Hargrave Aquatics was well represented by 16 athletes at the 2005 Short Course B/C Championship on February 19-20, 2005. Swimmers ranged in age from 12 to five and competed in multiple events. The two day championship meet was held in Roanoke’s Carter Center.
The meet is the first of three championship meets tiered towards faster swimming cuts. Cuts earned at the B/C Championship meet can be used for the A/BB Championship in Lynchburg February 25-27 and, possibly, the Age Group Championship March 17-20 at Radford University.
“Hargrave Aquatics had a lot of new athletes join this past season, and their swimming at B/C Champs was impressive,” said Hargrave’s Age Group Coach William Wiebking. “The kids have worked hard since September, which is a long time for most 12-and-Unders. Swimming is a very challenging sport, so it is fun to watch when a kid learns, ‘OK. I can do this,’ at meet like this.”
Setting the tone for the meet was 11-year-old Sami Norman of Martinsville, Virginia. Norman captured three first, a second and two forth place finishes during the weekend. She won the 500y Freestyle, 6:28.22, the 200y Freestyle, 2:26.45, and the 200y Individual Medley (IM), 2:45.27. She was second in the 50y Butterfly, 34.75 and forth in the 50y Freestyle, 31.96, and 50y Breaststroke, 41.66. She also earned five qualifying cuts for the A/BB Championship. Previously, she did not have one cut. “Sami also improved in seven out of seven swims,” said Coach Wiebking. “She showed a real desire to participate with her teammates at A/BB Champs. Since she is now going to the A/BB Championship, her effort has provided Hargrave’s 11-12 girl’s two new relay teams. She was the missing forth girl for those events.”
Andy Smith, age 7 of Chatham, was disappointed with his meet during the first day of competition, but proved that a positive attitude makes the difference in winning. Smith won the Boy’s 7&Under 25y Backstroke on Sunday with a time of 20.60, beating his competition by a finger in a well executed finish. He also followed with a forth place finish in the 100y Freestyle, 1:30.51, in which he also won his individual heat. He also took third in the 50y Backstroke, 47.36, and a seventh in the 25y Freestyle, 20.70, and the 100y IM, 2:03.58.
Hannah Patterson, age 10 of Martinsville, was eligible to swim only three events at B/C Championships due to earning her A/BB cuts in all other events over the season. Patterson shattered all expectations in her Butterfly taking a first in the 50y Butterfly, 41.60, and a sixth in the 100y Butterfly, 1:40.05. She improved an amazing 9.69 and 29.04 seconds respectively in those two events. Previously, Butterfly was a stroke she struggled to swim. She also took second in the 50y Breaststroke, 49.43, improving by 2.71 seconds.
Andrew Abbott, age 5 of Republican Grove, managed to take third in the 7&Under Boy’s 25y Freestyle, 18.84. Abbott swam a beautiful race, both in speed and skill, as he shutout many older boys, six and seven year olds, in the event. He also took forth in the 25y Backstroke, 23.34, and sixth in the 50y Freestyle, 43.58, 100y Freestyle, 1:45.21, and 50y Backstroke, 52.87.
Kristin Smith, age 10 of Chatham, earned two additional A/BB Championship cuts by taking 3rd in the 200y Freestyle, 2:57.09, and 6th in the 500y Freestyle, 7:37.13. Smith’s diverse skill set and raw determination earned her forth in the 50y Breaststroke, 49.80, and 200y IM, 3:23.96. She was also seventh in the 50y Freestyle, 37.06.
Sara Williams, age 10 of Chatham, took third and earned her third A/BB Championship cut in the 100y IM, 1:34.01. In the 50y Backstroke, Williams took forth, 44.81, after working hard for this improvement in practice. She was fifth in the 50y Freestyle, 36.67, sixth in the 200y Freestyle, 3:03.02, and eighth in the 200y IM, 3:34.29.
Katheryn Thompson, age 10 of Chatham, completed a great season of fast swimming at B/C Championships. She improved significantly in five out of seven events, taking a forth in the 200y Freestyle, 300.96. That swim was just 2 seconds off her a A/BB Championship cut and was a 12.97 second improvement over her previous best. She also earned sixth place in the 100y IM, 1:38.94, and the 200y IM, 3:31.86, both very promising events for Thompson. She was seventh in the 100y Freestyle, 1:24.54, and eighth in the 500y Freestyle, 7:58.63.
Chatham siblings Ashley Long, age 10, Jessica Long, age 8, Ben Long, age 7, and Daniel Long, age 6, all competed very well in their first championship swimming meet. “While they didn’t place, they offer the team a great deal of potential in future meets,” said Coach Wiebking. “Their coach for most of the season was Coach Karen Conner. She deserves a lot of credit for their individual success at B/C Championships.”
Other Top Eight Swims:
Megan Bennett, age 12 of Danville: 4th 100y Butterfly, 1:26.19; 7th 100y Breaststroke, 1:30.81.
Rachel Patterson, age 8 of Martinsville: 4th 50y Breaststroke, 53.03; 6th 100y Freestyle, 1:35.30; 8th 50y Freestyle, 41.05; 8th 50y Backstroke.
Ethan Smith, age 11 of Chatham; 6th 100y Backstroke, 1:45.49; 7th 200y Freestyle, 3:03.69.
Mary West, age 12 of Altavista: 7th 100y Butterfly, 1:43.01.
