Gators End Season With A Splash
West Carrollton, OH (July 10, 2004) The Gator's completed their last laps of the season last weekend as they competed in the South Ohio Swimming League Championships. On the day, Coach Grace Keister was pleased with all of her kids, although there was a weather delay Saturday evening.
"It was a long wait. About 45 minutes to an hour. At one point we had the kids ready to go, but more lightening was spotted and we had to wait another 20 minutes. Other than that everything went great. I had a lot of kids not come because of vacation, but everyone who came did really well and a lot of the kids recorded their best times," Keister commented.
In the six and under division Kei Thomas and Ben Holbrook were the only two swimmers able to compete in the championship. But they both definitely made waves for their team.
Thomas took 11th place in the 25 meter freestyle and tenth place in 25 meter backstroke. Ben Holbrook finished in eighth place during the 25 backstroke and 25 free.
In the seven and eight year-old competitions both girls and boys tacked on some points.
"We had just about everyone show up. Many of the kids got their best times," Keister noted.
Danielle Johnson (7) took 10th place in the 25 meter freestyle, while Corrinda Williams (6) and Rachel Magoto (8) took the sixth and eighth spots. Combs also finished in the top 10, seventh place, during the 25 meter the relay's for the eight and under division.
Germantown's "C" team finished ninth in the 100 free relay and fifth in the medley relay breast stroke event, while Johnson took seventh in the 25 butterfly.
On the boy's side, Daniel day took seventh in the 25 free while Tucker Parks came in second. Michael Bowman (8th) touched the wall just before his fellow teammate Ryan Carroll (10th) in the 25 back. Day kept things going in the 25 breast, finishing fourth.
In the eight and under division Kyle Inloes took fourth in the 25 fly, while Bowman finished eighth. The boys Germantown "B" team were champions during the 100 relay.
Moving on to the 9-10 age division, Taylor Weidle grabbed the sixth spot in the 25 free style race, while Mallory Wright took ninth place in the 25 breast and Cody Fox finished eighth in the 25 butterfly. Relays went well for the nine to ten year-olds too, as the Gator's "A" team took seventh in the 100 free relay and the Germantown "C" team took sixth in the 100 medley.
Fox also finished tenth in the 10 and under 100 IM. Clayton Williams finished ninth in the 25 free, and fifth in the 25 breast, while Jonathan Pohl took tenth place in the 50 free.
Connor Staiger finished the 25 fly in seventh place and fourth in the 100 IM. The boys Gator "A" team took fifth in the 100 free relay and sixth in the medley relay.
Keister was pleased with the times the nine and ten year-olds earned.
"They did really well and a couple of them got their best times," said Keister.
In the 11 to 12 year-olds division, Twelve year-old Tessa Parks made giant waves during the contest as she took the third spot during the 25 free, fifth in the 50 free, fourth in the 25 butterfly and an amazing second place in the 25 back, tying the old record.
"Tessa Parks tied the backstroke record, according to the middle stop watch. She did really well and accomplished a great thing," Keister commented.
Cali Thomas finished sixth during the 25 free and fifth in the 50 free, 25 back and 100 IM. Nicole Wells finished the 25 breast in sixth place, while Kylee Dickey to tenth in the event. Dickey also finished sixth in the 100 IM. The girls Gator's "A" team took third in the 100 free and medley relays.
On the boy's side, Ben Thaeler took tenth in the 25 free, seventh in the 100 IM and ninth in the 25 fly, while Kevin Fox touched the wall in the tenth spot during the 50 free. Benjamin Riegel also finished in top 10 during the 100 IM with his ninth place finish.
The boys relay team took sixth in the 100 relay and seventh in the medley relay.
Now we're starting to get into the older age groups, where the competition becomes fiercer.
"The younger the kids get the more fun it is to watch them. When the kids are younger, they are still learning the stoke, while the older kids are more competitive because they know the other swimmers better," Keister stated.
In the 13 and 14 division, Rori Thomas finished in the top ten during the 50 free (6th), 50 breast (5th) and the 50 fly (8th), while Sally Wright finished in the sixth spot during the 100 free and in ninth place during the 50 back.
Also finishing in the top ten was Rebecca Neitman, ninth place in the 100 free. The Germantown "A" team took fifth in the 200 free relay and took the eighth spot in the 200 medley relay.
Now for the boys, David Swartz finished in the eighth spot during the 100 free, fifth in the 50 breast and ninth in the 100 IM. The boys relay team took fifth place in the 200 medley relay.
Moving on to the 15 and over division, Stephanie Reid took two top ten finishes in the 50 free (3rd) and the 100 IM (5th) while Kassandra Garner took eighth in the 50 breast.
For the girls, Stephanie Staiger really pushed hard to the wall as she claimed eighth place in 100 free, seventh in the 50 back and the championship title in the 50 Breast. The girls Germantown "A" team finished ninth in the 200 relay and sixth in the medley relay.
Karl Staiger made waves during the championship, as he earned a sixth place finish in the 50 free, fourth in the 50 breast and fifth in the 50 fly.
Overall Keister was pleased with the performance she saw in each age division, but most of all she was just happy to see the kids all having a good time.
"The kids were really excited. There were bell heats at the competitions too. There is only one person who knows when the bell race is going to be. What happens is the swimmer who gets to the bell first get a prize, along with their ribbon," Keister said.
"I'm going to miss the kids so much. I'm so proud of them," Keister added.
