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SPRING SECTIONALS 2011from Coach Matt Turns out no one on WSF's SECTIONAL TEAM has been here for a meet........it is an awesome pool and many very fast swims and very fast athletes have stepped thru the doors. We (Angel, Amy, Alexia, Zach, Xavier, Ryan, Courtney, Brenna and Brad) flew in on Tuesday morning to acclimate, as the competition did not start until Wednesday afternoon. Checking in, grocery shopping, relaxing and some light sight-seeing filled the 24 hours before DAY ONE. 1000 FREE....RYAN O'CONNELL CAME INTO THE MEET WITH A 10:10 AND WALKED AWAY WITH9:56+. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY GREAT SWIM FOR RYAN. HE WAS PLACED 77th AND MOVED INTO THE 48th POSITION. TOP-32 MAKE IT BACK FOR FINALS AND THE TOP-16 SCORE. 200 FREE RELAY.... MEN
BRAD 22.07 WOMEN A PRETTY SWEET STORY OF SUCCESS, AS THE GIRLS CAME INTO THE MEET ENTERED WITH A LONG COURSE TIME WHICH MEANT LAST SEEDED (80TH) TEAM OR HEAT 1, LANE 8. THE GIRLS POSTED A TIME THAT HELD OUT AS THE FASTEST THRU HEAT 5 AND HELD STRONG THRU THE LAST 2 HEATS, IN FACT GOOD ENOUGH TO PLACE 11th OVER-ALL AND SCORE POINTS FOR WSF.
SPLITS: THIS WAS UNEXPECTED AND GIVES US GREAT HOPES OF SWIMMING VERY COMPETITIVE 400-800 FREESTYLE RELAYS. DAY 2 BIG DAY WITH EVERYONE INVOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, ON RELAYS AND TIME-TRIALS. 100 FREE.......WE PREDiCTED IT WOULD TAKE A 52+ TO MAKE TOP-32......52.21 WAS 32nd PLACE. BRENNA 52.6 AMY 53.02 BRAD DORSEY WAS OUR ONLY MALE ATHLETE TO COMPETE IN THE 100 FREE......WELL, SORT OF. BRAD MISTAKENLY SWAM IN THE WRONG HEAT AND THE WRONG LANE AND POSTED A 48+ (A LITTLE OFF HIS BEST). i SOMETIMES WONDER IF BRAD IS FROM THIS PLANET, BECAUSE HE DOES SOME OF THE WACKIEST THINGS. 200 BREAST ZACH KAIJA IS FAIRLY NEW TO OUR TEAM AND HE HAS STRUGGLED WITH OUR STYLE OF TRAINING AND THE ADAPTATION TO A DIFFERENT TEAM......WELL, HIS SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION IN BECOMING A SILVER FIN WAS EVIDENT TODAY.......HE SWAM A 2:23 LESS THAN ONE WEEK AGO AT SENIOR STATE AND POSTED A 2:16+ IN HIS TIME-TRIAL. "AWESOME" RYAN O'CONNELL DROPPED HIS TIME FROM 2:20 TO 2:16+.....RYAN IS HAVING A GREAT MEET. IT TOOK A 2:10 TO MAKE THE TOP-32. BRAD DORSEY NEVER RECOVERED FROM THE 100 FREE MISTAKE AND WAS SIGNIFICANTLY OFF HIS BEST TIME. 200 BACK AMY BILQUIST'S BEST TIME BEFORE TODAY WAS A VERY FAST 2:07 AND SHE NEW IT WOULD TAKE A 2:04 IF WE WANTED A FINALS SWIM. WELL.....IF YOU KNOW AMY LIKE I KNOW AMY.......2:04.2 AND CLINCHED A SWIM-OFF BIRTH FOR THE 32nd SPOT. AMY BATTLED HARD AND POSTED ANOTHER 2:04, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO SURPASS THE 2:03.1 THAT HER COMPETITION WAS ABLE TO POST. 2:04 FOR AMY IS INCREDIBLE!!!! 200 FLY BRENNA DICKSON IS AWFUL TOUGH IN THIS EVENT.....HECK, BRENNA IS JUST TOUGH. IF THERE IS ANYONE I WANT ANCHORING A WSF RELAY.....IT IS BRENNA. SHE WENT OUT IN A 1:00, WHICH IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE, BUT SHE HAD DIFFICULTY FINISHING AND WENT A 2:10. (2:08) WAS HER BEST AND IT TOOK A 2:07 TO MAKE IT BACK. 200 MEDLEY RELAY TURNED OUT TO BE A WEAK RELAY FOR WSF, BUT WE MANAGED A COUPLE OF GREAT SPLITS.......ANGEL SPLIT 26.1 ON THE FLY LEG AND BRAD ANCHORED THE MEN'S RELAY WITH A 22.0, "AGAIN." BRAD SWIMS THE 50 FREE ON SUNDAY IS PROJECTING A SUB-22 SECOND EFFORT. TIME TRIALS COURTNEY DUY SWAM A LIFETIME-BEST 55.37. XAVIER LOPEZ SWAM A 9:58, 1000 FREE. HE SWAM 10:20 LAST WEEK AT SENIOR STATE LEXIE PETERSON TRIALED THE 1000 FREE, AS WELL, AND WENT A 11:05, WHICH WAS OFF HER BEST TIME. I AM VERY PROUD OF THIS SECTIONAL TEAM AS WE ARE YOUNG AND STILL MAKING MISTAKES, YET WE SEEM TO OVERCOME AND CONTINUE TO BATTLE IN OUR RACES FROM START TO FINISH. WE ARE ON THE POINTS BOARD AND THERE IS MANY MORE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR ATHLETES. Day 3 IT HAS BEEN A GREAT MEET, THUS FAR, AND THE 2OO FREE AND 800 FREE RELAY RESULTS FOR THE FOLLOWING YMCA WSF ATHLETES ARE INCLUDED: 200 FREE AMY BILQUIST BEST TIME 1:56.01 - PREVIOUS BEST 1:57.09 BRENNA DICKSON BEST TIME 1:56.12 - PREVIOUS BEST 1:58.58 RYAN O'CONNELL 1:50.78 PREVIOUS BEST 1:48.05
800 FREE RELAY
WOMEN
MEN OUR ATHLETES HAVE BEEN USING A NEW STYLE OF BLOCKS.......THE BLOCKS HAVE AN ADJUSTABLE FIN IN THE BACK THAT ALLOWS FOR A DIFFERENT "TRACK-START" SETTING DEPENDNG ON YOU AS AN ATHLETE. THE BILQUIST'S MADE THE TRIP AND HAVE VOLUNTEER TIMED FOR MANY SESSIONS (ARIZONA TEAMS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE LANE DURING THE MEET) THANK YOU BRENT AND JULIE!!!!!! THE BILQUIST'S ALSO MADE MULTIPLE TRIPS TO AND FROM THE HOTEL SHUTTLING OUR ATHLETES BETWEEN AND DURING PRELIM/FINALS. THANK YOU!!!!! WE TOOK A TRIP TO THE BEACH ON WEDNESDAY (MEET WAS IN THE AFTERNOON, ONLY) CARVED WSF INTO THE WOODEN DOCK. GOT RAINED ON..... WE MADE PLANS TO HAVE A SALTINE-CRACKER-EATING-CONTEST, BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED. RYAN O'CONNELL WAS SEEN EATING 5 CRISP BEEF BURRITOS FROM TACO TIME (ONE OF COACH MATT'S FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACES IN THE NORTHWEST) 5 IS ALOT OF FOOD. TIM O'CONNELL DECIDED TO GIVE US A WAKE-UP CALL @ 3:00 IN THE MORNING TO LET US KNOW THE TSUNAMI WAS COMING????? ZACH KAIJA'S FAMILY LIVES IN A NEIGHBORING TOWN HERE IN WASHINGTON AND INVITED THE TEAM TO A HOME-COOKED MEAL. THANK YOU ZACH, BEN AND WENDY KAIJA!!!!! DAY 4
100 BACK AMY BILQUIST :58.60 - BEST TIME ANGEL VAN HOFWEGEN 1:00.56 - PREVIOUS BEST :59.23 (@ SR. STATE) 500 FREE BRENNA DICKSON 5:14.94 - SAME TIME AS BEST LEXI PETERSON 5:27.5 - PREVIOUS BEST 5:18 XAVIER LOPEZ 4:51.11 - SENIOR STATE HE WAS 4:57 RYAN O'CONNELL 5:00.76 - PREVIOUS BEST 4:48 **(RYAN IS INJURED AT THIS MEET AND WILL NOT SWIM RELAY OR 1650 ON SUNDAY) 100 BREAST BRADLEY DORSEY 1:01.20 - PREVIOUS BEST 1:01.97 ZACH KAIJA 1:01.20 (TIME TRIAL SWIM AND HIS BEST) 100 FLY ANGEL VANHOFWEGEN - PRELIM :56.51 (22ND PLACE AND "C" FINAL); FINALS :56.72 (21ST PLACE) BRENNA DICKSON :57.62 - PREVIOUS BEST :57.95 COUTRNEY DUY (TIME TRIAL 50 FREE 25.35, *BEST) DAY 5 GREAT MEET GOING INTO THE FINAL DAY.......SILVER FINS ALWAYS GET THE JOB DONE ON THE LAST DAY OF MEET. WE HAD OUR FIRST FINALS SWIM LAST NIGHT WITH ANGEL'S 100 FLY AND OUR EXPECTATIONS WERE HIGH. LAST DAY BRINGS THE MILE, 200 IM AND 50 FREE....GREAT EEVENTS FOR THE FINS. OUR 200 IM'S WERE NOT THAT STRONG AND OUR AHTLETES DID NOT PERFORM LIKE INTENDED.... 200 IM AMY BILQUIST 2:10 - PREVIOUS BEST 2:09 ANGEL VANHOFWEGEN 2:20 - PREVIOUS BEST 2:26 BRAD DORSEY 2:06 - PREVIOUS BEST 2:02.7 50 FREE BRAD DORSEY SWAM THE 50 FREE ON TWO LEAD-OFFS THIS WEEK AND POSTED 22.07.....BRAD'S BEST IS 22.16. TODAY, BRAD BROKE 22 AND POSTED LIFE-TIME-BEST 21.76....GOOD ENOUGH FOR 41ST PLACE. BRENNA DICKSON 24.24 (30TH PLACE, PRELIMS, "D" FINAL) PREVIOUS BEST 24.73 ANGEL VANHOFWEGEN 23.98 (TIED-13TH PLACE, PRELIMS, "B" FINAL) PREVIOUS BEST 24.10 AMY BILQUIST 24.70 PREVIOUS BEST 24.53 *****TWO ATHLETES IN THE FINALS. AWESOME!!!!!!! I DID NOT LIKE THE FACT THAT WE HAD ATHLETES SUCCESSFUL IN ONE EVENT AND STRUGGLE IN THEIR OTHER EVENTS IN THE SAME SESSION. IF A SILVER FIN HAS A GREAT SWIM IN A COUPLE OF EVENTS IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT "ALL" EVENTS THAT DAY OR EVEN THE ENTIRE MEET, SHOULD BE THE SAME. THIS IS A MENTAL ERROR.....A SELFISH HABIT.......OUR RELAY SWIMMERS STRUGGLED WITH THIS PHENOMENON. THIS MUST CHANGE. BRENNA DICKSON HAD AN "OFF" SWIM IN THE 200 FLY EARLIER IN THE MEET AND IMMEDIATELY SIGNED-UP FOR A TIME-TRIAL TO 'FIX" THE MISTAKE..........I LOVE THIS TYPE OF ATTITUDE!! OUR RELAYS FOR THE WOMEN DURING THIS MEET OFTEN HAD TWO-THREE ATHLETES CONTRIBUTING AND THEN SOME SELFISH, NON-COMMITTED EFFORTS BY THE OTHERS? THIS CAN NEVER HAPPEN! THERE WILL BE NO PICKING AND CHOOSING EVENTS TO APPLY ONES' SELF....ALL EVENTS ENTERED-ALL EVENTS BEST EFFORT-NOTHING LESS. |
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