June 27th - July 1st

A new season is upon us (hard to believe) and Sadie and Sammy are ready to start new adventures with our swimmers of the week. They want to thank all the Sharks for their hard swimming this past week. There were many improvements in times and that’s what is important.

Our first girls’ swimmer of the week for the 2011 season is 13-year old Madison DeClute. Madison has been on the team for four years and always tries her best; and this year is certainly no exception. Madison comes to practice every day-- ready to go, in the water, without any hesitation. Many times she takes advantage of the extra time during the second practice when her sister, Veronica is in the water, to get extra instruction from the assistant coaches and work on skills that she feels needs attention. At our first meet against Massad Y, Madison finished 8th in both the 100 meter freestyle with a time of 1:25.34, and 50 meter backstroke, with a time of 46:28. She swam in the 50 meter freestyle, as well. Madison always wears a smile and sets a good example for others to follow. Way to go Madison!

Our first boys’ Swimmer of the Week is also a veteran of many years with the Sharks. Fourteen year-old Bill Owen has shown good team spirit by showing up for practice every day and then volunteering afterwards to help give needed pointers on diving and flip turns to other newer team members during the second practice. Great team effort, Bill! At our first meet last week, Bill finished sixth in 100 meter free with a time of 1:10.34; third in 50 meter butterfly with a time of 33:10 ; and third in 50 meter backstroke with a time of 37:97. Bill’s fast freestyle also helped the 13-14 boys A-relay score a first place finish. Good team effort and great swimming, Bill! Way to go!

July 4th - July 8th

Our girls’ swimmer of the week is not new to the sport of swimming as she spent many years on the pool deck watching big sisters Ashley and Amanda swim. Now, in her third year as a member of the team, 8-year old Anna Ackerman knows what dedication is all about. Anna practices hard every day and always gives 100 percent. In last week’s meet at Massad Y, Anna placed 7th in Butterfly and breaststroke; and in this week’s meet against Chancellor, she swam freestyle and backstroke, and she placed third in 25 yard breaststroke dropping time from last week’s meet. She also swam on the girls 8 and under freestyle B-relay team. Way to go, Anna!

Our boys’ Swimmer of the Week is in the 9-10 age group and has been swimming on the team for four years. Although ten-year old Jackson Ludwig was not able to be with the team for practice until last week because of family commitments, he was determined to work hard and make up for lost time. In this week’s meet against Chancellor, he was scheduled to swim the 100 freestyle, 25 yard freestyle, and 25 yard backstroke. His Coach (worried that swimming the 100 freestyle might be a bit much for him) asked if he would like to scratch on that one event. She told him to think about it and come back with a decision. Jackson did just that, came back and said he’d swim the 100 freestyle “for the team.” Jackson placed 7th in the l00 freestyle with a respectable time of 1:15.22! He also swam 25 yard freestyle, and 25 yard backstroke placing 5th in that event with a time of 26 seconds flat! That’s team work Jackson! We’re proud of you!

July 11th - July 15th

Our girls’ swimmer of the week is a long time member of the Sharks and is someone who definitely knows the meaning of hard work in the pool. Ten-year old Gabriela Thompson puts her best foot forward every day of the week at both practice and at meets. A loyal member of the Rappahannock Raiders year round swim team, Gabby still insists on attending Sharks practice almost every morning of the week. She leads her lane with every set and drill. Her performance at our first three meets reflects her work ethic. Most notably, at the meet against College Heights, Gabby placed first in both 25-meter Back and Breaststroke with times of 22.25 in back and 22.47 in breaststroke. Gabby is an excellent role model, and she sets the pace for others to look up to. We’re very proud of you, Gabby!

Our boys’ Swimmer of the Week is in the 13-14 age group. Fourteen-year old Asher Bentz has been a member of the Sharks for seven years. He will swim any event he is asked to do without complaint. Asher has been working very hard at practice and it is evident at our meets. His performance at the meet with College Heights last week is most noteworthy. Asher placed third in 50-meter free with a time of 30.33; second in 50-meter back with a time of 39.13; and, in a very tough race in the 100-meter IM, placed fourth with a time of 1:17.91. His fast swimming has also helped the 13-14 boys’ 100-meter freestyle A-relay team remain undefeated this season. Nice job, Asher!!

July 18th - July 22nd

Our girls’ swimmer of the week has been a member of the Sharks for four years. Eleven-year old Kendall Rhodes faithfully comes to practice and always works very hard every day. She’s willing to swim any stroke in our meets without complaint and her times have improved greatly since the beginning of the season. At our meet against Fawn Lake she swam 50-yard freestyle with a time of 45.02 and 50-yard breast with a time of 53.77; at the meet with College Heights she swam 50-yard freestyle with a time of 53.05, 50-yard butterfly with a time of 53.07, and 50 breast with a time of 1:01.35. We’re all very proud of you, you show lots of team spirit every day. Way to go, Kendall!

Our boys’ Swimmer of the Week is in the 9-10 age group and is not only a member of the Sharks, but also of the Stingrays (Fredericksburg) year round team. Ten–year old Jacob Miller knows how to give everyone an exciting race no matter what stroke he swims. He sizes up his opponents for every race and then, without a second thought, blows them out of the water! He has been delivering triple wins at every meet so far this year. Last week against Fawn Lake was no exception. Jacob placed first in 100 free (1:04.60); 25 butterfly (14.73); and 25 back (16.38). Jacob’s butterfly is an all-important leg of the undefeated 12 and under boys A-Medley relay. He also swims the anchor leg on the 9-10 boys undefeated freestyle relay, and is the second swimmer in the 125-yard graduated freestyle relay. We’re very glad and very proud to have Jacob as a member of our team. Great Swimming, Jacob!

July 25th - July 29th

Our girls’ swimmer of the week is a member of the older crowd and has been swimming with the Sharks for five years. Thirteen-year old Emily Altman knows how to give 100% week in and week out, and this past week was no exception. With so many teammates missing from the team, Emily knew she had to step up the plate. Her fast freestyle greatly helped the 13-14 girls freestyle relay team, she also swam 50 free (35.38), 50 back (43.97), and 50 breast (52.43). Emily placed 5th in backstroke this past week and improved her time by 2 seconds, as well. Way to go Emily. Great swimming!!

Twelve-year old Harlan Baggett is our boys’ Swimmer of the Week. Harlan has been a Shark for five years and has been working very hard this year. His fast freestyle has earned him a spot on the 11-12 boys freestyle relay team. Harlan swims any event without complaint and in last week’s meet against Curtis Park swam 100 free (1:32.21) and placed 4th; 50 free (40.72) and placed 5th; and 50 breast (52.87). Harlan placed third in the breaststroke. We’re proud of you, Harlan. Great job!

August 1st - August 5th

Our girls’ swimmer of the week has been on the team for three years. Twelve-year old Abi Hollingsworth works hard, comes to practice every day, and always gives 110%. She usually stays in the water after her own practice, using the extra time to work on strokes and technique. Her times have improved all season. In last week’s meet against Lee’s Hill, Abi’s freestyle time improved to 36.19, she swam a 46.03 in backstroke, and she also dropped time in butterfly (44.03) and placed seventh. Way to go, Abi; that’s teamwork!

Our boys’ swimmer of the week is Derek Vanatta! Derek has been a Shark for four years; he works hard at every practice and it shows at the meets. His swimming has greatly improved and strengthened the performance of the 13-14 boys’ age group. Derek swam his best times at last week’s meet against Lee’s Hill. He finished third in 50 free with a time of 27.93; an impressive first in 50 fly with a time of 30.25; and third in 50 back with a time of 35.70. His fast freestyle earns him a permanent spot on the boys’ 13-14 100 yard free relay team, who were undefeated this summer! We’re proud of you, Derek! Good job!