Updates & Best Posts
Archive for January, 2010
Virginia AAA District meet previews
Friday, January 29th, 2010After months of dual meets, the championship season has finally arrived for Virginia teams as the area district meets open this weekend across the Northern Region. Here is a quick preview of the area Virginia AAA Northern Region district championships.
This week in U.S. swimming
Thursday, January 28th, 2010Reachforthewall.com debuts a new weekly feature in which we scour the nation for the week’s most interesting swimming-related stories. Did we miss something? Send your suggestions to info@reachforthewall.com.
Sherwood puts unbeaten record on the line against Poolesville
Thursday, January 28th, 2010The Warriors are the front-runners in Division II and look to remain unbeaten Saturday against Poolesville.
DBI: Feeling the Rhythm Again
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010Reporter Paul Tenorio talks about feeling the rhythm in the pool again, his past love of finding the right warm-up music (and inspirational speeches), breath control sets…and the future addition of yoga to the workout regimen.
Richard Montgomery’s German Rocket
Monday, January 25th, 2010When Clemens Kaiser arrived in Rockville in August from his home in Pinneberg, Germany, the 17-year-old had one goal in mind — to set as many records in the pool as possible before he returned home at the end of the school year.
An interview with Pawlowicz and Phillips
Friday, January 22nd, 2010Washington Post reporter B.J. Koubaroulis interviews Oakton swimmers Bradley Phillips and Kaitlin Pawlowicz. Phillips and Pawlowicz are returning state champions and talked with Koubaroulis about the goals and expectations that comes with winning an individual state title.
Jefferson girls look to finish undefeated
Friday, January 22nd, 2010Jefferson’s girls go into the regular-season finale with a perfect record on the line as the Colonials are eyeing a chance to capture their first district championship for either the boys’ or girls’ since 2006-07.
DBI: Frustration is my biggest enemy
Thursday, January 21st, 2010Reporter Paul Tenorio talks about his frustrations with trying to get back to where he was prior to modifying sets and missing time in the pool in December due to a shoulder injury and vacation. Though he knows he’s not going to be back where he was automatically, Tenorio writes about the difficulties of feeling slow again.
Whitman has its eyes on the prize
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010Last February, the Churchill girls pulled off a stunning upset at Metros, knocking off 12-time defending champion Good Counsel with a deep, balanced lineup. This year, Whitman is hoping to repeat the feat with a similar approach.
DBI: Stroke efficiency and hip rotation
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010Reporter Paul Tenorio talks about breaking down a video from Friday morning’s practice and how what he saw might help explain his shoulder injury. He also chronicles his workout this morning that forced him to think about how he could make his stroke more efficient.
Nailbiters highlight weekend meets
Monday, January 18th, 2010Several Saturday meets went down to the wire in Montgomery County as the Whitman boys edged Walter Johnson by two points and Einstein squeaked past Clarksburg by four to win a key Division IV dual meet. Also included: wrap-up of Friday’s Virginia AA Dulles District dual meet between Loudoun County and Freedom-South Riding and notes on Woodson’s win over West Springfield.
Phelps, Pelton claim victories at Long Beach
Sunday, January 17th, 2010Michael Phelps dominated the 500-yard freestyle at a grand prix meet in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday, winning the event in 4 minutes, 18.70 seconds, more than five seconds ahead of second-place Dominic Meichtry (4:24.22).
Woodson eyes defending champion Spartans
Friday, January 15th, 2010W.T. Woodson enters a dual tonight against defending Virginia AAA Patriot District champion West Springfield with an undefeated record hoping build confidence with the district championships just two weeks away.
DBI: Doctor’s visits and dietary choices
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Reporter Paul Tenorio talks about his visit to the doctor’s office on Thursday — one that left him with little more than a referral slip to an orthopedist — as well as his current dietary habits, which are much less strict that when he first got back into the pool but still an improvement over his former choices before this project started.
Proposed budget would halve Fairfax practices
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack D. Dale has proposed a 50-percent reduction in high school swim/dive practice time. “This kept the program alive,” said Bill Curran, Student Activities and Athletics Director for Fairfax County. “Swimming and diving is very popular, so we didn’t want to see any elimination of it. We didn’t touch swim meets; the opportunity to compete is still there, which is important. It’s enough practice time for them to get in some time that they need.”
DBI: Feeling part of the group again
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio said he would try to push through his shoulder pain and swim full sets, and over the past two days he has been able to do that. Tenorio talks about the excitement of completing full swim workouts after struggling with the shoulder injury for so long.
Churchill narrowly edges Whitman at relay carnival
Monday, January 11th, 2010Montgomery County Division I swim teams returned to the pool Saturday for their first competitive action of the new year — the relay carnival at Martin Luther King Swim Center. And while the meet does not factor into team standings, the razor-thin margin that separated the top two teams definitely increased the anticipation for the upcoming county and Metros meets.
This weekend…and beyond
Saturday, January 9th, 2010Now 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.
Part II, Days 2 and 3: Testing the Shoulder
Friday, January 8th, 2010Paul Tenorio rehashes the ups and downs of testing his shoulder during practices the last two days, describing the pain and lack of pain as he swims through normal sets during training sessions. He also describes a talk with fellow Curl-Burke swimmer Pat Sullivan that has Tenorio thinking about ditching his fins as much as possible, as soon as possible.
Severna Park takes on Meade, Northeast
Friday, January 8th, 2010A year ago, Severna Park rolled to a second Maryland 4A/3A girls state title in three years while the boys finished a close second behind Broadneck. The Falcons’ quest to repeat continues tonight in a dual meet against Meade and Northeast.
Dual meets providing early test for Stags
Thursday, January 7th, 2010Dual meets often are viewed as merely building blocks early in the season for the championship meets that come later. But for DeMatha — which opened the season with dominant performances in four consecutive wins — two dual meets this week will serve as a gauge of how the Stags stack up for the Washington Metro Prep School Swim and Dive League and Metros championships later this year.
Diving Back In: Part II, Day One
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010Reporter Paul Tenorio talks about taking vacation, time away from the pool, missing practice this morning after his first day back yesterday and how ready he is to push through this frustrating shoulder injury and get started with Part II of his journey — becoming a true athlete and hitting new goals the rest of the season.
USA Swimming’s Wielgus bypassed for USOC CEO
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010The U.S. Olympic Committee has picked one of its former acting chief executive officers to be the organization’s next CEO, bypassing USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus, a source with direct knowledge of the selection said.
Who will you be watching?
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010In the season’s first month we began to follow as many area teams and individual swimmers as possible, but today we’re asking for your thoughts.
In your opinion, which teams and individuals are the top contenders for end-of-season titles and accolades and what teams and individuals may be flying under the radar at the moment, but could have an impact by season’s end?
More than 250 suits make FINA’s final cut
Monday, January 4th, 2010The world swimming governing body (FINA) released a complete list of the 2010 allowable swimsuits Monday. The list of more than 250 suits does not include any from adidas (known for its speedy Hydrofoil), but Nike makes a return and Jaked and Blueseventy scored legal suits. Companies called Mad Wave and Way Funky also made the list.
