CRAWWINTER12006

BLAST FANS

Final Thoughts on the Meet:

BLAST had the fifth largest entry, but was the third best team. Quality counts.

In listing the 100% swimmers, it should be noted that two swimmers, Kristen Jennings and Rachel Strain, just missed 100% best times by .01 of a second. So many others just missed by one or two events. Great job everyone!

Both Emmett and I were extremely pleased with the positive team spirit that contributed to the teams performance at the meet. Just like home sports teams talk about their fans being the extra player on the field or court, BLAST teammates cheering for each other makes a HUGE difference in a swimmers performance. We were easily the most spirited team throughout the meet.

SUCCESS FEEDS SUCCESS: One of the most impressive aspects of our team is during the meet one swimmer will have a time drop that will get everyone else stoked up. Coaches, swimmers, parents will respond and succeeding team members who are racing will step up and perform with even more intensity and energy. Every meet it has been a different swimmer stepping up and having one of those "Where Did That Come From?" swims. On Friday night, Kat Snitzer got us buzzing early with super 400 IM. On Saturday morning Gavin Breaux got the older swimmers stoked with great 100 back. Saturday afternoon, three 9-10's girls made state in the 100 free, then Caroline Gallaspy got us going some more by qualifying for state in the 50 fly. On Sunday, Colin Babcock supercharged the morning krewe with a sharp 200 free; in the afternoon session Andrew Knudsen dropping from a BB time to a AA time in the 100 fly really gets us going. Other team swims that were significant, in the 10 & under girls 50 breast we had five swimmers in the top 8. In the 9-10 girls 100 breast, we finished second through sixth! All of these swims and so many more created a BLAST storm surge that kept the fast times rollin'.

10 & unders Dominant:- This was a meet where we swam many 10 & unders in events where they could try to qualify for state and develop some new events more than structure for team scores. Several even swam in the morning session to get 100 times. Yet, the 10 & under meet scores looked like this:

1. BLAST 375.50

2. CCSC 366

3. CRAW 261.50

4. Elmwood 106

These results show that we are growing as a team in the right direction. Good young swimmers, become excellent age group swimmers and eventually become great high school and senior swimmers.

BEST ONE-LINERS BY SWIMMERS: One young swimmer after dropping time but not quite enough to his satisfaction, was heard to say: "My goggles cramped up!"

Another hungry swimmer was heard to want to "get a hot dog at the Confession Stand." - could be a new approach towards reconciliation.

PRESS RELEASE:

KEHOE-FRANCE BLAST FINISHES THIRD IN CRAWFISH SWIM MEET

Paced by very strong performances by their 10 & under age groups and strong overall

relay swims, the Kehoe-France Northshore BLAST Swim Team raced to a third place

finish out of 15 teams at the Crawfish Aquatics Winter Invitational held at the Ketcham

Fitness Center in Baton Rouge on January 27 – 29.

The team scores:

PlaceTeamPoints

1. Crawfish Aquatics1,347

2. Crescent City Swim Club 1,185.50

3. Kehoe-France Northshore BLAST 566.50

4. Bayou Barracudas 412

5. Lafayette Swim Team 267

6 Elmwood Sharks 258.50

7. Bengal Tiger Aquatic 198.50

8. Riverside Swim Team 143

9. Hurricane Swim Club 76

10.Cajun Clippers Swim 74.50

11.Texas Longhorn Aquatics 64

12.NU Wave Swim Club 38

13.Swim Louisiana 32

14.Unat. Swim-La 30

15.Franco’s FINS 14

Leading all scorers for the BLAST were 10 & unders Kara Kopcso for the girls with 59

points and Andrew Knudsen with 50.5 points. Kopcso set five team records on the way

to winning the 100 free, 200 free, 100 back, 100 IM and 200 IM and placed second in the

100 breast and 100 fly. She also placed 14th in the open 500 free.

Knudsen set seven team records and won the 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 fly, placed

second in the 50 breast, fourth in the 100 back, 200 IM, and 50 free and seventh in the 100 free.

Overall the team set over 70 individual and 15 relay team records and 26 new state championship meet qualifying times were achieved.

The team also swept the 8 & under 100 yard free relays. Anna Rawls, Madeleine Rawls, Hope Winkler and Grace Tucker raced on the girls’ relays and Griffin Guzan, Peter Hontas, Harrison Prieto and Grant Gallaspy led the boys.

Other swimmers winning events were: Madeleine Rawls 25 fly, Alex Cloutet, 10 & under girls 50 breast, and Grace Tucker 25 backstroke.

The relay teams accounted for 196 of the teams 566.5 points. Every team that competed scored in the top 8. Relays scoring second place were:

Girls 13-14 200 free relay – ‘A’ Jesi Kopcso, Allison Warwick, Lauren Salles and Sarah Keating.

Boys 11-12 free relay – ‘A’ Sam Jones, Robert Klazynski, Zach Boudreaux and Alex Knudsen.

Girls 10 & under free relay – ‘A’ Kara Kopcso, Carley Boyce, Kristen Jennings and Jessica Sloan.

Boys 10 & under 200 free relay – ‘A’ Gianni Scaramuzza, Andrew Knudsen, Will Warwick and Alex Salles.

Girls 10 & under 200 medley relay – ‘A’ Kristen Jennings, Alex Cloutet, Kara Kopcso and Carley Boyce.

Third and Fourth Place relays were:

Boys 10 & under medley relay – ‘A’ Will Warwick, Andrew Knudsen, Gianni Scramuzza and Grant Gallaspy. 3rd

Girls 10 & under free relay – ‘B’ Alex Cloutet, Caroline Gallaspy, Brooke Vinturella and Emmie Salles – 4th

Girls 10 & under medley relay – ‘B’ Emily Prieto, Emmie Salles, Brooke Vinturella and Caroline Gallaspy – 4th

Girls 13-14 medley relay – ‘A’ Lauren Salles, Allison Warwick, Jesi Kopcso and Sarah Keating – 4th

Eleven swimmers also recorded 100% best times. They were: Chanel Bayhi, Carley Boyce, Wesley Fontan, Sam Jones, Robert Klazynski, Gianni Scramuzza, Jessica Sloan, Callie Tucker, Grace Tucker, Will Warwick and Brooke Vinturella.

The next team meet for the BLAST will be the 14 & under Mardi Gras Invitational at LSU on Feb. 10 -12.