Sunday, August 8, 2004

Sumner County Site Coordinator Named

Excel Aquatics names Coach Barnes as Gallatin Site Coordinator

August 8, 2004……Excel Aquatics, a year-round USA Swimming Silver Medal Team based in Gallatin, Brentwood, and LaVergne has named John Barnes as their Gallatin Site Coordinator. Coach Barnes joined the coaching staff of Excel Aquatics in the Spring of 2004, and began assisting with their Gold and Xtreme groups in Gallatin. By assuming the duties as Site Coordinator at Excel-Gallatin, Barnes will be responsible for leading the local coaching staff in the planning and implementation of the training program of Excel swimmers across all skill levels, as well as handling the multiple other swimming related issues that arise on a daily basis. He will report directly to Excel Head Coach Mark Walker who is based in Brentwood.

Coach Walker noted that “I’m proud to announce that Coach Barnes will be leading our Gallatin training location. John is the right person at the right time for this newly created position within our Gallatin training squad. Since he has been with us he has made a positive impact not only on the swimmers in his group, but with the parents as well. He brings a lot of energy to the team on and off the deck. We are close to finalizing the rest of the coaching staff in Gallatin which we will be announcing soon. I know that Sumner County is going to be pleased with of the quality of the coaching staff we are assembling. There is going to be a lot of fresh ideas and excitement on deck this coming season with Excel Aquatics in Sumner County.”

· Excel Aquatics is a 2003 & 2004 USA Swimming Silver Medal Club with several training squads based in Gallatin. For more information on Excel Aquatics, visit www.excelaquatics.org

Sunday, August 1, 2004

SES LC Meet features Sumner County Swimmers

Sumner County Swimmers Excel at Long Course Championships in Tuscaloosa.

August 1, 2004….. Four Sumner County Residents joined the rest of their Excel Aquatics teammates in Tuscaloosa AL this past weekend for the Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championships.

Representing Excel and Sumner County were Kyle Lee, a rising Junior at Hendersonville High School and 2004 Sumner County Male Swimmer of the Year; Katie Mize, a Sumner Academy Alum and rising Freshman at JPII; as well as 10 Year Olds Nikki Fulps and John Mainland.

Kyle Lee placed in the Top 8 in the Boy’s 15-16 Year Old 800 Meter Freestyle (#7) , and the 400 Meter Individual Medley (#5). The 400 Meter IM is one of the most grueling races in swimming, testing the swimmers ability to compete in all four individual strokes in one race. “Kyle did fantastic in the IM, he got his Summer Sectionals qualifying time in the event, and will set his eyes on the Junior Nationals and National cut next summer during Long Course season.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes commented.

Katie Mize achieved her Spring Sectional qualifying time in the Girl’s 15-16 Year Old 200 Meter Butterfly, placing 7th in the meet. “Katie has been working hard this summer and it has paid off for her, she is a great example of what you can do for our younger swimmers.”

10 Year Old Nikki Fulps, fresh off competing in a Swim meet in Hawaii the previous week, placed 3rd in the Girl’s 10&Under 100 Meter Breaststroke, and 7th in the 50 Meter Breaststroke. “Nikki has had a fun and memorable summer. She is terrific in her stroke technique, doing as we ask, and it shows every time she competes.”

John Mainland made his first trip to the Southeastern Meet, qualifying and competing in the Boy’s 10&Under 100 Meter Backstroke. “John did terrific this summer, we are proud of his progress and look for him to continue to qualify for future Championship meets.”

Events Competed in by Excel Swimmers who train in Wilson County:

Kyle Lee: 800 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 400 Individual Medley

Katie Mize: 800 Freestyle, 400 Individual Medley, 200 Individual Medley, 100 Butterfly, 400 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Butterfly

Nikki Fulps: 50 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 50 Butterfly, 100 Breaststroke, 50 Backstroke, 50 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke

John Mainland: 100 Backstroke.

· Excel Aquatics is a 2003 & 2004 USA Swimming Silver Medal Club with several training squads based in Gallatin. For more information on Excel Aquatics and complete Meet Results, visit www.excelaquatics.org and come to the Excel New Swimmer Placement Trial on August 23rd at the Gallatin Civic Center.

Monday, July 26, 2004

Excel Aquatics Try-Outs Notice

Excel Aquatics offers Free Try-Outs to local Summer League Swimmers in response to questions from Sumner County parents.

July 26, 2004….. The summer of 2004 has been an exciting time for swimming in Sumner County! The sounds of summer have included swim meets all across the county, where the sweet smell of chlorine is masked by suntan lotion. Then as a culmination to the summer, on July 23-25, summer teams from across Sumner County participated in the Nashville Swim League City Championships.

“Before the Summer Season even concluded we were hearing from parents from most of the clubs, and they all had similar questions. What’s next? How can my children continue training and building on what they have accomplished this summer?” Excel Aquatics Assistant Coach John Barnes commented. “It does my heart good to see such interest in swimming, combine the Summer League meets with the upcoming Olympics, and interest is out of sight.”

In direct response to the interest from parents across the County, Excel Aquatics, a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club which trains in Gallatin is pleased to announce that they will be holding Placement Trials on Monday, August 23rd at the Gallatin Civic Center from 4:30-6:00pm, to evaluate Sumner County swimmers who are interested in continuing swimming into the Fall and Winter. Coach Barnes emphasized that “this Placement Trial is certainly not limited to just Indian Lakes, Cages Bend, Bluegrass, and Gallatin team swimmers. Anyone with a child that wants to compete in swimming this Fall and Winter is invited to attend the evaluation. We get children all the time that have no summer league experience, but have learned how to swim and want to take it one step further. We encourage anyone wanting to give year-round competitive swimming a try to come to the Placement Trials, in addition to that free evaluation, we will be offering a free two week try-out period to those who come to the Trials.”

For more information, visit www.ExcelAquatics.org, or email Coach Barnes at coachjohn@excelaquatics.org.

Monday, June 28, 2004

Summer Sizzler features Sumner County Swimmers

Sizzling Swimmers in Sumner County

June 28, 2004....It was a swim meet where 2004 Olympic hopefuls mingled with the Olympic hopefuls of the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics. It was a meet where the youngest swimmers could watch some of the older swimmers who are on their way to the Olympic Trials next month and potentially beyond. It was the 2004 NAC Summer Sizzler in Nashville TN, and some of our very own neighbors were there and adding their own sizzle to the meet.

Nikki Fulps, John Mainland, Taylor Hinson, Kathryn George, and Haley George represented Sumner County and Excel Aquatics at the meet. They got the opportunity to watch this year’s Olympic hopefuls in action, while showcasing their own talents as well.

“All of these kids did well at this meet, with every one of them having improvements in some of their events. There have been a lot of the normal summer time distractions recently, and they have dealt with them and are swimming through them.” Coach Todd Griffin commented. “We improved in a lot of areas of stroke development and race strategy that we needed to improve in, and we identified other areas that we can now focus on, while continuing to reinforce what we have already learned. I’m proud of all of them and how they are working.”

Those placing in the Top 8 of their age group were:

Nikki Fulps: 10&Under 50 Meter Breaststroke 8th Place (0:46.94), 100 Meter Breaststroke 3rd Place (1:38.22), and 50 Meter Backstroke 8th Place (0:44.36).

Kathryn George: 11&12 100 Meter Butterfly 5th Place (1:17.74).

· Excel Aquatics is a 2003 & 2004 USA Swimming Silver Medal Club with several training squads based in Gallatin. For more information on Excel Aquatics, visit www.excelaquatics.org