly (1:08.89) and 100 Back (1:11.90)! Destiny also took home a shiny new trophy for earning 2nd overall High Point Honors in the 10 & Under Girls Bracket.

Sieara Kling - Sieara is another Silver Fin who swam a BEST TIME in every individual event. Her 2nd place finishes in the 100 (1:02.91) and 200 Fly (2:18.92) helped her earn 94 points for the team. Sieara was also clutch in every relay situation.

Nicole Kosowski - Nicole crushed every swim she had. I loved watching her race in her 4 Final swims (100 Breast, 200 I.M., 200 Breast, and 100 Free). Nicole was equally impressive outside the pool, with her positive energy fueling the entire team throughout the weekend. Nicole is a GREAT role model for any young WSF swimmer!

Krista Letz - Krista was faced with some of the most grueling events in the meet, but she attacked every single one of them. She swam a BEST TIME and made finals in the 200 Back (2:20.28) and swam the ANCHOR leg in most of the 13 & 14 relays.

Marianna Letz - Mar Mar made finals in every event she swam and snagged a BEST TIME in the 200 Fly (2:14.22). Her swims in the 13 & 14 relays were always HUGE. Her 52 points in a tough 13 & 14 Girls field helped our team immensely.

Patrick "do we have dryland?" Maloney - Pat went INSANELY FAST this weekend! He dropped in EVERY event, and placed 5th in the 50 Back (27.99) and 6th in the 100 Back (59.64). Patrick did an AMAZING job in our relays, especially the 800 Free Relay where he split a 1:54.17. Pat is also a co-founder of the new "interactive" team cheer.

Ebony McCray - Ebony swam BEST TIMES in nearly every event, including the 100 I.M. where she broke her own team record TWICE. As the ANCHOR leg in EVERY relay, Ebony always delivered when she needed to bring home the victory.

Kenya McCray - Like her sister, Kenya was a HUGE factor in WSF relays. Her 50 (28.15) and 100 Fly (1:03.89) swims were nothing short of AMAZING! The 56 points she scored for the team was a difference maker!

Adrian "the Beast" Medrano - Adrian came into this meet with very limited Championship experience, but he quickly owned the meet. He not only dropped well-over a second in EVERY event, not only made A finals in EVERY event, not only scored 66 points for WSF, but he was also the COMEBACK KID in our relays!

Max Montour - MAX COULDN'T BE STOPPED! He made finals in EVERY EVENT he swam and was crowned State Champion in the 50 (25.96) and 200 Back (2:02.02). His stellar relay splits and 97.5 points put our team over the top!

Anissa O'Connell - Anissa impressed the heck out of me, and I think this was her best meet ever. The way she was aggressive and smart in her races made me extremely proud. She blew everyone away with her Breaststroke events, going BEST TIMES in the 50 (34.22), 100 (1:13.99), and 200 (2:38.88).

Patrick O'Connell - Another O'Connell who swam his best meet when the lights were on. Pat dropped nearly 9 seconds in the 200 Free (2:10.95), over 5 1/2 seconds on the 100 Breast (1:20.25), over 4 1/2 seconds in the 100 Free (1:01.43), and well-over 10 seconds in the 200 Breast (2:47.41). Great Job Pat!

Emily Pickett - Emily had just snagged her first 2 State Q-times a couple weeks before this meet, but she wasn't satisfied with just showing up. She dropped even more time in her 50 Fly and raced it perfectly. I have a feeling she will be knocking out every State Q-time before the next State Championships.

Brian Smok - Brian had an OUTSTANDING meet! He made finals in 5 events and dropped a ton of time in each of them. His 50 Breast (29.50), 100 Breast (1:04.40), and 200 Breast (2:21.79) stole the show. Also, a major factor in EVERY 13 & 14 Boys relay.

Jamie "Jamien" Wagner - Jamie was on fire all weekend. Other kids were scared to death when facing her in the Breaststroke, with good reason. She showed why that is HER stroke, by dropping nearly 1 1/2 seconds in the 100 Breast (1:16.09), over 1/2 second in the 50 Breast (34.74), and 5 seconds in the 200 Breast (2:43.85). Jamie's Breaststroke legs in the Medley Relays were critical!

Victoria "Torienado" Warrum - Torie struck fear in everyone she faced this weekend. It didn't matter if the competition towered overhead, she just chopped them down to size. Torie was crowned the State Champion in the 50 Breast (36.54, by .01, AWESOME RACE!), 100 Breast (1:18.88), and the 100 I.M. (1:12.83). She was also awarded the 3rd Place Overall trophy for 10 & Under Girls.

I want to point out that this accomplishment isn't only for the kids who competed, but for everyone involved with the team. These swimmers wouldn't have been able to reach this goal without their teammates who work hard every day beside them. This team has come a LONG WAY in the past few years. The foundation was laid out by the WSF swimmers who are now Seniors (2011 State Champions). The Age Groupers are paving the way for all our up and coming Blue, Black, and Pre-comp swimmers. This path we are on is EXCITING! I am so proud of all of you and so proud to be a SILVER FIN!

Special Thanks to all the parents who endured the VERY long weekend! Especially, the parents who really stepped up and contributed to making our team area the "best in show" and working the timing chair (Clarks, Benders, Alicia Church, Linda Warrum, Julie Maloney, Floyds, Denise O'Connell, Anna Kosowski, and Wagners to name a few.)