The Gator Coaching Staff is trying to make it easier for our swimmers, parents and satellite programs to understand the basic drills
we do for each stroke. The drills and turns are briefly demonstrated by Coach Steve. There is normal speed and soon we will have it in slow motion.
I hope this helps our Gator family and all those visitors to the website. View the videos here!
OZARK CHAMPIONSHIP:A tentative Gator lineup is now online. Parents, please take a close look at the events your kids are entered in, and contact Coach Steve if you find any problems or if you have any questions. Coach needs to know ASAP if anyone is NOT planning on attending, especially the relay-only swimmers.
GATOR GREAT TIMES MEET: A huge THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered to help before, during and after the meet. As a parent-owned team, we rely heavily on the help of all our members to keep the team moving forward and we sincerely appreciate all the work each and all of you did to make this event a success. Every ad sold, every race timed, every visitor question answered, every hour worked--all of these count towards our ultimate goal of making the Gators a stronger team and creating the best environment for our kids to practice, compete and have fun. Thank you!
New Ozark Records:
Gabriela Vieira set a new LSC record in the Girls 11-12 400-yard IM with a time of 4:38.78 and also lowered two of her own records: 1000 freestyle (10:37.94) and 1650 freestyle (17:51.08). All three swims are currently USA Swimming Top 10 times.
Gabby Vieira also broke the team's long-standing 200 IM record (from 1992) with a new time of 2:15.45.
Kristian Troxel set a new team record for the Boys 13-14 400-Yard IM with a new time of 4:21.22, nearly 3 seconds faster than the previous record from 1996.
8 & Under Girls:
Phoebe Law (2nd place); Carly Pujol (4th)
8 & Under Boys:
Tysen Miller (2nd) tied with Tanner Ray (2th); Jacob Bening (6th)
9-10 Boys: John Kiefner (2nd); Brogan Davis (5th)
11-12 Girls: Gabby Vieira (2nd); Helen Wojdylo (6th)
11-12 Boys: Austin Hobbs (5th)
13-14 Girls: Morgan Maguire (8th)
15 & Over Girls: Allison Hobbs (2nd)
Best Finishes (Individual Events):
1st Places: Caleb Coots, Brogan Davis, Allison Hobbs, Austin Hobbs, Caitlyn Palmer, Stephen Sugarbaker, Kristian Troxel, Kyleigh Troxel, Gabby Vieira and Helen Wojdylo.
2nd Places: Payton Beck, Elizabeth Kiefner, John-John Kiefner, Phoebe Law, Tysen Miller and Madeline Siefert.
3rd Places: Jacob Bening, Morgan Maguire and Carly Pujol.
4th - 8th Places:.Landon Beck, Jordan Buterbaugh, Mathew Chandler, Anna Esswein, Samuel Hahs, Amanda Mabry, Allison McDonald, Noah Mejean, Madison Rau, Tanner Ray, Lizzie Schmidt, Matthew Snyder, Thomas Taylor and Jackson Voss.
8th - 16th Places:.Tyler Alsdorf, Lydia Cameron, Alyssa Coots, Lucas Hurley, William KappIV, Nicholas Landewe, Anna Priest, Allie Pujol, Jacie Pujol, Ryleigh Ray, Trevor Smith, Alex Snyder, Sara Williams and Sophia Wojdylo
New Time Standard Achievements:
Landon Beck achieved his first BB times in the Boys 15-16 age group (500 free, 5:51.07; and 1000 free, 12:04.61).
Jordan Buterbaugh also got his first BB time in the Boys 15-16 age group (50 free, 26.52).
Jericka Helton achieved her first B time in the Girls 13-14 age group (50 free, 32.56).
Olivia Priest got her first B times in the Girls 10 & Under age group (50 free, 37.62; 100 free, 1:29.64; 50 back, 48.15; 50 fly, 47.99; and 100 IM, 1:44.80).
Jackson Voss achieved his first BB times in the Boys 13-14 age group (50 free, 28.05; and 100 free, 1:01.57).
ALLISON HOBBS NAMED SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gator swimmer Allison Hobbs won the 500 Freestyle event at the City of Roses swim meet this past weekend, beating top-seeded Megan Popp from Rockwood Summit. The exciting race was featured in a Southeast Missourian article on Sunday. Allison, competing for Jackson High School, finished the race with a state-qualifying time of 5:19.87. Allison was also named Player of the Week by the Southeast Missourian, which mentions that she "collected multiple individual medals and relay medals during a couple of impressive performances on back-to-back days." Congratulations, Allison! (Click here to read the article on the Southeast Missourian website.)
Click on the picture to read the article on the Southeast Missourian website. Other Gators named in the article: Lizzie Schmidt and Kyleigh Troxel.
GATORS IN THE NEWS: One of the great American distance swimmers of the past decade, Chris Thompson was recently interviewed by USA Swimming/Swim Network where he paid tribute to the most influential people in his swimming career. Among the few people named in the interview is our very own Head Coach Steve Franklin. Chris remembered his developmental years under Coach Steve as one of his greatest swimming memories, alongside his successes at NCAA and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Click here for the complete interview.
THE GATOR HANDBOOK HAS BEEN REVISED: The new handbook can be found here.
All Gator swimmers are strongly encouraged to attend as many meets as possible during the season, so please consider signing up for the upcoming meets. Here are some very important reasons for swimmers to attend meets:
1. NEW SKILLS: Competing in meets gives us a chance to learn things that we can’t really learn in practice. Racing is a skill that must be developed, just as a good butterfly is a skill that needs to be developed. To do this we need to practice and the more meets we compete in the better we get.
2. TEAM SPIRIT: Going to meets as a team encourages us to get to know our teammates better and fosters team spirit. It also allows our younger swimmers a chance to watch, and learn from our older, more experience swimmers.
3. GOALS: Good goal setting takes practice too. By swimming in meets and testing ourselves to the limit, we learn just how far we have come, and what we need to improve on. Remember, we can learn just as much from our failures as we can from our successes.
4. REWARDS: Swimming is a sport that teaches us great life lessons. Particularly, if you want something bad, then you have to work for it. Participation in meets gives us a chance to be rewarded for all our hard work.
There are many more great reasons to swim in meets. The main idea is to realize that meets are a great learning experience. Just as tests that we take in school allow us to both monitor our progress and to learn from our mistakes. Meets are a vital part of any swimmers development and ALL swimmers are encouraged to participate in them, regardless of what practice group you are in.
"Excellence is certainly not ordinary. It is special. It is also however, for the most part, not a chance or accidental occurrence. Excellence results from consistent preparation, positive beliefs and attention to detail. Excellence occurs when we make it the standard for our daily routine."Continued.
Note from Coach Steve: Gator families, Because of problems arising with parent involvement during practice time, I am asking all parents to please refrain from talking with me or the coaching staff during scheduled practices. We will be available before and after practice if you have any questions that need answered. Preferably I would appreciate a phone call or email prior to any discussions at the pool. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation. - Steve
GATOR SWIM TEAM INFO
JOIN THE GATOR SWIM TEAM - YEAR-ROUND OPPORTUNITIES - The Gator Swim Team is a parent-owned competitive swim team organized to teach swimmers of all ages and abilities. When a swimmer joins the Gator Swim Team he or she learns the values of sportsmanship, discipline, teamwork, and integrity. Swimming, through the Gator Swim Team, provides physical, emotional and intellectual skills that will last a lifetime. Find out more here!.
The Gator Swim Team is a regional parent-owned competitive swim team dedicated to teaching swimmers excellence in swimming and life through sportsmanship, discipline, teamwork and integrity.
