Updates & Best Posts
Archive for December, 2009
Day 158: A wobbly start to the holidays
Thursday, December 24th, 2009Reporter Paul Tenorio suffered the effects of a major kick set while he was doing last minute Christmas shopping, and also reflects on the past year and what this blog has meant to him. During the holidays, Tenorio reflects on how much Jeff and the team have become a part of his life.
Out of the pool and into the snow
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009The weekend snowstorm provided area students with an early Christmas present in the form of a few snow days and an extended holiday break. But the early start to the school holiday has cut into swim practice schedules and will keep many teams out of the water for a full two weeks.
Day 156: Rest and recovery
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009Reporter Paul Tenorio talks about his extended break from the pool, his continuing attempts to deal with a lingering shoulder injury and his training plans for Christmas week and beyond.
Woodson, Jefferson stay unbeaten
Monday, December 21st, 2009W.T. Woodson stayed undefeated on the year with wins on both the boys’ and girls’ sides over Annandale, while Jefferson also kept a clean record with convincing wins over South Lakes. Both teams enter winter break at a perfect 4-0.
Churchill girls look to bounce back vs. Wootton
Friday, December 18th, 2009Still riding high after an upset win over perennial power Good Counsel last February at Metros, the Churchill girls came into this season loaded with talent and widely considered a top contender to repeat as Montgomery County and Metros champions. But after suffering their first defeat in two years last Saturday against Whitman, the Bulldogs will be looking to rebound this week against Wootton.
Va./Private school notes: Gonzaga optimistic
Thursday, December 17th, 2009This year, despite losing seven key seniors, Gonzaga Coach Dave Norton said his younger swimmers are going into the season unafraid of the preconceptions, and eager to see what they can accomplish with a deeper, well-rounded team.
Ready for your results
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Now that the snow has been cleared and the holidays are over, meets are back in full swing and we’d love you to let us know about them. There are two ways for team representatives (coaches, athletes, parents, league administrators, fans) to send us high school meet results. And a page for every school has been created for you to write about those meets and post your photos from them. Meet results are available on those school pages and top times can be found at the bottom right of the homepage and in the results/stats links in the orange bar under the banner. We’ll display the best of your posts and photos on the left side of our homepage starting next week.
Maryland notebook: Sherwood holds off Quince Orchard
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Sherwood was one of several teams around the area entering Saturday meets short-handed with one or several of its top swimmers competing at U.S. short-course junior nationals in Columbus, Ohio over the weekend. But those absences provided opportunities for other swimmers to step up and contribute in the Warriors’ sweep of Quince Orchard.
Day 149: To the point of exhaustion…and beyond
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009Paul Tenorio talks about going through a set of 12 100s sprint and how he and Curl-Burke swimmer Pat Sullivan pushed each other throughout the workout, with the effort culminating in a final race that Sullivan won — in more ways that just by beating Tenorio.
How do you choose?
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009Many of the comments over the past few days focused on the balance between high school and club competition. With several high-profile regional and national meets conflicting with high school dual meets, many elite local swimmers are faced with tough decisions on how to split their time. So, our question is: How does an elite swimmer, if forced to choose, pick between individual and team competition with his or her club or high school?
Blohm dominant at Sport Fair Winter Classic
Monday, December 14th, 2009Twenty-six year-old Kurt Blohm is no stranger to dominant meet weekends. He finished all four of his individual races this weekend in first place, setting Sport Fair Winter Classic Invitational Meet records in the 50 yard backstroke (20.99) and the 100 yard backstroke (51.32). In all, 33 meet records were set.
High school roundup: Churchill-Whitman and Oakton-Robinson
Monday, December 14th, 2009Whitman coach Geoff Schaefer tinkered with his girls’ lineup this weekend, helping his girls’ team defeat defending Metros champion Churchill, 94-77. The Churchill boys rolled to a 128-43 win. Meanwhile, Robinson and Oakton also split this weekend, with the Oakton boys downing the seven-time state champion Rams, 192-123, and the state champion Robinson girls knocking off Oakton (2-1), 181-134.
Local standouts at U.S. short-course junior nationals
Monday, December 14th, 2009Rockville-Montgomery placed eighth and Curl-Burke 28th in the overall team standings this past weekend at the U.S. short-course junior national championships in Columbus, Ohio, as Machine Aquatics claimed 33rd on in the men’s standings, and a host of locals swam to top-20 finishes.
Phelps begins 400-yard chase
Saturday, December 12th, 2009Michael Phelps didn’t have a fantastic time, either in the water or on the scoreboard, but he convinced himself he can try to regain his American record in the 400-yard individual medley — a mark he lost in the technical suit onslaught last spring — with a strong performance Saturday on the second day of a three-day holiday meet at the U.S. Naval Academy.
At club meet, Phelps shines, crowd swoons
Friday, December 11th, 2009There were some 1,500 people jammed into every corner of LeJeune Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy at just past 6:30 p.m. Friday, most standing, and many pointing cameras or video recorders toward the very center of a pool deck crowded with a bunch of girls no older than 10, and tall guy in a white swim cap, gray sweat jacket and dark head phones. That guy was Michael Phelps.
Rivals Oakton, Robinson square off Friday
Friday, December 11th, 2009Last season, Oakton celebrated during the Northern Region championships after taking powerhouse Robinson down for the boys’ title. A week later, however, Robinson got the last laugh, winning a seventh consecutive boys’ state championship, and taking home the girls’ title, too. Friday at 6:30 p.m., the two rivals will meet at Cub Run in a meet that has both teams excited for what they said is the most important meet of the dual season.
Day 144: A lesson via tough love
Thursday, December 10th, 2009Sometimes coaches have to teach you a lesson by delivering a more forceful lesson. Curl-Burke Coach Jeff King did just that this morning in practice.
High School Preview:Boys
Thursday, December 10th, 2009Our high school swimming previews continue with a look at what to watch for in Washington D.C.-area boys’ swimming in 2009-10. Included are the area’s swimmer to watch, top three storylines, notes from around the area, and key dates. Wednesday: girls’ preview; Thursday: boys’ preview; Friday: a look at the Robinson-Oakton rivalry.
Close to home, Phelps goes to work in yards
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009It’s unclear what will be the strangest thing: Olympic star Michael Phelps standing on a pool deck in Annapolis this weekend with children as young as 9, preparing to compete at an annual local club event called the “Christmas Meet.” Or the fact that Phelps will be taking each of his six races in the “boys open” division very seriously.
High School Preview: Girls
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009Reachforthewall.com begins its expanded coverage of high school swimming with a look at what to watch for in Washington D.C.-area girls’ swimming in 2009-10. Included are the area’s swimmer to watch, top three storylines, notes from around the area, and key dates. Thursday: boys’ preview; Friday: a look at the Robinson-Oakton rivalry.
Day 142: LZRs and Intensity>Quantity
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009Paul Tenorio goes through another practice focused more on intensity than quantity of swimming, talks about his improved feel in the water and his goals for improving core strength and flexibility.
In biggest meet of the season, Cudahy surprises
Monday, December 7th, 2009At this weekend’s Tom Dolan Invitational Meet, 14-year old Conor Cudahy had one of the most impressive long-distance swims when he dropped dropped close to a minute off his seed time to win the 1,000 freestyle with a time of 9:49.75. Multiple winners included Olympian Kate Ziegler, 13-year old Janet Hu, Samuel Rairden and Emily Zhang among others.
No supersuits, no American records
Sunday, December 6th, 2009No American records were set at the first U.S. championships of the post-technical suit era this past weekend in Federal Way, Wash., but the clock still told a few interesting tales.
Phelps surprises swim team as guest coach
Friday, December 4th, 2009Michael Phelps shocked the Swim Pasadena team of Pasadena, Ca. by appearing as a guest coach during one of the team’s Saturday morning practices.
Knutson beats Hoff, but can’t catch Hoff’s record
Friday, December 4th, 2009In a race that pitted a burgeoning star against an Olympic veteran on the rebound, Dagny Knutson, 17, easily distanced herself from three-time Olympic medal winner Katie Hoff — but she couldn’t get Hoff’s American record at the U.S. short-course championships.
Day 137: I love sprints
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009After several days of distance swimming, reporter Paul Tenorio finally gets to go through a sprint set full of 25s. That had him smiling and feeling good, but Coach Jeff King assured him it will be the last time for a while he gets a set like that.
PVS swimmers ready for winter’s biggest event
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009Beginning late Thursday afternoon, the majority of the area’s best swimmers will converge on the George Mason University Aquatic and Fitness Center for the biggest meet of the winter season, the Tom Dolan Invitational.
Day 136: More Distance
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009When Curl-Burke Coach Jeff King started to announce Wednesday morning’s set, reporter Paul Tenorio internalized a sigh. In the blog today he writes: “I was sore, I was tired and I was mentally already behind the eight ball in feeling like I was going to be good at this.”
Small girl prepared to make her big splash
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009Standing 5-foot-1 and weighing a mere 97 pounds, Danielle Schulkin is hardly your prototypical top-flight swimmer, but that hasn’t kept the 17-year-old, Harvard-bound butterfly specialist out of the pool or away from competition. This weekend, Schulkin will travel to Washington state to compete at the AT&T Short Course National Championships
Day 135: I’m No Distance Guy
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009Here’s what I’ve decided: I am about as far from a distance swimmer as you can get. Today’s workout was all about pacing. In other words, it was critical to be able to hold your pace. Let’s just say I’m bad at that.
