The Blazer Newsletter Eternal Loyalty September 2010 Edition Page 1 Passion Education Discipline Dedication Commitment Leadership Excellence Inside T his Edition • Page 1 - USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team • Page 2 - Swim A Thon • Page 3 through 9 - Swimmers of the Year / Month 2009 -2010 USA SWIMMING • Page 10 through 11 - Volunteer SCHOLASTIC ALL-AMERICA TEAM of the Year • Page 12 through 13 - Thanks to ANNOUNCED our Sponsors, Advertisers and Booster Families Each year, USA Swimming recognizes swimmers who excel both in the classroom and in the pool. The Scholastic All- America Team is made up of 10th, 11th or 12th grade, student- athletes who have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and who have achieved the required time standard in a single event. 17 A Speedo Sponsored Team Missouri Valley swimmers made this prestigious list, and among those, 6 were Kansas City Blazers. This is an extraordinary accomplishment given the high demands of the sport and deserves additional recognition for excellence carried over into the classroom. Please congratulate the following Blazers: Scholastic All American Team Women 2010 Men 2010 Marston Fries Benjamin Bravence Bryce Hinde Michael Glen Shannon Vreeland Nathan Hoisington 1 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL RESULTS SWIM A THON SUNDAY OCTOBER 24, 2010 GRAB YOUR GOGGLES AND HEAD OUT TO THE ROELAND PARK AQUATIC CENTER. (ALL OTHER EQUIPMENT WILL BE PROVIDED.) SWIM, SOCIALIZE, PLAY GAMES, EAT, AND WIN PRIZES! MIX 93.3 WILL PROVIDE THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. BRING $$$ FOR THE RAFFLE! PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION. THIS IS A MANDATORY FUNDRAISER FOR ALL BLAZERS EXCEPT KANSAS NEW NOVICE AND BLUE SWIMMERS. START YOUR PLEDGE GATHERING NOW FOR HOW MANY LENGTHS OF THE POOL YOU CAN SWIM IN 2 HOURS (up to 200 lengths). COME HAVE FUN AND RAISE MONEY FOR YOUR SWIM TEAM! 2 2009/2010 MOST INSPIRATIONAL SWIMMERS 2010 BRIAN HOWARD MOST INSPIRATIONAL SWIMMER OF THE PROGRAM SHANNON VREELAND School: Graduate of Blue Valley West. Freshman at the University of Georgia Age: 18 Stats: Top 16 finisher, US Summer Nationals High Point winner 2010 Spring Sectionals 2010 National Youth Team Member USA Swimming Scholastic All-American For the second year in a row, Shannon is the winner of this award. As team captain, Shannon provided leadership in every aspect of the word. She has served as a mentor to younger members of the Elite group, and was an accessible figure in our organization. Whether leading cheers or encouraging younger swimmers at local and regional meets, Shannon embodies the kind of student, athlete and citizen that we hope to develop throughout our program. Her work ethic and talent has allowed Shannon to reach tremendous heights and afforded her the opportunity to compete with the National Youth team in Vancouver, BC and Barcelona, Spain. Her season culminated this summer in Irvine, California, where she posted several best times. Her top 16 performance in the 100 meter freestyle secured her a spot on the National Youth team for the third year in a row. As Shannon moves on to the next phase of her swimming career, we wish her the best of luck in her endeavors in and out of the pool. She has had a lasting impact on the coaching staff, our athletes, and organization as a whole. Congratulations, Shannon! 3 MOST INSPIRATIONAL SWIMMER OF THE YEAR KCB EAST SITE – KATERINA SICKLE Katerina Sickle Age: 16 In 2008-2009 we talked about Katt as one of the little kids that joined the team in 2001 which was the year Coach Mike returned to the Blazers. Katt swam for the Penguin team at the Blue Springs YMCA. The things that Katt brought to the Blazers were her talent and her excitement and her great potential. Potential, as they say, is the heaviest burden and Katt began the 2009-2010 swimming season, laboring under that burden. She had made the cuts for short course Junior Nationals at Zones and it was starting to sink in that she had the potential of rising above the local Missouri Valley swimming talent. Her Phase 1 efforts were not the best and were not the efforts that were going to lead her to her hopes and dreams. She was swimming scared. She was scared of the possibilities that her work could bring her. In 2009- 2010 Katt had made 90.4% attendance and at the start of Phase 1 she was falling under 90%. She was swimming behind slower swimmers and was, seemingly, running away from her potential. As a 15 year old, Katts’ efforts ranked her 33rd in the National USA Swimming IMX short course rankings and 46th in the long course, but her Phase 1 showed her ranking drop to 99th in short course. Then the world changed. Katt went to the short course Juniors and was exposed to swimming at the national level and got a measure of where she stood nationally. Katt finished the short course rankings in 114th for 16 year old girls, but she was awake. Her Phase 2 efforts were focused on recouping the loss of work from Phase 1 and to getting back on track. Her attendance rocketed up to 96.7% and she worked at a higher level every day. Her focus was on making the long course Junior National cuts. She went into summer Sectionals tired and sore and untapered. She swam with pride and confidence and while not fully rested made her cuts in the 100-200 Backstroke, 200-400 IM, and the 200 Free. Katt finished 2009-2010 long course ranked 29th nationally, 6th in the Central Zone and first in Missouri Valley and on the Blazers completing a great journey for the year. Katt finished the year with 94.8% attendance. Her efforts at Junior Nationals further opened her horizons and she is now eying National Championship cuts. She has run a great race this year and stood out head and shoulders above the other members of the East side of the Blazer program. Katts’ ability to improve her racing, to recover her training and attendance from lower levels early in the year, and her willingness to keep focused on the prize at the end of the year are the reasons that we have chosen Katerina Sickle as the East side Most Inspirational Swimmer of the Year. The Blazer Coaches Coach Mike Lewellyn Coach Ann Gibler 4 MOST INSPIRATIONAL SWIMMER OF THE YEAR BLUE VALLEY NORTH SITE – HANNAH MUSSER Hannah Musser 14 years old Without a doubt, Hannah Musser is the most inspirational swimmer of the year from the Blue Valley North site for 2009-2010. Hannah’s selection is based on several factors, including the following: performance achievement, attendance, attitude, attention to detail, and ability to be a supportive teammate. Hannah’s achievement in the pool was stellar all year. She is inspirational because she continued to demand improvement from herself, even though she was already an accomplished swimmer when the year began. She wins this award not because she is one of the fastest swimmers on the team, but rather because she is not content to rest on her laurels. She earned the following USA times standards: 3 AAAA times, 9 AAA times, and 2 AA times. Additionally, Hannah has sectional qualifying times in 10 events! At her first sectional meet this summer, Hannah handled the pressure of performing with class and grace, and she was clearly one of the team’s most outstanding performers at this championship meet. These accomplishments in the pool are borne from what Hannah does day-in-day-out at practices. Firstly, she has an outstanding attendance record, rarely missing practice. But mere attendance alone does not tell the tale. When Hannah practices, she is highly focused on the task at hand and extremely diligent in executing the skills as directed. Her attention to detail sets her apart and contributes significantly to her success. Hannah responds instantly to coaching information, and she seeks clarification when needed. She is highly receptive to feedback. She makes no excuses; she simply performs. The most impressive aspect of Hannah’s swimming is her continued willingness to be an active and supportive teammate to others. It would be easy for someone so talented and accomplished to be selfish and only worry about herself. However, Hannah regularly displays unconditional support for her teammates. She is frequently seen cheering at the end of the lane while a teammate is competing, she offers words of support to others during practice, she appropriately encourages others to work hard when needed, and she joins in the fun too! She has a great sense of humor and knows when to “let her hair down.” She works hard for her success and does not flaunt it in front of others, and she truly celebrates her teammates’ accomplishments in and out of the pool. She leads by example in and out of the water. Having Hannah in the pool at practice and at meets truly inspires others to be better, including the coaches. We are fortunate to have her in our midst, and we look forward to more great things from Hannah. She is excellence in action. Thanks for truly inspiring us, Hannah! CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCH A FINE YEAR! Coach Marjorie 5 MOST INSPIRATIONAL SWIMMER OF THE YEAR BLUE VALLEY WEST SITE – HEATH MAGINN Heath Maginn 15 Years Old The Blue Valley West practice site had a great year in the 2009-2010 season. We had large numbers of swimmers from Novice move to the Blue group. We had an even larger number of swimmers move from Blue to Advanced Blue. During the course of the year, we moved our first three swimmers up and out of the site into Gold.