LAC Swimmers Compete at Pro-Am Meet by Tom Ragsdale In mid-November three LAC swimmers traveled to Minneapolis to compete against the world’s top swimmers. On Saturday, the second day of competition, winter’s first blizzard buried the University of Minnesota’s campus in ten inches of snow. As the temperature dropped outside, the Golden Gophers natatorium heated up inside. The North Texans knew that it might snow; after all it is Minnesota in November. They also knew that some of the world’s fastest swimmers would be in attendance. What they didn’t expect was that one of them would become locked in a finals battle with last year’s Grand Prix Champion and National Champion Chloe Sutton. The Minneapolis Pro-Am is the first event of the 2010-2011 Grand Prix Series conducted by USA Swimming. The Grand Prix is a circuit that features the world’s fastest professionals and college swimmers as well as other qualified amateurs. Shelbi Ragsdale, Alex Sellers and Ryan Cooper, all members of Lakeside Aquatic Club, achieved the qualifying times and earned the opportunity to compete. Along with their Head Coach, Mike Yearwood, the trio traveled to Minneapolis, excited about the opportunity to participate. According to Yearwood, “to get to this level and compete with world class athletes is quite an accomplishment, and a great learning experience for our swimmers.” Excitement filled the air inside as the world’s top male swimmer and emerging teen heart-throb, Ryan Lochte, dominated many events and gave the crowd many thrilling moments. In addition to being a National Champion and World Record Holder, Lochte may be best known for winning Gold at the 2008 Bejing Olympics and his flamboyant personal style. Lochte’s signature Speedo footwear was introduced at this year’s National Championships in August at Irvine, Alex Sellers, Ryan Lochte California. Although & Shelbi Ragsdale Ryan was a crowd favorite, especially in the female 10-16 year age range, he wasn’t the only one sporting hardware. More notable competitors included Ricky Berens, who shares Gold with Lochte, as well as a World Record, Christine Magnuson, Olympic medalist, National Champion and American Record Holder, and Michael Alexandrov, Shelbi Ragsdale, Ricky Berens & Alex Sellers another National Champion. Some of the most exciting times for the North Texans and their families came during the Women’s 400 Individual Medley event. Logging a time in the preliminary heats of 4:29.19 Shelbi Ragsdale, 16, qualified for the finals in the event. The individual medley is considered by many to be the most difficult event because it requires proficiency in all four strokes and 7 different turns. The 400 IM may also be considered one of the most grueling, as it is the longest of the sprint races; 100 Yards each of the four strokes for a total of 400 yards, all done at a sprint pace. In Shelbi’s final heat Shelbi prepares to compete in the 400 IM she was seeded far on the outside in lane 1. Sutton lined up in Lane 5. Lanes assignments are made with fastest qualifying times in the center and slower ones on the outside. Being in lane 1 meant that Shelbi was definitely an underdog. The horn blew and the field of eight shot off the blocks. By the end of the first 100 yards (butterfly), Sutton had established a lead of almost two seconds over Shelbi and was one of the leaders. At the turn after the second 100 yards (backstroke), Sutton had increased her lead to more than four seconds. Then came the breaststroke. With a smooth stroke and a graceful glide, Shelbi made up more than two seconds in the first fifty yards, and continued to gain ground. She pulled ahead slightly half way back. The two continued neck and neck to the end of the third leg. At the turn to begin the final 100 yards (freestyle) the swimmers were in a dead heat. Only nine one-hundredths of a second separated the two competitors. At this point Chloe really turned on the jets, leaving Shelbi and the other six swimmers several seconds behind. Sutton won the heat going away from the field. Even though she lost the lead to Sutton, Ragsdale finished fourth in the heat and thirteenth overall. She was pleased with her performance and very appreciative of the support from her teammates, friends and family back in Texas. “What a great race! Swimming against Chloe Sutton… and hanging with her? Awesome! It felt like everyone in North Texas was supporting me, I’m so grateful for all the encouraging notes and text messages.” She also later added enthusiastically, ”…plus, we got to hang with Ryan Lochte and Ricky Berens… Wow! This is a great event.“ Shelbi also qualified for and competed in the finals of the 200 Individual medley, finishing twentieth overall. She narrowly missed the finals in both the 100 Breaststroke and 200 Breaststroke, by less than three tenths of a second – combined. According to Coach Yearwood, “This was our first time to compete at this level. Exposing our swimmers to this type of event and competition definitely helps drive the quality of Lakeside Aquatics and North Texas Swimming as a whole. We’re really proud of the progress of all of our swimmers and I’m looking forward to bringing a larger group back next year.” Ryan Cooper, 18, swam in the Men’s 100 and 200 Back, 100 Free and 200 Individual medley events. Alex Sellers, 15, swam in the Women’s 50, 100 and 200 Freestyle events. Keep your eyes on these up and coming swimmers and watch for more from Lakeside Aquatics Club. .