Bannockburn Swim Team
Dolphin
Times
Issue 1, Season 2014
Please share the Dolphin Times with
your swimmers. We email only to the parents, but the fun of the newsletter is
for the kids to see their names and their races written up. Pictures and prior
editions of the Dolphin Times are available online at http://bannockburnswimteam.blogspot.com.
Dolphin Times Plans Aggressive
Coverage of 2014 Season
By Doll Finn
Senior Dolphin Correspondent
We’re back!
Yes your team of Dolphin correspondents is back to work
after freezing our toes off during the brutal winter.
We will once again bring you all the Dolphin news from the A
Meets and B Meets. Outside of this special edition, most issues will be published
before Tuesday of each swim team week.
We strive to get as many names into each issue as possible.
So we will list B meet swimmers with big time improvements as well as those who
score points at the A meets. And frankly anyone else whose name we can squeeze
in somehow.
Our distribution is high-tech and low-tech. No, you won’t
find us transmitting the news via smoke signals or twitter, but we will this
season post the newsletter on the bulletin board by the entrance of the pool.
It also will go out via email to the email associated with each swimmer’s
registration.
And don’t forget our blog
-- http://bannockburnswimteam.blogspot.com
-- where we will try to add a picture or two to each addition of the Dolphin
Times.
Dolphin Times is always looking for interns willing to write
up a meet, team event or anything else related to Bannockburn swimming. Please
contact our editor, Haydn the Dog, at haydnthedogseiberg@gmail.com if
you have anything to contribute.
Let’s face it. Our editor is a dog. So he is unlikely to
catch any typos or other errors. We want to fix anything we got wrong so email
the dog and we will adjust the online version ASAP.
Head Coach Malena Returns with
Some New Coaching Additions
By Walter Tu Kold
Dolphin Correspondent
There are some familiar – and new – faces greeting swimmers
as the Bannockburn Dolphins prepare for the 2014 season.
Malena Lair-Ferrari returns to skipper the team as our head
coach. She brings both on deck experience having served as head coach for the
prior three seasons as well as years of Bannockburn Swim Team tradition as a
long time member of the coaching staff and even longer-time member of the team.
She is joined by Kellan Steele, who also is returning to
coach after a successful 2013. Kellan has finished her freshman year at Earlham,
grew up as a Bannockburn Dolphin and has two other seasons coaching the team
under her belt.
Willie Conaghan
takes the pool deck as an assistant coach having worked before as a junior
assistant coach in 2007. He competed on the team starting at age 6 and will
complete his degree in December at Georgetown University.
New to the
squad is Alex(andra) Hitchens. She graduated from American University in May
2014 with a B.A. in environmental studies. Prior to coming to Bannockburn she
was part of the Hideaway swim club.
2014 Team Packed with Swimmers
Who Set
Records Last Year
By Haydn the Dog
Dolphin Editor in Chief
Bannockburn Dolphins bring some optimism into the new season
despite a tough seeding in a new division.
As one looks through the 2013 record book, there are many
talented swimmers expected back for the new season. While this issue has gone
to press before registration has closed – does it ever close? – a look back
does bring some optimism for a happy summer ahead.
Success for Bannockburn seems to rise and fall with the
younger swimmers and there are a bunch of swimmers returning who hold top 25
fastest times in Dolphin history still eligible to swim.
Among the girls in under 8 last year, Darby LeFaivre and
Gabriella Scott set top 25 times in free style with Gabriella also picking up a
spot for backstroke along with Maya Lall. Maya and Darby also both had top 25
times in breaststroke. Maya scored a top 25 in butterfly along with Samantha
MacIsaac.
The under 8 boys last year saw Meyer Eskin set the fastest
time for the team in breaststroke. He also scored a top 25 in butterfly while
Jacob Seiberg scored a top 25 in backstroke and butterfly.
Swimmers keep setting records as they get older. Shifra
Eskin as an under 10 got a top 25 time in freestyle, breaststroke, and butter
fly. The boys were just as strong at under 10. Gideon Helf got a top 25 in
freestyle, back stroke and butterfly while Andrew O’Brien was top 25 in breast
stroke and butterfly.
The 11-12 also did not disappoint in 2013.
For the boys, Ray Crist, Jack MacIsaac and Owen Wassiliew
are all over the record books. Ray had top 25 in IM, free, back and butterfly
while Jack had top 25 in IM, free, back and breast stroke. Owen was top 25 in IM
free, back, and breast stroke. Ethan Wendel and Lucca Scott also were top 25 in
butterfly.
On the girls side, Caitlin Ryan was top 25 in free, IM and
breast stroke, Naomi Seiberg was top 25 in IM, back stroke and butterfly and
Gabriella Helf was top 25 in butterfly and back stroke.
As we look at the 13-14 boys last year, Jeffrey Su scored
top 25 in free, back stroke, butterfly (with the team record) and IM (with
another team record) while Jack Blazes was top 25 in breast stroke and IM.
For the girls, Kaili Gregory, Katya Damskey and Jessie Kline
all had top 25 performances. Kaili scored in free and breast stroke while Katya
was top 25 in IM, butterfly, back stroke and free style and Jessie was top 25
in back stroke and IM.
It is always hard for the oldest kids as many graduate off
the team as they head to college or summer jobs. Still, there were many top 25
performances worth highlighting as we start the season.
On the boy’s side, John Janezich set a team record on
butterfly while Evan Steingass was top 25 in free, butterfly and IM. Ryan
Chitwood was top 25 in IM, breast stroke, and free style. Andy Lair Ferrari was
top 25 in breast stroke and butterfly with Max Palermo top 25 in breast stroke.
For the girls, Bryna Steele scored top 25 in free, back
stroke, breast stroke, butterfly and IM for the perfect bracket. Samantha Kline
was top 25 in butterfly while Hannah Melrod was top 25 in breast stroke and
free style.
Dolphins Compete This Season in Division F
By Doll Finn
Senior Dolphin Correspondent
Just a reminder that the Dolphins were so strong in 2013
that the team got bumped up to Division F. The team had been in Division G for
the prior two seasons, including the year we hosted divisionals.
Other teams in the division are:
1. Wildwood.
2. Little Falls
3. Regency Estates
4. Lakelands
5. Flower Valley
The new division does represent a challenge for the team as
the Dolphins are likely to face stronger swimmers from bigger pools. Yet the
Dolphins do have a history of out competing bigger pools. Some of the swimmers
were on the team several years ago that won Division E. So the battles may be
tougher, but this team of correspondents is still confident.
BBQ on Friday as Swim Team Prepares to Party
By Too And Tuch
Dolphin Correspondent
Don’t forget to check the bulletin board outside the pool or
the start-of-the-week email from the swim team for all the fun events set for
2014. The social calendar kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. with a team BBQ.
