the news.

It's official: I'm New Orleans bound!

I received my official D.C. rejection letter today (it was pretty uplifting, considering its content) meaning I will be in NO/Phoenix for the majority of the summer. It's an incredible opportunity and even though I know I'm missing out back home, I've never been this excited.

That, of course, means I won't be back for this season. I haven't yet spoken with Sandy or Dave (I reward my loyal readers...) but I know they've been actively looking for a few weeks now and should have someone new named in the very near future.

So that doesn't mean I won't see anyone again, I'm still around until June 10 and will close out the winter clinics on Sundays.

And I'll keep blogging. Probably not on this site (it will be up to the new coach if they want to continue this or not) and probably not on GMST...but somewhere you can still stay up with me and what I'm doing, should you choose!

That's all, I'll see many of you tomorrow at clinics!

happy news, updates, but not all the answers...

Hello!

So first thing first...CU 3-peated at nationals!

You can find full results here! We scored more than the next 4 teams combined and more than tripled the points of second place, so you might say it was a pretty dominant effort...

Also, everyone should note that our own Josh Peterson went a blistering 58.80 in his hundred fly, a new PR! Everyone should be sure to congratulate him (try not to make fun of him too much though for losing to ex-Gator and AAC coach Katie Klane...she went a ridiculous, record setting time of 58.49)

Rich also got PRs in his 50, 100 and 200 breastsroke races, so check those out! He had an awesome meet.

On the coaching front, there's still a lot up in the air. I'll walk you through it, scavenger-hunt style.

So first thing, I did get accepted into Teach For America! They want to send me here for 2 years, teaching secondary (middle/high school) English.


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Of course, that entails 6 weeks of teacher boot camp, from early June all the way through mid-July here:


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But on Friday (or next monday..) I find out if I get into a program that, in August, would take me here:


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Which would in turn allow me to defer TFA for a year and free up my summer, to be here:


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So we'll keep waiting, and you'll hear back again, hopefully sometime this week!

Have a great week!

Luke

Some updates!

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part
-- Tom Petty/Coach Luke

Hello again!

I know you're all seriously dreading summer (yes, much like the flu shot, it is an annual thing) and as we all savor these last few weeks of school before that pesky sun starts shining and we have to put our school books away, buy new swim suits and be generally tied down by our daily poolside lounging commitments, I thought it might be a good time to reconnect.

Plus, I got like, 10 hits last week. I know some of you are still out there.

So first, some updates!

Many of you have asked about my summer plans, as most of you know I'm graduating from kollege with an edjaktion (kidding..) in May! Well, between you and me, here's the deal.

I'm trying for a few things right now, including Teach for America and this incredible Semester at D.C. learning about and working in politics. So pretty darn cool.

The issue, of course, is that TFA doesn't just...put you in a classroom. In fact, I'd be in a teacher boot-camp for much of the summer, meaning I'd more than likely have to bid farewell for a while. Frowny face, I know.

I still have to get in though, of course, and there's much still to be decided and many other opportunities I'm seeking, so I just don't know yet.

So...waiting. It's hard but everything should be figured out sooner than later.

Kindly, Sandy and Dave are holding off on naming a head coach (new or old!) until May 1. In the meantime, I'll keep you posted!

I find out about TFA on the 18th of April, and the D.C. program about a week after that. Plus a billion other interviews between now and then.

If you have nothing else to do until then, check out the American Swimming Association University league Web site next week! Rich, Josh and myself will all be heading out to North Carolina on Friday for club nationals, and those full results will be posted online by the 15th! I'm thinking a three-peat for CU, but we'll see...

Finally...some Tom Petty love (Disclaimer: there's more than 1 seriously bad mullet in this video..)

Good talk guys, I'll be back online in about a week!

p.s. I added a feed! More on how to use that magic power coming soon...

state killed the swim coach...

ok not really but man was that meet long (only like, 30 hours...) and I was sick, so sorry for the lack of updates, my hit counts indicate that the faithful have been waiting..

Anyways turns out that when I don't have to be at the pool at 6, I actually sleep, meaning I have less time than ever...

But

First thing first - here are the state results. I was really pleased with how everyone closed the year out, especially the little kids.

Take a little look there, you'll notice that the 8-under boys cut 9 seconds in their medley relay and took 3rd. And for anyone not impressed by that, the only two teams that beat them (skyline and virginia vale) scored B relays in the top 10. So yeah, steroids.

Some other awesome swims -

Morgan got 10th in her breaststoke and Inez got her crazy fly cleaned up (read, beautiful) and took 5th (1/10 second from 4th) in about 37 seconds. Did I mention they're both only 11? Very nice.

Tristan, Dylan and Mateo all brought home individual medals in addition to their relay hardware.

Todd and Kevin crushed a bunch of kids 2-3 times their size.

Oh yeah, and Cody won the backstroke... Bo ya.

That about wraps it up (well not really, but I'm late for work), as you can imagine I had no time to write an article after that meet, but I'll get something in next Thursday.

In the meantime I'll be publishing occasional updates throughout the year (we're just so close now, I can't let you go..) and I'll put together a feed so you don't have to anxiously check the site every 20 minutes only to be let down. And if you don't know what a feed is, go ask your 10-year-old.

So yeah, whenever I have time, which may be never, but I guess you'll have to keep anxiously checking the site to find out, right?

Time for work! Sorry for the wait! Great job everyone!

State updates

what a beautiful day...

So as you might imagine, the majority of todays 8-under state meet was postponed due to rain (we weren't wet anyway?), cold (the give the little ones special treatment) and lightening (whatever, the pool was never even hit..)

However, that wasn't before our boys medley relay cut 9 SECONDS and took 3rd (out of 50 teams!) and smashed the old team record with a 1:33. Oh, and Dylan broke his own record again with a 17 low/16 high in the 25.

Couldn't be prouder.

Remember warm-ups are as follow

Sat morning - 8:00-8:20 (bring Luke coffee)
Sat afternoon (400s) - 3:00p-3:50p (open, be at pool by 3)
Sat evening (8-unders again) - End of 400s (5:45ish)-6:00p (bring Luke stronger coffee)
Sun morning (13-18s) - 7:20-7:40 (I specifically asked for an early time after Thursday's practice..)

Also remember that our swamp is pretend, this swamp is real. The ground is nasty and sopping wet, so do yourself a favor and bring something waterproof to sit on like a tarp. Also, warm shoes will be of vital importance for all swimmers, I better not catch anyone barefoot in the cold mud or I'll put your face in the cold mud... And bring an umbrella (or 3) cause the rain isn't supposed to stop anytime soon.

That's it, great job today! Let's hope the weekend forecast isn't accurate...

Banquet time!

Hello!

Just a heads up, the banquet begins this evening at 6 if you'd like to eat, the ceremony will begin at 7.

A few notes, all non-members need to sign in at the front but they will not need to pay. The festivities begin at 6, non-members can enter the grounds at that time. Also, there's really a lot of food, so please bring an appetite.

That's it, we'll try to go as fast as possible but man are there a lot of kids... Bring your pillow if you must, we'll shake you when it's your kid's turn.

And bring suits, we'll swim until 7 and it will be hot...

Finally, the link to the results has been changed, so it won't work anymore. Anyways apparently the results of the meet are top secret, I'll figure out some other way to get them online as soon as I get some time.

Thanks!

Correction!

After Kevin Kruse pointed out to me tonight that we only have 2 9-10s who will be practicing this week, and that the 11-12s are actually having to get up earlier as a result of our switch, I realized it really makes more sense to allow them to do the 9-10 practice at 8:45a - 9:45a.

So that said, if the later time doesn't work for anyone, I'd be happy to have any 9-10/11-12s at the 7:15 practice if that suits your schedule better.

Thanks! Sorry for any confusion!

League wrap-up!

Here are the complete league results -

http://stingrays-sc.com/files/Meet_Results/2007/League2007.pdf

They weren't publicly posted but, uh, yeah, there they are.

So I'd like to start by saying that the coaches are incredibly impressed with the way the team performed this weekend. As you saw in the last post, we had a very great first 2 days, and Sunday was no different. Thanks to everyone who swam their hardest and worked their butts off this season to make it the incredible success it has been so far.

Even though it seems like we might not have done as well this year compared to last (ie 3rd rather than 2nd) we beat last year's point total by about 40 points and swam a lot more races. That's a huge step forward and the only thing that kept us from winning was the fact that the league was re-structured this year, placing a few traditional D-1 teams in our division. Anyways, great job!

Second, hope everyone enjoyed their morning off today, remember practice at 8 p.m. tonight for all state qualifiers!

Note that we will be changing morning practice times for this week due to our reduced numbers! They will be as follow!

11-12's & Upper division - 7:15a - 8:45a
9-10's - 8:45a - 9:45a
8-unders - 9:00a - 9:45a

Next, if you are seeking any information about the state meet (ie directions, warm-ups, event schedule, whatever) you can visit the web site at www.statemeet.com (easy, right?)

Finally, some well earned congratulations.

First, NEW STATE QUALIFIERS Brady Cotten and Brian Long! These guys worked hard to get those times and they'll get to swim another week.

Also, NEW TEAM RECORD HOLDERS Dylan Jacob, Tristan Gess and Brian Pak! Dylan set the mark in the 25 free (17.65), Tristan got his in an incredible, league winning 25 breaststroke race (23.40) and Brian Pak broke his own mark in one of the most thrilling races I've ever seen, coming from the 3 seed to win the 100 breast in a time of 1:12. Talk about going out on top! Congratulations guys!

Note that Gator swimmers Emily Cotten, Elise Chevalier, Alex Sutherland and Dylan Jacob (in 2 more races..) all have legitimate shots at breaking new records this weekend at state.

Finally, congratulations to LEAGUE CHAMPIONS Cody Spencer, Brian Pak, Tristan Gess, Dylan Jacob. We had a fantastic time watching you guys grow and achieve great things this year.

I'll have all state entries posted later today, we will only be taking relays for 8-under boys, 13-14 girls and 15-18 men and women.

See ya tonight!

WOW!

Congratulations to EVERYONE who has participated in the league meet so far! There have been so many amazing swims, I can't even begin to describe how thrilled the coaches are.

Following yesterday's fantastic 400's (really fantastic..) following all the way through the amazing 1/3 finishes of Cody and Sam at the end of today's meet, I've been very impressed with everyone's effort and spirit.

Quick recap (I don't have any paper results, so I'll surely be forgetting things)

- HUGE cuts for nearly every relay, 2nd place for 8-under boys, 3rd for 15-18, 4th(?) for 11-12 boys

- Awesome 400s, including a fantastic 5th place for Molly (possibly our swimmer of the meet so far) and a very dynamic 2/4/5/6/11 finish (for a grand total of 45 points) in the 15-16 boys race.

- Lightning fast 50s - Inez, Evan and Todd hit 34s (and uh, they're 11-12), Elise nearly broke 30 (pretty much my time) and Pakman went a blistering 27 flat.

- 11-12 boys have been incredible! Evan, Derek and Todd have blown the competition out of the water. Brady and Brian will hit the water tomorrow in the breaststroke, this is a great group of kids and I'm very proud of them.

- Mr Dylan Jacob broke the team record in the 25 free, posting a top 3 finish in 17.65 seconds. He also took first in the 100 free with an incredible 1:33! AWESOME JOB!

- Ethan Schick cut an unbelievable 21 seconds in his 200 free to hit a state time. And yes, I'm still shaking my head in disbelief. What a big time swim!

- Senior Gator Casey Zelus put her relay on pace to smash it's time by 7 seconds this morning then smashed her own PR in the backstroke with a gutsy 1:21 100 back. 2 more races for Brian, Josh and Casey tomorrow, don't miss em!

- Finally, and by far the most impressive of all, the upper division had the covers off and were putting the lane ropes in when I arrived at the pool at 6:30 this morning. It's all karma...

Anyways there's more worth writing about but I'm rather tired and need my nap.

Great job today, can't wait to see what we can accomplish tomorrow (especially in breaststroke)!

Good luck 400 swimmers!

Good luck to Alex, Molly, Jimmy, Scott, Rebecca, Sam and Riley! You've worked hard (mostly) and should have have great races today. 5 p.m. warm-up, be there on time!

I'll post an update after the races tonight, see my previous entry for all important warm-up info tomorrow!

16, Scott, 16!

Make your kids go to bed early tonight!

League schedule

Hello again!

First, some practice notes -

NIGHT PRACTICE HAS BEEN CANCELLED! I've tried to make the announcement as often as possible but I'm not sure if everyone knows, so spread the word, please! There's an after hours party at the club so we can't get the pool... No worries, we'll do lots of starts tomorrow, and I'll bring my suit to get in.

NO MONDAY MORNING PRACTICE! Everyone needs to s-l-e-e-p sleep. We'll have a real practice at 8 p.m. for all State qualifiers.

400 SWIMMERS need not attend Friday practice, we'll see you at 6th Ave West at 5 p.m.

Next - League!

Events go like so -

400's - Friday
Medley Relay through Backstroke - Saturday
Free Relay through IM - Sunday

Our warm-up on Friday is 5-5:30 (open)

On Saturday and Sunday warm-up is at 6:20-6:40. DO NOT MISS OR BE LATE!!!

That said, to reduce congestion (42 swimmers, ages 7-18, 2 lanes, 20 minutes? I think not...) I would like all UPPER DIVISION swimmers to warm-up at the SWIM CLUB rather than at the Stingray pool. So here's the drill:

Even though our warm-up is at 6:20, the meet doesn't start until 8! So, I want all upper division swimmers to meet at the club at 6:30 with the intent of getting IN THE WATER at 6:45, out by 7:15. This will give you plenty of chance to get over to the pool before your relay starts.

PARENTS - if your upper division swimmer doesn't have a car, you have a few options.

1 - pick your kid up, drive them to the pool.
2 - Have them swim regular warm-up with the little kids, not the end of the world.
3 - get them a ride with a TRUSTED upper division swimmer (they aren't all to be trusted, trust me)
4 - tell me they need a ride, and I can take them in my porche. The best option if your child would like to arrive in style.

So that's it, here's a link to the stingray website if it's easier to follow.

But now I'm running late for work, look what you did...

quick notes

pizza party - 6-8 for pipsqueaks, 7-9 for upper d. Tonight. Bring shirts, appetites

Psych sheet - see link below, read up on your races, prepare for inspiration tomorrow.

pop/sugar - banned. Don't do it.

general activity - little to none. Save your energy for the weekend.

think clear - drink enough water that you are, uh, seeing clear too.

We'll see everyone tonight!

The moment we've all been waiting for...

League psych sheets are here!

You can access it online at:

http://www.stingrays-sc.com/files/PDFs/League2007_PsychSheets.pdf

Get excited! Don't forget - NO night practice today! Thursday night will be starts for ALL league qualifiers!

Tomorrow is the Pizza Party for EVERYONE, NOT JUST LEAGUE QUALIFIERS!

Congrats, we've got some great looking races coming up here!

I almost forgot!

to post this week's yourhub.com article!

And an update - I probably can't get the things I need to post entries on my computer until sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, everything is posted at the pool.

Remember, night practice tonight and Thursday! Open to all league qualifiers for starts and turns.

Thanks!

League bound!

Hello everyone!

First off - Congratulations NEW LEAGUE QUALIFIERS Jason Mortenson, Kevin Mercy and Michael Tsarevski! These guys all 3 hit the 9-10 breaststroke qualifying time at Last Chance today! Well done!

So that brings our total to...48. So close! We'll talk up a new deal tomorrow..

Also a special congrats to Morgan Genkinger and Duncan Sutherland, both of whom picked up qualifying times in events today, and everyone else who came and swam today. It's been a looooong weekend, everyone deserves some rest.

Speaking of long weekend, we finished our league entries after a long 5 hours today. I would post them but I don't have the meet on my computer yet. I should have everything by tomorrow so I can get it up online. But all entries, relay and individual, will be posted tomorrow.

Please note - we added B relays for some age groups but did NOT fill in names because we were not entirely sure who would be available. We're counting on the ENTIRE upper division being there, minus the Engers. PLEASE let us know asap if you are a 15-18 and can't come, especially if you already told me and I forgot.

The follow age groups have B relays:

8-under girls
9-10 boys
9-10 girls

If you are in one of these age groups and would like to be in a relay, we can almost certainly make that happen. Just show up to practice and let us know. If we don't see you, you'll probably hear from us. There are NO 13-14 boys relays.. We'll be strong there next year, promise.

That's it! Julie and I will NOT be at practice Monday morning. If any upper division swimmers are willing and able, we'd LOVE to have your help for the second 2 practices.

Also remember that Monday and Thursday night practice are open to EVERYONE SWIMMING LEAGUE! They will consist of a long warm-up and then starts and turns. Come if you can!

Thanks!

1 down, 1 to go!

Hello again!

First thing - the Lakewood meet is usually good and today was no exception.

When I pulled up at 5:45 a.m. this morning I thought - WOW, my team showed up on time today! Actually, Lakewood was there... Betty may not have the biggest team any more, but by God were they ready to go today.

Our relays swam very well (especially the 15-18 men's 1-2 SWEEP in the Free Relay) and we had a surprising number of best times, considering where we are in the season (i.e. about to begin taper..)

Here's your Sports Center recap with 30 seconds of high-definition, in-your-face action! Err, uh, just read fast and it'll seem more exciting...

Kelsey Tuttle learned to swim fly correctly, finally. I guess it's my fault, I never told her to pull her arms out *cough, except for every week, cough cough* but regardless now she got it down and will probably kick some serious butt tomorrow...

Alex Sutherland got within .2 seconds of the team record in the 100 Breast in a race that could only be described as sassy. And Lauren didn't even yell at me during her IM this week...

Cody's cousin (Lakewood swimmer Dane Kelly) asked me to take my eye out more than Cody usually does... Maybe I'll donate it to the Spencers to hang on the family Christmas tree.

The Giustos (Luke and Evan) decided to come to the ol' league meet next weekend rather than camp with an in-town cousin.. Everyone should do a Snoopy dance to celebrate.

Brian Pak and Casey Zelus swam their last races at The Swamp today, proving that all good things must indeed come to an end. Their class, leadership and companionship will certainly be missed, let's enjoy these two for the last 2 weeks while we can!

Tons of kids swam their last races of the season today. Thanks for ALL your hard work and all of your personal contributions to the team! My experience and the experiences of your teammates wouldn't be the same without you - I really hope you had a great time! Sleep in, but make SURE you come to the pizza party Wednesday!

Congrats to NEW LEAGUE QUALIFIERS Olivia Moore and Carina Wang! That puts our total up at 45 and we've got one more day - let's make it a fast one! 5 more is more doable than you think...

Speaking of one more - let's talk about Last Chance

First - Here's your map! Detail is zoomed in on the Indiana exit off 6th Ave. Just go right on up into the the housing developments, looks very easy to find.

Seond - Warm-up is at 6:20 - please be READY TO GO at that time! Being late to the last chance meet is like forgetting your suede shoes at the dance - just don't do it.

Third - If there's EVER been a meet where you've needed to come talk to your coaches before your races, this is probably it. Rich (wedding) and Julie (Knee-braska) won't be there, but Shelby and I will be. Here's your checklist for the evening (this pretty much applies for league/state too...) -

- Drink TONS of water (I told everyone they needed to pee at least 3 times before they went to bed. You better get on the ball.)

- Stretch tonight and tomorrow morning. Meets tend to lead to some lactic acid build-up, and some of you simply haven't been in the pool at all since you've been out of town.

- Eat something grainy and full of carbohydrates, like delicious pasta and bread. Try not to eat much in terms of fat, grease or sugar.

- SLEEP! Go to bed by 9! Wake up early and stretch! Be on time!

And that's it! Have a great night everyone, see some of ya in the morning.

Meet photos and more!

First - So sorry for not posting about tonight's canceled practice, this is the first computer access I've had since we closed the pool. If you actually showed up tonight I'll cry a little tear for you before I go to bed...

As usual, Mr. Miguel Lander was kind enough to take his personal time at the intrasquad and has some more fantastic photos to share with everyone. You can check out the whole album at http://picasaweb.google.com/mvlander/GMSTSwimMeet71107! You definitely have to check it out...

Speaking of the meet, congrats to NEW LEAGUE QUALIFIER REBECCA GARNER! She had a very exciting 400 race where she literally qualified by hundredths of a second in a 6 minute race.. Congrats! We've got a couple more RIGHT on the brink, let's hope for a big weekend!

And thanks to all of the parents/swimmers who stuck around to cheer and help us set up/take down the meet.. We had a great time and quite a few big swims..

Oh and congrats to the (exhibition) upper division relays that swim oh-so-fast at the end of the meet. Unfortunately, one relay was petrified of the parents (Jay Wilsey spit in their lane while Dave Kruse pulled their little speedos over their heads...) and added an extra (and illegal) boy.. The other relay included Cody (who hasn't showered in a week...gross) so obviously they couldn't get enough swimmers and Mr. Spencer had to swim (illegally) twice.

So congrats to the parents, better luck next year upper division, and coaches - you'd better start training now or I'll blind you with my tan line again...

Past my bedtime! Saturday warm-up is at 6 at GM! Relays will be at the pool tomorrow! Check em, we're looking a little slim this week...


Goodnight!

Intrasquad!

Running late but...

Don't forget! 5:30 p.m. warm-up, 6:00 p.m. start tonight! A GREAT chance to pick up any times you need!

Also we WILL be doing coach/parent relays tonight, and the upper division will get it's butt kicked as usual... If you're interested in participating, bring a suit! We'll find you a slot!

Polo, Cody update..

For those of you wondering this morning, the weather has warmed. Anyways the forecast is calling for showers essentially all day, but we'll see if that pattern holds

Anyways I'm still planning to be at the pool for a board meeting at 7. If it's very nasty the meeting will likely be moved, which would mean that I couldn't be there for practice (which would also mean that it would be too nasty for polo...)

Anyways call the club before you go if it's questionable, I'll leave a message with the guards there. 303-985-5880.

As for Cody -

As of last night he had been released from the hospital mid afternoon and was doing quite well. Apparently he was even cleared for practice this morning, but wanted to give it another day just in case.

Anyways that's great news, but we will be asking Cody to wear a helmet (the race car driver kind) next time he enters the pool...

send your thoughts and prayers...

to Cody Spencer.

Cody suffered a concussion and a neck injury in practice this morning when he made contact with a wall during a backstroke turn.

His mom thinks he'll be OK; he's currently recovering at National Swedish Hospital.

Thanks to everyone who helped take care of him this morning, give him a call and wish him well if you get a chance!