Fall Fest 2007 Swimmers Excel

Swimmers Excel in First Meet of Season

September 24, 2007……The Summer of 2007 is officially over according to the calendar, and attention has now turned to swimming indoors. The first area-wide sanctioned meet in the USA Swimming Short Course Swim Season took place this past weekend when the Excel Aquatics Fall Fest Swim Meet was held in Brentwood TN.

Swimmers from Sumner Country ranging from Hendersonville to White House to Westmoreland and back down to Gallatin, who train with Excel Aquatics, converged on the Indoor Sports Complex in Brentwood and competed against 529 swimmers from Alabama, North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee who made the trip to compete in the meet.

Representing Sumner County at the meet were Dylan Bollinger, Jimmie Joe Boone, Caroline Cole, Kathryn Cole, Schuyler Daniel, Griffin Garrison, Kathryn George, Alyson Gomer, Maggie Greene, Brittany Henderson, Madison Kolbe, Caroline McCrory, Katie Mize, Hannah Ray, Allison Riley, Sarah Rittenberry, Jenni Singleton, Abbie Wood, and Brittany Zobl.

Placing in the Top 8 in events during this meet were Kathryn George, Senior Girls, 2^nd Place 400 Yard Individual Medley; 3^rd Place 100 Yard Butterfly; 4^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle; 6^th Place 200 Yard Butterfly; and 7^th Place 200 Yard Backstroke. Maggie Greene, 8&Under Year Old Girls, 8^th Place 100 Yard Freestyle. Madison Kolbe, 11&12 Year Old Girls, 5^th Place 50 Yard Breaststroke; 8^th Place 50 Yard Backstroke. Katie Mize, Senior Girls, 7^th Place 100 Yard Butterfly. Brittany Zobl, 13&14 Year Old Girls, 7^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle; 7^th Place 200 Yard Backstroke; 8^th Place 100 Yard Backstroke.

Swimming in their first ever year-round USA Swimming sanctioned meet were Dylan Bollinger, an Indian Lake Summer League participant in the 10&Under Boys category; Griffin Garrison, 10&Under Boys; Maggie Greene, 8&Under Girls; and Jenni Singleton, 11&12 Year Old Girls.

“The Excel Aquatics coaches are proud of all of these swimmers.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes proclaimed. “Our Silver 1 squad under Coach Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan turned in some great time drops. Those with significant double digit drops in seconds in some of their events from this group were Caroline Cole, Kathryn Cole, Schuyler Daniel, Alyson Gomer, and Allison Riley. Madison Kolbe dropped times in every one of her events, Sarah Rittenberry showed some great time drops in her Individual Medley event and Fly and Free events, while Jimmie Joe Boone did great in his Free, Breast, and IM events.”

Excel newcomer Abbie Wood, a Freshman at Pope John Paul II High School and a summer league swimmer at Blue Grass Country Club who is now training with Excel’s Gold squad, stepped up to the blocks and competed in some events that were outside her comfort zone. “Abbie has been working hard these past 4 weeks of practice, and has made some great strides already. We entered her in events such as the 200 Yard Freestyle and the 500 Yard Freestyle that would challenge her and ultimately make her a stronger swimmer in terms of experience and versatility.” Barnes explained. “Abbie did a great job in both events, and came within 92 one-hundredths of a second away from the State of Tennessee High School Championship Meet Qualifying Time in the 200 Yard Free, and 3.54 seconds away from the standard in the 500 Yard Freestyle. She is going to contribute immediately to Pope John Paul II in every one of the Freestyle events, from the 50 to the 500, and is working to refine her technique in the other strokes. In the long run that hard work will pay off and make her a well-rounded swimmer and add value to her high school team.”

“At Excel Aquatics we have multiple goals for our swimmers. We want to drop times, be competitive with anyone anywhere at any time, improve our stroke techniques, and we also want to instill a sense of hard-work into these student-athletes that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. There are no short-cuts to being a successful swimmer, and there are no short-cuts to succeeding in school and life.” Coach Barnes explained.

The next meet for these swimmers will be the Nashville Aquatic Club October Open to be held in Nashville on October 13^th and 14^th. In November the team will be traveling to the world-famous Indianapolis Natatorium, one of the fastest pools in the world.

For more information on competitive swimming visit www.ExcelAquatics.org

New SES Times from Sumner County Swimmers at Summer Sizzler

New Qualifying Time Cuts Attained at Swim Meet by Sumner County Swimmers

June 25, 2007……At the annual Summer Sizzler Meet in Nashville TN this past weekend, Schuyler Daniel and Madison Kolbe attained new Championship Meet Qualifying Times, leading a contingent of Hendersonville and Gallatin swimmers who train at the Gallatin Civic Center with Excel Aquatics.

The Summer Sizzler Meet is a three day meet swam in the “Long Course” 50 Meter format, the same pool distance the major international competitions are held, such as the Olympics. 808 athletes from 29 separate teams covering 11 states converged on Nashville to compete in what has become one of the most competitive meets in the South each summer. The meet is in the Preliminary/Finals format whereby if a swimmer qualifies in the “Prelims” in the morning, they come back to swim in the Final’s at night.

Swimming for Excel Aquatics in the meet from Sumner County were Paige Scheriger, Jimmie Joe Boone, Schuyler Daniel, Madison Kolbe, and Brittany Zobl.

Schuyler Daniel, a 9 year old from Gallatin, attained her first ever Southeastern Swimming (SES) Long Course Championship Meet Qualifying Time Cut in the 10&Under Girl’s 100 Meter Backstroke. "Schuyler is doing great, she got the cut in the 100 Back as a 9 year old, and is within striking range of her cut in the 50 Meter Backstroke. We are so proud of her and what she is doing.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes noted.

Madison Kolbe added her first 11&12 Year Old Girl’s Qualifying Cut in the Long Course format, doing so in the 50 Meter Breaststroke, where she cut nearly 3 seconds to finish 15^th with a time of 42 seconds and 31 one-hundreths of a second (0:42.31). “Madi had some real nice time drops in this meet. In addition to the time drops in the 50 Meter Breaststroke, she also dropped 2.82 seconds in the 100 Meter Breaststroke, and 4.44 seconds in the 100 Meter Freestyle.”

Scheriger place 5^th in the 11&12 Year Old Girl’s 100 Meter Breaststroke, and 6^th in the 50 Meter Breaststroke. “Paige did great coming back in Finals in those two events and swimming them again. She was the only 11 year old girl in the Finals for that event, the rest were 12 years old.”

Jimmie Joe Boone, competing in the 11&12 Boy’s category, dropped time in the 50 Meter Freestyle, coming in with a time of 0:35.59. “Jimmie Joe is a well rounded kid, having played multiple basketball games this past week, he turns around and competes in one of the major swim meets of the summer.”

Brittany Zobl, a rising 8^th Grader at Sumner Academy, dropped time in the 13&14 Year Old Girl’s 100 Meter Breaststroke, finishing in a time of 1:34.87. Zobl placed 11^th in the 50 Meter Freestyle. “We limited what “BZ” was swimming in this meet, in preparation for the SES Meet next month, we know what we have to work on to be prepared for the meet.”

For more information on competitive swimming visit www.ExcelAquatics.org

Cole Sisters Rock at Stars and Stripes Meet

Young Swimmers Make Their Mark at Swim Meet

May 29, 2007……The Cole Sisters of Hendersonville led a contingent of nine Sumner County residents in competing at the Excel Aquatics Stars & Stripes Long Course Swim Meet in Brentwood TN this past weekend. Joining Caroline and Kathryn Cole from Hendersonville were Jimmie Joe Boone, Madison Kolbe, Paige Scheriger, and Brittany Zobl. From Gallatin were Schuyler Daniel, Kathryn George, and Katie Mize. All nine compete for nationally recognized Excel Aquatics.

The Long Course format is swam in a 50 Meter Pool, the same pool dimensions as the Olympic Games.

Caroline Cole, a rising 5^th Grader from Indian Lake Elementary, and swimming for only the second time in the Long Course format had time drops in 7 of her 8 events, with notable drops in the Girl’s 10&Under Year Old 100 Meter Freestyle and 100 Meter Breaststroke. Caroline’s highest finish came in the 200 Meter Freestyle where she placed 13^th overall. Younger sister Kathryn, a rising 4^th Grader, had time drops in 6 of her 8 events, including a notable 7 second time drop in the Girl’s 10&Under 100 Meter Breaststroke. Kathryn’s highest finish came in both the 50 Meter Breaststroke and 100 Meter Breaststroke with a 17^th place finish in each.

“The Cole sisters swam very well in this meet. Their first Long Course format meet was only 3 weeks ago, and they had some nice time drops in that short of a span of time. That shows that they are adjusting well to the new format, and with continued focus and hard work in practice we should see them start moving up in placing.” Excel Aquatics/Sumner County Site Coordinator John Barnes noted.

“Some of the other swimmers who were more experienced in this format were focusing on obtaining some Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championship Meet Qualifying Time Standards.” Coach Barnes added.

Among those who obtained new time standards were Kathryn George (Girl’s 13&14 100 Meter Breaststroke, 13&14 200 Meter Breaststroke, 15&16 200 Meter Breaststroke, and Senior 200 Meter Breaststroke); Brittany Zobl (Girls 13&14 100 Meter Freestyle and 200 Meter Backstroke); and Paige Scheriger (Girl’s 11&12 50 Meter Backstroke, Senior 100 Meter Breaststroke).

Several other swimmers are very close to obtaining their first Long Course Qualifying Time Standard. Schuyler Daniel is 1.32 seconds away in the Girl’s 10&Under 100 Meter Backstroke, Madison Kolbe is 1.43 seconds away in the Girl’s 11&12 50 Meter Breaststroke, while Jimmie Joe Boone is 1.63 seconds away in the Boy’s 11&12 50 Meter Backstroke.

“Overall our kids swam great, these kids had a tremendous amount of fun at the meet, while applying all their coaches have taught them. We have a few more Long Course meets left this summer, with the next one being at the end of June in Nashville. In between our meets, these kids will be swimming in Summer League meets for various teams in Hendersonville and Gallatin. Seven of the nine swimmers who were in this meet as teammates, will turn around and compete against each other when Cages Bend Swim Club hosts Indian Lake Swim Club on July 10^th.”

For more information on swimming opportunities for all Sumner County residents, visit www.ExcelAquatics.org. Excel Aquatics is a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club of Excellence for the past 5 straight years.

Excel Awards Presented

Gallatin Swimmer Receives Swim Team Award

May 4, 2007……Sumner County resident and Union Year Round Elementary 3^rd Grader, Schuyler Daniel was recently awarded the prestigious “Excel Award” from Excel Aquatics for their achievements this past Short Course Swimming Season.

The Award is given annually at the Excel Spring Banquet to a select few recipients in each training squad, and is based on Good Sportsmanship, Dedication, Positive Attitude, and Leadership within the squads. Out of 350 swimmers over three training locations, only 14 swimmers were selected to receive the Award.

“As a 9 year old Schuyler has stepped up this year and really set the pace during practice. Her work ethic is outstanding; she listens to her coaches and implements the stroke techniques and strategies that are teaching her.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes stated. “We’re proud of Schuyler and what she has accomplished as one of the leaders within her training squad.”

For more information on competitive swimming visit www.ExcelAquatics.org

Scheriger Attains a Top 16 National Ranking

Paige Scheriger attains National Ranking at Swim Meet

March 18, 2007……Several thousand swim fans at the Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championship Meet this past weekend in Nashville saw Indian Lake Elementary 5^th Grader Paige Scheriger lead a contingent of Excel Aquatics swimmers to a 3^rd Place team finish at the Meet. 45 teams, comprising 872 swimmers from Tennessee, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle competed in the Championship Meet.

Scheriger won Gold in 6 of her 7 individual events in the Girl’s 10&Under category (scoring 137 of 140 possible point). In doing so, she set 4 Excel Team Records, won the Meet’s High Point Trophy for 10&Under Girl’s, and achieved a nationally ranked Top 16 time in the 100 Yard Breaststroke during the preliminary heats with a time of 1 minute, 16 seconds, and 24 hundredths.

Scheriger took home Gold in the Finals in the 100 Yard Backstroke (1:10.68), 200 Yard Individual Medley (2:32.22), 100 Yard Individual Medley (1:10.45), 200 Yard Freestyle (2:14.06), 100 Yard Breaststroke (1:16.37), and 50 Yard Backstroke (0:32.65). Scheriger’s lone Silver was in the 50 Yard Breaststroke (0:35.49).

Scheriger shattered the Excel Aquatics team records in the 100 Yard Individual Medley and 200 Yard Individual Medley, records that have stood for over 10 years since former Hendersonville High School and current University of Florida swimmer Samantha Vanderbilt set them in October 1996. The records Scheriger broke in the 50 Breaststroke and 100 Yard Breaststroke were set in early 2002 by Jax Painter, a current Franklin High School swim star.

“When you consider that Excel Aquatics is 24 years old, and has a long history of developing champions in the pool, Paige’s accomplishments is noteworthy.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes noted.

Also representing Hendersonville and Gallatin at the Championship Meet were Excel swimmers Madison Kolbe, Katie Mize, Brittany Zobl, and Jimmie Joe Boone. “Paige and her training partners did wonderful this weekend at the championships. Coach Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan has done an exceptional job with them and the rest of her squad this year.” Barnes concluded.

Excel Aquatics will be conducting a Summer League Tune-Up for summer swimmers beginning on April 17^th. For more information contact Sheree Zobl at (615) 826-3943.

For more information on year-round competitive swimming visit www.ExcelAquatics.org.

Excel Swimmer's Firsts at Mardi Gras Meet

First’s at Swim Meet

February 18, 2007…… At the 2007 Mardi Gras Swim Meet this past weekend there were three significant types of “FIRST’S” for Sumner County swimmers.

Brittany Zobl, a 13 year old from Hendersonville who trains with Excel Aquatics has achieved a significant milestone in her development into an elite swimmer in Sumner County. At this past weekend’s Mardi Gras Swim Meet in Brentwood, hosted by Excel Aquatics, Zobl turned in a USA Swimming Southern Sectional Senior Girl’s Qualifying Time of 1:01.99 in the 100 Yard Backstroke, her FIRST qualifying cut at that level of competition. “BZ is now eligible to participate in the Sectional Meet in Atlanta GA on March 10^th, going against girls ranging from her age all the way into college and beyond. She will be one of the youngest swimmers there.” Assistant Coach John Barnes noted.

In the 400 Yard Individual Medley, Zobl and Hannah Ray swam the event for their FIRST time, with event veteran Caroline McCrory volunteering to join them in the grueling event as morale support. “We were proud that those girls stepped up and swam that event. It is our belief as coaches that all swimmers need to learn to swim the “IM” events in order to develop themselves as well rounded swimmers, and the 400 IM is the pinnacle of that development.” Barnes commented.

The Cole sisters (Caroline and Kathryn) joined Peyton Smith in participating in their FIRST USA level swim meet, and all three turned in impressive times. “These girls, like everyone else, will see the fruits of their efforts in meets to come”.

Joining the above swimmers at the Mardi Gras meet were Jimmie Joe Boone, Schuyler Daniel, Alyson Gomer, Madison Kolbe, Katie Mize, Sarah Rittenberry, and Paige Scheriger.

For more information on year-round competitive swimming visit www.ExcelAquatics.org.

Excel Swimmers at Baylor Meet

Excel Swimmers Heat up the Pool in Chattanooga Swim Meet

January 22, 2007……Excel Aquatic’s youth movement was in full force this past weekend at the Baylor Invitational Swim Meet in Chattanooga TN. Swimmers participating from Sumner County were Allie Riley, Madison Kolbe, Alyson Gomer, Jimmie Joe Boone, Paige Scheriger, Caroline McCrory, Brittany Zobl, Haley George, Kathryn George, and Katie Mize.

Hendersonville’s Jimmie Joe Boone led the contingent by improving his time in all 9 events he competed in, adding a significant 53.20 second drop in the 11&12 Year Old Boy’s 500 Yard Freestyle. “Jimmie Joe has been working hard to change his stroke technique, and is working hard at practice. I think we are seeing the results of his efforts, and we look forward to continued improvement from Jimmie Joe.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes stated.

In the 10&Under Girl’s category, Hendersonville’s Madison Kolbe and Paige Scheriger placed in the Top 5 in all of their events, 8 each. Both had significant time drops coming in the 100 Yard Butterfly. Scheriger has qualified for a total of 12 events in the upcoming Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships. Kolbe has qualified for a total of 7 events as a 10& Under, however she will be aging up to the 11&12 year old category just before the Championship meet and is now closing in on obtaining the cut in the older category in the 50 Yard Breaststroke.

Riley, 9 year old from Hendersonville, showed continued improvement in her strokes and events. “Allie is a first-year swimmer at this level and has been working a lot on her strokes and conditioning. She is progressing quite nicely, and we expect her to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.” Barnes noted.

Gomer, an 11 year old from Hendersonville, dropped times in 6 of her 8 events, with significant drops in the 100 Yard Individual Medley, 100 Yard Backstroke, and 100 Yard Freestyle. “Alyson has gotten more aggressive in her attitude towards racing, and we are seeing real nice time drops as a result.”

Among the older group of swimmers at the meet from Sumner County, Brittany Zobl improved in 6 of her 7 events. In the 13&14 Year Old Girl’s 100 Yard Backstroke, Zobl took home a second place finish with a personal best time of 1:03.33, dropping 2.48 seconds and obtaining a Senior Girl’s SES Qualifying Time. Other notable time drops came in the 200 Yard Individual Medley and the 200 Yard Backstroke in which she obtained a 13&14 Year Old Girl’s SES Qualifying Cut. “Brittany stepped up quite nicely at this meet, and put together some good swims. She will continue to improve the more she swims the events of 200 yards and greater.”

White House’s McCrory dropped times in 5 of her 8 events, and swam the 13&14 Year Old Girl’s 200 Yard Breaststroke and 400 Yard Individual Medley for the first time in her career. “Like all of the kids who train with Coach Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan, Caroline is continuing to improve in terms of technique and racing ability.”

Kathryn George, a Freshman at Pope John Paul II High School, took home first places in the 13&14 Year Old Girl’s 100 Yard Butterfly and the 200 Yard Butterfly. Kathryn also swam to a new SES qualifying time in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, brining her qualification event total to eight. Haley George, a Junior at Pope John Paul II High School, improved her times in the Senior Girl’s 200 Yard Freestyle and 50 Yard Freestyle. Katie Mize, also a Junior at Pope John Paul II High School took home a 3^rd place in the Senior Girl’s 200 Yard Individual Medley and a 4^th Place in the 200 Yard Butterfly.

Those interested in working on their stroke technique and water conditioning before the start of the summer are invited to join Excel Aquatics for their annual Spring Tune-Up for Summer League Swimmers to be held April 16 through May 19^th. Contact Shereé Zobl at 826-3943 for more information.

For more information on Excel Aquatics, visit www.ExcelAquatics.org.