Excelling in Academics as Well as in the Water!

From swim team parent Shelley Moore:

Below are swimmers that received awards at the 7th Grade Academic Awards Program

George Teufel Citizenship Award:  Olivia Edler, Max Mason

Band & Chorus Recognition:  Cheyenne Greene, Briar Lehman, Haley Naugle

Honor Roll:  Harris Brewer, Olivia Edler, Briar Lehman, Max Mason, Haley Naugle, Elizabeth Osborn

Distinguished Honor Roll:  Jacob Butzler, Cheyenne Greene, Timber Merryman, Gabrielle Moore, Allison Schweikart, Reagan West

 Induction and Recognition of National Junior Honor Society Students:  Jacob Butzler, Cheyenne Greene, Timber Merryman, Gabrielle Moore, Haley Naugle, Elizabeth Osborn, Allison Schweikart, Reagan West

Of the twenty-four 7^th grade students inducted into the National Junior Honor Society Society, eight of them are competitive swimmers (that is 30%)!  Coincidence?

 Swimmers Timber Merryman (2nd from left), Gabrielle Moore (3rd from left), Haley Naugle (5th from left) and Elizabeth Osborn (6th from left) review the biographies of their fellow National Junior Honor Society inductees.

Lumberjack Triathlon - Open Water Swim in the Susquehanna River

Below is the flyer for a new event in the Williamsport area.  Many triathlons have the swimming component in a swimming pool but here is an event that takes into account one of the natural features in our area, the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.  Race consists of 800 yard swim, 13.7 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. Click on the event flyer below to enlarge.

Click picture to enlarge

Reason #42 On Importance of Learning To Swim -Fishing Snags

This is a continuing series in why everybody should learn how to swim as many activities take place around water.

Bring on the Heat!

Public pools start to open this weekend.  Below is an article in the May 23, 2012 edition of the Webb Weekly.  Click on the photo to enlarge.

Former Jersey Shore Swimmer Making Waves After High School

Former Jersey Shore Swimmer, Charlie Maxine Robinson,  has done well in her swimming career and beyond.  Nice article on her in the Sunday edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.  Click on the newspaper clipping to enlarge.

click on picture to enlarge

Still Time For Summer Swim Sign-ups

The Jersey Shore summer swim team is holding registrations for its 2012 season in the Bald Eagle Swim League. Come join a team that has proven it can combine fun, fit around your family's summer activities, and place beginning swimmers into a successful team. All Jersey Shore area youth up to age 18 are encouraged to join the team. Swimmers of all abilities are welcome to join the team because each swimmer is given the opportunity to swim at the meets. For additional information, call coach Patty Kennelley at 570-337-2487.

Swim Team Registration Fees are as follows (form below):

$30 for the first child
-$5 for each additional child (meaning $5 off for each child.... 1st is $30, 2nd is $25, 3rd is $20, ......)

All members of the swim team MUST purchase a pool pass.  Pool application is below.   

                                                        

• Pool Application form here
• Summer Swim Team Registration Form here
• Summer Swim Team Calendar here
• Summer Swim Team Handbook here

"This dude really loves life"!

The Lock Haven swim community celebrates the life of area swimmer, Bart Garlick, as friends tell the stories within the swim community of their friend.  His obituary can be read here and other information can be found here.

"I first met Bart through Master's swimming. My first impression of Bart was "this dude really loves life"! I had the great opportunity to travel to Indinapolis, swim up stream in the Susquahanna River, fish, ice skate, mountain bike with Bart and so many more things that made being with Bart so enjoyable. It was never a dull moment with Bart and that is one of the things that made being with him so great. He always made me laugh whether it was through a story from his youth or from something that happened to him a week prior to us hanging out. Bart loved life, he loved his family and loved his friends. I am certain tomorrow when many of you are together you will smile, just as I am, when telling stories and remembering Bart not for how he died, but how he lived." from Dave Sheets coach of Duquense University (Pittsburgh)

"Freedom of floating fearlessly may be the only place of total freedom for me."

"Freedom of floating fearlessly may be the only place of total freedom for me.".  This was a quote form Rosemary Neidig in the May 16, 2012 edition of the Webb Weekly.  It is a nice piece on the author's life experience and  history with water.  The whole article can be read below. 

This ties nicely into a new book, Swim Why We Love the Water,  by Lynn Sherr.  A review can be read here.  As Amazon describes the book, it "is a celebration of swimming and the effect it has on our lives. It’s an inquiry into why we swim—the lure, the hold, the timeless magic of being in the water."

click to enlarge

Jersey Shore Summer Swim Season Taking Shape

Wow!  It looks like the Jersey Shore swimmers will have a busy, condensed June and July with meets, practices, and social events.

The first meet of the summer starts with an away swim at Williamsport on June 26 followed by a swim on June 28 at home against Lock Haven.  No meets are scheduled during the July 4th week but three meets are scheduled the following week against Loyalsock (July 10, home), Wellsboro (July 12, home), and Juniata Valley (July 14, away).  The final dual meet is away at Wellsboro on July 17.  Championships (held at the Jersey Shore Borough outdoor pool) are scheduled for July 21 and All-Stars the following week (exact date to be determined).  Check out the full calendar here.

"Town Of Jersey Shore On The Map, At Least For 'Old-Guy' Swimming"

Very nice article in the May 1, 2012 edition of the Lock Haven Express on the Jersey Shore YMCA Master's Swim Team.  Check it out here.

Jersey Shore Summer Swim Team Sign-Ups

Summer Swim Team Registration is scheduled again for this Saturday, May 12 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the outdoor pool.

Head Coaches are Patty Kennelley and Dave Keegan; Assistant Coach will be Samantha Kennelley.

Registration Fees are as follows:

            $30 for the first child

           -$5 for each additional child

We will have a representative from D&J Sports on hand to help with the ordering of the team suits.  They will also have other supplies (caps, goggles, etc.) on hand for you to purchase.  The cost of the suits will be around $25.

The pool office will be open if you would like to get your pool passes at this time.  All members of the swim team MUST purchase a pool pass.  I have attached a copy of the pool application.

                                                            Resident                    Non-Resident

Individual                                            $50                             $60

Family (up to 5 members)                   $135                           $150

Swim Team Only Pass                        $35                             $45

Make sure you bring 3 separate checks with you to pay for the above items – one for the swim team registration fee; one for the swim suits; and one for the pool membership.

Forty-two percent of the American population will be obese by 2030

Several supporters of the Jersey Shore arts are looking to close or eliminate some athletic facilities including the Jersey Shore High School Pool.  Great, now we can all sit around as overweight adults and draw!  See here.

The Media Infatuation Starts!

Well, it's starting - when the the popular press  discovers the once every four year phenomenon of swimming.  Look no further than the today's popular Drudge Report, screen shot below.  Will the local swim community take advantage of the free press to grow the sport of swimming?

Open Letter To The Central Pennsylvania Swim Community

Here in Jersey Shore, we may have to have to fight off another attack on the closing of the Jersey Shore High School Pool. It is probably no different than what is going on around the rest of central Pennsylvania. The Mill Hall outdoor pool is hanging by a thread, Williamsport High School pool is need of repairs (the school board threw out a challenge to raise some money - see here), and the Williamsport outdoor pools are in trouble, here, here, and here.

Although there is some good news as the South Williamsport pool re-opened last year and the Williamsport YMCA is building a new facility, with a pool near the Williamsport hospital, here. It seems that we are all facing very similar issues, closing of pools and promoting the sport of swimming. Why is the local swim community not working together on some ideas to address these issues? At times, it appears everyone is working in a vacuum.

It is about 3 months until the 2012 Summer Olympics start and for several weeks the sport of swimming will get an immense amount of press. What a wonderful opportunity for us (local swim community) to highlight the local swimming scene. Is there a way for the swim community to coordinate some advertisement efforts to let local residents know that the Olympic sport of swimming occurs in their own backyard?

On a small local scale, the Jersey Shore summer swim team is thinking of creating an Olympic swim theme float for the 4th of July parade. Another swim parent suggested that we bring in one of the local radio stations and broadcast at the Bald Eagle Swilm League swim championships. There are some great ideas out there from parents, coaches, and swimmers.

Maybe the swim teams could could work as a league on the newspapers and provide them with a write-up, standings and top times (similar to what they do with the track and field listings on Williamsport's Sunday paper)

Maybe it is time to expand. The Renovo community would love to start up their swim program again (see here) and the Blossurg community just recently updated their outdoor pool (here). No better time to expand when interest is hot!

There are only 3 months till swimming is all over the sports pages. Can we and will we take advantage of it? We are not Little League Baseball nor are we football so we do have to work a little harder and be more innovative in this sport.