Gator News Archive - 2004

1950s - 1960s - 1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000-2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012

GREAT TIMES ADS are due Wednesday Jan. 5. Please turn them in on time! Also, please be sure to sign the spiral BUSINESS BOOK in the file cabinet with your name and the businesses you sold ads to if you plan to contact the same businesses next year. The BUSINESS BOOK is not missing in action. It's in the file cabinet. Someone keeps moving it to the folder at the front from its original location on top of all the files. Sorry to those of you who are searching for it and can't find it. The city took down the acrylic wall holders by the bulletin board where we used to put it.

TOP TIMES have been updated for 2004: Short Course Yards - Long Course Meters

STARTING JAN. 3 - Age Group II B will be in Age Group II and will practice from 5:30-7 pm.

GATOR WARM-UPS - DeAnna Arevalo is picking up Gator warmups at Horizon today (12/21/04). Parents who ordered them please call DeAnna at 651-6571 to arrange pickup. She does not live far from the pool so parents may need to pick up at her house - she will give you directions.

GREAT TIMES ADS - It's time to sell ads for the Great Times Meet Psych Sheet! Ads are due Jan. 5th. Info and ad order forms are in your file folder. You can download additional ad order forms here (pdf). Please return ads to the AD ORDERS folder in the file or email them to julie@webcurrent.com. Each ad must have a completed and signed ad order form in order to be processed. If you earned ad credit during the swim-a-thon, please indicate that on the ad order form. Also, please sign the business book (also in the file cabinet) to indicate which businesses you are contacting this year. Thanks!

PARENT MEETING - A Mandatory Parent Meeting will be held at 6:30 pm Dec. 29 at Grace United Methodist Church. We will meet while the kids are enjoying the Camp Franklin movie. Plan to attend to get essential information about your role in the Great Times Meet in February. All parents work each day of this meet. Come choose your duty!

GATOR GEAR UPDATE - Warmups are in and are at Horizon to be embroidered. Horizon should have them back to DeAnna Arevalo by the 22nd or 23rd. Please call DeAnna at 651-6571 to arrange pickup.

TEAM NEWS - Camp Franklin

OZARK OPEN results are now online.

GATOR GEAR UPDATE - Warmups are in and are at Horizon to be embroidered. Horizon should have them back to DeAnna Arevalo by the 22nd or 23rd. Please call DeAnna at 651-6571 to arrange pickup.

USA SWIMMING OFFICIALS CLINIC - 9 am Dec. 18 at Grace Bible Church. Directions:

Take I55 exit #99 towards CAPE GIRARDEAU/JACKSON - go 0.2 mi
Continue on I-55-BUS NORTH - go 0.1 mi
Turn on WEDEKIND RD - go 0.2 mi
Turn on OLD CAPE RD E - go 0.1mi
Arrive at 5303 OLD CAPE RD E, JACKSON, on the left

CONGRATULATIONS to Gator senior Steffan troxel for outstanding swims at the U.S. Open Dec. 2-4. Steffan placed 14th in the 1500-meter free in 16:15.96. He also achieved a Junior National cut in the 400-meter free time trial in 4:06.51 and came very close in the 200 free time trial in 1:57.82 (Junior National cut is 1:56.49).

Gator Swim Team Photos - Paducah

LINEUPS for the Ozark Championship and Paducah Swimfest have been updated.

PADUCAH SWIMFEST - This meet is held at JR's Executive Inn, which has an indoor 25-meter pool. Here's a link to the hotel website. Make your reservations now!

GATOR GEAR PICKUP - DeAnna Arevalo has fins, hoodies, and suits, and will be at the pool on Thursday Dec. 9 from 5:00 to 5:30 pm for pickup and again Monday Dec. 13 from 5:00 to 5:30 pm out front.

OFFICIALS CLINIC DEC. 18 - Anyone interested in becoming a stroke and turn judge should see Alicia Scott. We will be hosting a clinic on Sat., Dec. 18, from 9-noon at Grace Bible Church.

RIDE/ROOM needed for championship meet Dec. 10.

GATOR GEAR - DeAnna Arevalo is ordering Gator warmups like Coach Steve's. Jackets are $28 and pants are $26. Embroidery will be around $5. A signup sheet will be on the bulletin board. Orders must be in by Friday,
Dec. 3, for Christmas delivery. We are still waiting for the suit order to come in, and team towels also may be ordered in the near future.

SWIMFEST DEADLINE - Coach needs to know by 8 am on Wed. 11/24 who is going to the Paducah Swimfest Jan. 7-9, 2005. Here's the lineup so far ...

MEMPHIS MEET CANCELED - The meet in Memphis is canceled, and we are going to go to the meet in St Louis at the Rec-Plex Dec. 10-12. Coach Steve needs to know who wants to go by Monday night, 11/22. This meet has qualifying time requirements: Gator Qualifiers

Now online - Carbondale Results

RIDE NEEDED - Please see ParentLink for details.

WEDDING BELLS! Congratulations to Assistant Coach John Lourance and his new bride. They are registered at JC Penney, Target and Sears.

PARENT TIP - Kiefer currently has a sale on swim bags. In particular, they have Kiefer green backpacks similar to Speedo backpacks for $19.95, which are 1/2 price.

GATOR GEAR UPDATE - fins have been ordered. Hoodies and Gator Gal shirts will be ordered 11/5/04. There were a few people who need to indicate their size for the hoodies.

SWIM-A-THON - Please collect any monies raised for the swim-a-thon and turn it into Coach Steve or Alicia Scott this week. Make sure you have correct information for any corporate sponsor you may have secured so we can acknowledge them. The canned food drive was a huge success and we all had a great time Saturday night at the hayride. Thanks so much to the Kendigs for hosting and Sherrie troxel for organizing it. Great job to all the swimmers who swam early Saturday morning and all the parents who "supervised".

PADUCAH MEET NOV. 6 - Gator Lineup

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING UPDATE - Membership Approves Swimming & Diving Proposal

HAYRIDE FUN - Gators will hold a hayride from 5-7 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Kendig's farm in Sikeston. Here's a map that shows you how to get there! (32k Adobe pdf). Parents are encouraged to bring their folding "swim meet" chairs. More info about what else to bring coming soon...

GATOR GEAR UPDATE - Team suits will be ordered Tuesday, Oct. 26. There were a few swimmers who did not put their size next to their name. We will post their names on the bulletin board... please add your size! It's not too late to order fins, T-shirts, and hoodies, orders for which will be finalized at the end of this week.

A SWIMATHON cover letter is available here for printing in Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word formats.

GATOR GEAR - Orders are being taken this week for team suits (black Speedos with the Gator emblem on the front for girls and on the hip for boys, cost TBA), fins ($20) and hooded sweathshirts ($25-$30) or long-sleeved T-shirts. We are also looking to order team towels and possibly other Gator gear around Christmas. Check the bulletin board at the bubble for signups/more information. If you have ideas or questions, contact DeAnna Arevalo (651-6571).

Nashville photos - Nashville Results

SMSC Championship photos from summer are now online at semosports.com.

Panhandle Swimming Hurricane Relief Fund - The City of Mobile Swim Association has set up a fund to aid swim team families who lost homes or businesses and teams whose training facilities were damaged by Hurricane Ivan.

NEW GATOR TEAM SUITS (black with Gator logo) will be ordered on Friday, Oct. 22. If you already know your size, please give Coach Steve your order. A try-on kit for sizing will be available at practice this week.

Swimathon Info/Pledge Sheet (Adobe pdf)

The PARKWAY PENTATHLON meet Nov. 6-7 has been taken OFF the Gator schedule due to cost. A new meet has been added:

Saturday Nov. 6 (one day only) at Paducah - Double dual meet with Paducah and Salukis. More info to come.

NASHVILLE RESULTS for Gators are coming soon. Complete results are available at the NAC Website

CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS THOMPSON for his 8th place finish at the Fina Short Course World Championships.

NEW WEB SECTIONS

GATOR PHOTO ALBUM - scenes from the meets and other team activities.
GATOR PARENT LINK - This is a new web page designed to help parents link up for rides and other connections. To have your question or response posted here, just send an email to webmaster@gatorswimteam.org and we will add it asap. Your webmaster is first off the block with a ride request.

THE 2004-2005 GATOR HANDBOOK was distributed at the Oct. 6 parent meeting. Download it here:

Gator Handbook (120k pdf)

NASHVILLE HOTELS are filling up fast, We do not have a block of rooms. Several parents are finding their best deal at Travelocity. The Centennial Sportsplex pool is near Vanderbilt University. NAC Hotel & Travel Sponsors lists hotels and their proximity to the pool.

SWIM-A-THON - A Gator Swim-a-Thon has been set for Oct. 29-30. Each family should achieve a goal of $100. Sponsorships are as follows:

GOLD - $500 - These sponsors will have their names on the Swim-a-Thon shirt, and will be mentioned in all publicity for the event.
SILVER - $250
BRONZE - $100

Prizes will be awarded in several categories. These prizes may be trophy awards or merchandise. A grand prize (to be announced) will be awarded to the top fundraiser. Swimmers: explain to potential donors that this fundraiser will help provide needed equipment for the team (for example, we own and must periodically upgrade/replace our computer, printers, software, touchpads, starting system, etc.) Sign up your pledges. Donors may pledge per lap (200 laps or 2-hours maximum) or just pledge a donation. Explain that you will collect after you have completed your swim. The swim will be completed during Saturday's practice time (Oct. 30), although you may swim your Swim-a-Thon laps at any time if needed.

FALL SERVICE PROJECT - The Gators will be sponsoring a food drive to help the local food bank program, FISH. On Friday, Oct. 29, team members will be stationed at the entrances of local groceries with small "wish lists" provided by the food pantry. These lists will outline types of foods the pantry is most in need of. Swimmers will distribute the list to each shopper, and ask them to consider buying an item on the list for FISH, and leaving it with the team members on their way out of the store. Shoppers may also give monetary gifts to the food bank if they so desire. We hope to be quite successful in this drive as a kick-off for the Swim-a-Thon to be held the next morning during practice.

MEET SIGNUP SHEET - Please be sure to turn in your meet sign up sheets to Coach Steve asap. See coach if you do not have this form or if you need another one. The meet signup sheets were distributed into everyone's file folders at the pool.

Congratulations to Steffan troxel, a Gator senior swimmer named to USA Swimming's 2003-04 Men's Scholastic All-America Team. The Scholastic All-America Team is comprised of high school student-athletes, who have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, and have competed in an individual event in the 2003 ConocoPhillips Summer Nationals, 2003 Summer Speedo Champions Series (sectionals), 2003 U.S. Open, 2004 ConocoPhillips Spring Nationals, 2004 Spring Speedo Champions Series (sectionals), 2003 National Disability Championships and 2003 Open Water National Championships.

PARENT MEETING - We plan to hold a parent meeting at 6 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 6, at Dexter Bar-B-Que. Dexter Bar-B-Que has donated to the Gators on several occasions and we would like to say thanks and support them. Parents should order dinner (if they so desire) and go into the room on the right of the building that will be set up for us. We plan to start the meeting that will include discussing the Handbook and expectations for the year around 6 p.m.

Many thanks to 2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist and American Recordholder Chris Thompson for sharing his time, tips, drills and swimmer's wisdom (as well as autographed swim caps and postcards) during his visit to Cape Girardeau and Paducah Oct. 2-3 (details below). Chris was a late addition to the team roster at the 2004 World Championships Oct. 7-11 in Indianapolis, and we especially appreciate the time he spent with us in the face of last-minute training preparations. Gator Coach Steve Franklin was Chris's coach in Oregon when Chris was 12-14 years old. He credited Coach Steve for steering him toward distance events and for providing him with excellent training in fundamentals. Click here for pictures of the event

Good luck, Chris! Your new Gator friends are rooting for you!

HIGH SCHOOL DUAL PARTICIPATION UPDATE - CONTACT YOUR PRINCIPAL TODAY!
News from Ozark Swimming: (for complete text visit www.ozarkswimming.org/news.htm)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENTS (not just those with high school students) REGARDING HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING/DIVING 9-27-04

We are very close to seeing the elimination of dual participation restrictions for swimmers and divers one way or another and if MSHSAA member schools follow their board's strong suggestions, it could happen in a few short weeks!

A few minutes of your time can make a tremendous difference. Every parent, regardless of the age of their swimmer/diver, is being asked to contact their school district representatives. (Those of you with younger children actually have even more to gain than those with high school age children--changing these rules now will mean your athletes will have opportunities available to them which have previously been denied to those already in high school.)

Please contact your high school and junior high principal and ask them to vote yes in this Special Election of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) By-law #235 amendment. Every high school and junior high principal in Missouri will be sent a ballot on October 6 th and will have one vote, regardless of whether or not their school offers swimming/diving. Ballots must be returned to the MSHSAA office in Columbia with a postmark deadline of October 22nd.

PARENT MEETING - We plan to hold a parent meeting at 6 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 6, at Dexter Bar-B-Que. Dexter Bar-B-Que has donated to the Gators on several occassions and we would like to say thanks and support them. Parents should order dinner (if they so desire) and go into the room on the right of the building that will be set up for us. We plan to start the meeting that will include discussing the Handbook and expectations for the year around 6 p.m.

Meet and Train With 2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist Chris Thompson!

Gator Swim Team Sponsors Clinic

Gator Swim Team is sponsoring a clinic with 2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist CHRIS THOMPSON at the meet on Saturday Oct. 2 in Paducah and in Cape at the bubble on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 2-4 pm (possibly until 5 pm). Cost is $20/person. (Steve coached Chris when he was in Oregon!) Thompson will give a talk, answer questions, and then do a session in the water. Don't miss this exciting opportunity! To sign up, contact Coach Steve Franklin for full details. 573-264-3422 (home) or 573-986-9016 (mobile).

Chris won the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He broke the American record to win bronze in 1500m free and became only the second American to break 15 minutes in the event.

Personal Info : Chris fractured both elbows in a training accident in early May 2004 … oldest son of Dr. Thomas and Nancy Thompson; younger brothers Benjamin and Nicholas and sister Kathryn who is a U.S. Nationals qualifier … became just second American to break 15 minutes in 1500m free, doing so at 2000 Olympic Games to win bronze ... bronze medal swim at 1999 Pan Pacific Championships was the then-fastest time by an American since 1984 … is an assistant coach with the Ann Arbor Swim Club.

Download a printable PDF about this event.

Check out Chris Thompson's bio at usaswimming.org.

NEW TIME STANDARDS - OZARK TIME STANDARDS have been updated for 2005 and are effective 9-1-04.

WELCOME NEW GATOR COACHES - We have three new assistant coaches. Please help us welcome them to our organization!

Gator Babies - Age Group III and IIB - T.J. Goldsberry and Jen Goldsberry
Age Groups II and I - John Lourance

POOL RULES

Central Pool has asked for our parents and swimmers to stay out of the office area between the locker rooms and if they need something just to ask for it.
The lifeguards are in charge of pool rules and as such need to be held in high regard. If they tell anyone to do something it needs to be taken care of. If not, Coach Steve will deal with the offenders himself.

FALL RECRUITING is at hand. Stay tuned for ways to swim free this year.

SWIMATHON info will be out soon. Tentative date is Halloween weekend.

CHECK WITH COACH to see what group you are in now if you have not started back yet.

FIN ORDER - a fin order will be placed this Friday, Sept. 3. Call DeAnna Arevalo at 651-6571 if you need them and have not already ordered.

FALL 2004 OUTLOOK - Gators are back in the water at Central Pool for training after a brief summer break (see the training schedule, below left). After Labor Day, Gators will practice at Perryville's indoor pool (map) until Central reopens, projected for Sept. 27, weather permitting. For planning purposes, we are listing a TENTATIVE meet schedule for 2004-2005 as follows:

Fall 2004 Meet Outlook . . . (subject to change)

Oct. 2 - dual one-day meet at Paducah's new pool, Paducah, KY
Oct. 15-17 - Nashville, TN
Nov. 6-7 - Parkway Sprint and Distance Pentathlon, Parkway North High School, St. Louis, MO
Nov. 19-21 - Saluki Carbondale 500, Shea Natatorium, Carbondale, IL
Dec. 2-4 - U.S. Open, San Antonio, TX (qualifiers only)
Dec. 10-12 - Indianapolis, IN
Dec. 18 - Parkway Mile Meet, Parkway North High School, St. Louis, MO

2005 Meet Outlook . . .

(subject to change)

Jan. 5-7 - Paducah Swimfest (possible alternate meet at Memphis, TN)
Jan. 14-16 - RSCA Rockwood Arctic Blast, Marquette High School, St. Louis, MO
Feb. 4-6 - Gator Great Times Meet, Central Pool - mark your calendar now!
Feb. 12-13 - Ozark Qualifier - TBA
Feb. 25-27 - Ozark Championship, Rec-Plex, St. Peters, MO (qualifiers only)
Mar. 3-6 - Sectionals, Topeka, KS (qualifiers only)
Mar. 11-13 - HEAT Meet and 8 & Under Championships
April 30-May 1 - (tentative) UCSC Small Club Championship, University City High School
May 6-8 - Gator Senior and Pentathlon, Central Pool, Cape Girardeau

HELP WANTED - ASSISTANT COACH - Gator Swim Team is looking for an assistant coach. Main responsibilities are working with beginners and helping with the age group program. Contact Steve Franklin for full details. 573-264-3422 (home) or 573-986-9016 (mobile).

SALUTE TO GATOR ZONE ATHLETES - Congratulations to AAA 11-12 Gator swimmers Sam Gramling and Morgan Fraser (photos at right) , who competed at the 2004 MV Central Zone Championship Meet Aug. 6-8 in Topeka, Kansas. Sam's top swim was a 3rd place finish of 2:14.55 in the 200M freestyle. He also placed 9th in the 400M free and 200M IM, 13th in the 50M and 100M free, and 17th in 100 back. Morgan placed 6th in the 50M breaststroke in 38.49 and 11th in the 100 M breaststroke. Complete results here.

JUNIOR OLYMPIC RECORDS - Congratulations to Gator AAU Junior Olympic swimmers and especially to Steffan troxel, who shattered AAU Junior Olympic Games national records in 1500 meter and 400 meter Boys 15-18 Freestyle at the 2004 games in Des Moines Aug. 2-6. Steffan was featured in an article in the Des Moines Register, which also ran a photo of Gator Kati Luehmann diving off the starting block. Gators joined other swimmers from the region as Team Ozark and brought home many best times and medals from the event. Below, the Ozark team starts off the meet with a cheer and somersaults into the pool. Photo courtesy Andy Kendig. Results are located here. Gator Swim Team Photo Album

Team Ozark starts off the 2004 AAU Junior Olympic Games with a cheer and somersaults.

GATORS SUCCEED AT SECTIONALS - Congratulations to Gator sectional swimmers Steffan troxel and David Welker, both of whom placed at finals in the Central Section Region VIII Championships held July 21-24, 2004, at Wichita, Kansas. Steffan placed 2nd in the men's 1500 Free, 4th in the 800 Free, 5th in the 400 Free, 10th in the 400 IM, 10th in the 200 Fly and 11th in the 200 Free; David placed 18th in the 1500 Free, 26th in the 800 Free and 26th in the 200 Back. Meet Results are available here.

Gators with Championship banner, Wyatt Larson, Sam Gramling and Jennifer Willett

GATORS WIN SMSC AAU CHAMPIONSHIP! - Congratulations, Gators, for an outstanding championship meet! In addition to winning the meet, three Gator swimmers -- Wyatt Larson, Sam Gramling and Jennifer Willett --also earned conference high point trophies for their age group. Full results are located on these links to the SMSC website: Meet Summary - Final Results - SCY Conference Records - SCY Top Times Report - Meet Photos

Conference Championship Results 7-24-04
Final Score
Large Division - Gator Swim Team 941, Kennett 767.5, Jackson 467, Scott City 282.5, Perryville 199.5
Small Division - Sikeston 214.5, Poplar Bluff 176, Charleston 171, Ste. Genevieve 88, Farmington 59
Number of swimmers (383) - Kennett 74, Gators 70, Jackson 53, Perryville 37, Scott City 33, Ste. Genevieve 31, Sikeston 31, Poplar Bluff 23, Charleston 17, Farmington 14. Number of new conference records - 22

FORMER GATOR COACH Jason Cravens sends a report from the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.

LINEUPS for SMSC Championships and USA Division I Long Course Championship meets are now online. Please contact Coach Steve if you have questions or need changes. Scott City results are also now online.

SWIM PARTY - Next Monday, July 26, we will have the year-end summer swim party for all Gator
swimmers and their families from 8-10 pm at the pool. Come have fun as we celebrate the summer swim season. Each family should bring snacks or finger foods to share. Coach Steve and Joanie will have some awards, too.

GATOR TEAM PICTURES will be taken on Tuesday, July 20, starting at 7:30 am at the pool.

JO ROOM(S) UPDATE - All available Gator rooms are now booked.

Jackson Results are now online. Next meet is at Scott City (July 17), Gator warmups at 8:15 am, meet starts at 9 am. Directions to the pool: From I-55, take the Scott City exit, turn under the bridge onto Main St. (Burger King will be on your left.) Turn left onto Ruth St. (Casey’s is on the left.) Follow this street into the Scott City Park Entrance. (The road into the park is ONE-WAY, so do not enter from the other side.) Parking is limited, so arrive early.

GATOR T-SHIRTS are available to be picked up July 1 around 10 am at the pool. Cost is $10 for year-round Gators who ordered a tank or tee. There are a few extras available for sale. We will be taking orders for a nice golf-style cap with the Gator logo embroidered on it. Cost will be $15.

JO QUALIFIER results are now online.

GATOR T-SHIRTS - Anyone who is interested in ordering a Gator T-shirt ( tank or tee) should contact Coach Steve or Alicia Scott (335-0580) by Monday if they haven't already done so. Cost will be approx $10 or less depending on the number ordered. Also anyone who is interested in ordering Speedo bags please see Alicia. If 12 people are interested we can get a good rate.

SIKESTON RESULTS 6-12-04 - Final Score - Gator Swim Team 1198, Scott City 685, Sikeston 571, Dexter 124. Number of swimmers (189) Gator Swim Team 61, Sikeston 55, Scott City 51, Dexter 22. Number of new conference records - 8. Full meet results

GATORS WIN AT FARMINGTON! (6-5-04) - Final Score - Gator Swim Team 758.5, Jackson 510.5, Scott City 265, Ste. Gen 121.5, Farmington 106.5. Number of swimmers (204) Gator Swim Team 64, Jackson 54, Scott City 40, Ste. Gen 31, Farmington 15. Number of new conference records - 11. Complete meet results.

BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE - Join Coach Steve for an online breaststroke lesson ...

VIDEOGRAPHERS NEEDED - Please see Coach Steve if you have a video camera and can help videotape swimmers at practice for training purposes. A tripod would be helpful.

SIGN UP FOR SUMMER LEAGUE! See practice schedule below:

PRACTICE SWITCH TO CAPAHA POOL begins May 25, when Central Pool will close for spring maintenance/bubble removal. Here's the practice schedule:

CAPAHA May 25-June 5

Age Group 2 and under - 4:30 pm - 5:45 pm and Summer League swimmers
Age Group 1 and up - 4:30-7 pm (dryland first half hour)
Saturday morning practice times TBA

CENTRAL POOL - Beginning June 7
- 7-9 am - Senior/National Prep
- 7:30-9 am - Age Group 1
- 7:30-9 am -Tues. and Thurs. only - Age Group 2 and Summer League swimmers welcome
- 9-11 am - M-F Summer League

NEW TEAM SUITS - Coach plans to place an order for new team suits (solid hunter green Speedo) on Monday, May 17. He has try-on sizes at the pool and will also bring them to the Saluki meet. Cost is $35 for female suits ($37.50 size 34 and up) or $22.50 for male jammers ($24 size 34 and up). Male briefs cost less, around $18. See Coach for details.

JUNIOR OLYMPICS hotel information - Click here to view information on the Quality Inn & Suites hotel where Karl Larson has reserved 10 rooms for Gators going to JOs. More info. Contact Karl if you would like to claim one of these rooms.

Gator Long-Course Kick-off and Pentathlon April 30-May 2
ALL RESULTS - Pentathlon Top 8 Results - Pentathlon - All Results - Gator Results

GATORS IN THE NEWS -Congratulations to David Welker, the first local participant to cross the finish line in the recent Steamboat Classic triathlon. David is featured in a Southeast Missourian article published April 29, 2004. In its 20th year, the Steamboat Classic includes a 500-yard swim at the pool, a 15 1/2-mile bicycle ride and a five-mile run. Other Gator participants also fared well in the event: Welker finished 2nd in the male 19-under division; Jameson Kuper placed 3rd; and team participants Nicholas Welker, Hunter Givens and Kris Metje finished first in the youth team division.

CONGRATULATIONS, COACH STEVE for strong finishes at the 2004 USMS Short Course National Championships held April 22-25 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Coach finished 3rd in the 200 IM, 5th in the 200 free, 8th in the 50 and the 100 free, 9th in the 100 IM and 10th in the 100 fly in his age group. Way to go, Coach!

AWARDS BANQUET APRIL 16 - Congratulations award winners! Gator coaches honored three boys and three girls in each age group with Most Dedicated, Most Improved and Most Valuable awards. Steffan troxel and Angela Welker were honored with Coach Steve's new special recognition award, which will be on permanent display at Central Pool. Coach said he will be focusing on recruitment and retention this summer. Gators who recruit a new team member who swims for a month can swim free that month! See Coach for more information.

SPRING/SUMMER MEET SIGNUP SHEET - All Gator swimmers must return a Spring/Summer Meet Sign-up Form to Coach Steve as soon as possible. Parents please sign and return one form for each swimmer in your family.

KIWANIS PARK CLEAN-UP DAY - 9 a.m. Saturday, April 24. Gators are helping to support the Cape Girardeau Kiwanis Club, sponsor of our Great Times Meet, by assisting with their Friends of the Park Day at Kiwanis Park (Rotary Drive off of Perryville Road and Lexington Avenue), cleaning up trash, planting flowers, etc. Participants will receive a free T-shirt, and Coach Steve offers participants early release from Saturday morning practice.

POOL PARTY FOR JOANIE - Some parents have arranged a private pool party in celebration of Coach Joanie's upcoming nuptials and all Gators are invited. It's from 5:30-7:00 p.m. this Saturday, April 17, at the bubble. We'll have the pool to ourselves for fun, frolic and water polo, and of course to honor Coach Joanie with our best wishes. Y'all come!

JUNIOR OLYMPICS HOTEL INFO - Karl Larson has reserved a total of 10 two-bed, non-smoking rooms at the Quality Inn and Suites in Des Moines,Iowa, for Junior Olympics at a price of $74 per room per night. The rooms are booked for August 1-7, but arrival and departure dates can be adjusted by each family or person who books a room(s). To reserve one or more of these rooms, Contact Karl personally via email or phone and he will give you the confirmation number. Contact Karl at k_larson@semo.net or call 573.339.7853 and leave a message. Booking of rooms must be done by June 30, when any reservations not claimed will be released.

GATORS WIN! - Gator Swim Team was runaway winner of the 2004 Small Club Championship meet April 2-4, 2004, at University City, with total Gator team points tallying more than every other team combined! Results

AWARDS BANQUET APRIL 16 - Mark your calendars! We have scheduled a Gator awards banquet/parents meeting for Friday, April 16, at Grace Bible Church at 5:30 p.m. This will be a potluck dinner. We will post a sign-up sheet or a list of things to bring on the bulletin board soon. Directions to the church: Go towards Jackson on Kingshighway/ Hwy 61. After passing under I-55(exit 99) turn left on Wedekind Rd. At the stop sign go left on Old Cape Rd E. Pass the auction barn and Garden Hill Nursery. Grace Bible Church will be on the right across from Klaus Park. If pictures are helpful go to Mapquest.

REVISED LINEUP for Small Club Championship

THIS JUST IN! Coach Steve has released Division One Championship results and the lineup for Small Club Championship meet coming up April 3-4. Please let him know before Tuesday afternoon, March 23, if you are entered in the meet and aren't planning to go, or if you are not in the meet and want to go! Also, Coach has announced the USA Swimming summer meets and the Southeast Missouri Swim Conference has posted its AAU summer schedule. Check our Calendar page for Gator meets.

GREETINGS FROM OLYMPIC MEDALIST CHRIS THOMPSON - This message is from a swimmer Coach Steve used to coach in Oregon. He is currently the American Record holder in the Mile and was the Bronze medalist in the last Olympics in the Mile:

Greetings,
Steve recently contacted me and told me he had a really good group of swimmers going to a championship meet this coming weekend. I just wanted to write and wish you all the best of luck. You have a great coach and my career has been a success because of all that he taught me when I was first coming up in the sport. He knows his stuff and you all will do great with him at the helm. As for the meet, just remember to swim tough, follow you race plan, and have a lot of fun. Don't get too worked up over your competitors and events, just go out there and get the job done. You've done the work, and if you've honestly put your best effort into your training, there is no reason why you shouldn't swim well. Have a great meet and best of luck to all of you. I'm sure I'll meet some of you in the fall if/when we get something set up for me to head down there. Again, all the best to all of you...
Chris Thompson

SEND YOUR LEGISLATORS A POSTCARD - Many of us got yellow cards in the mail about HB920. I collected some cards over the weekend and would be willing to collect some more and give them to Jason Crowell. People who live in Jason's district could fill out the card and put it in the Rau folder. I will collect them next Thursday night (2/19) and send them in. - Dan Rau. Editor's Note: HB920 would allow high school athletes to participate in club teams at the same time. Additional instructions (74k Adobe pdf) are available from Ozark Swimming.

GREAT TIMES MEET Feb. 6-8, 2004 - Complete Results - Gator Results

* * * PARENT MEETING NOTICE * * *
A meeting to discuss the Great Times meet will be held on Tuesday, February 3, at 6:00 pm in the Junior High School auditorium (building next to Central Pool). PLEASE attend in order to hear important information about the meet. Specific information will be given concerning each area of responsibility. It is imperative that timers especially attend this meeting. The deadline to sign up to work at the meet is Friday January 30. REMINDER - If you don’t sign up by the 30th, you could be assessed $25 per each day of the meet. Your presence is critical to the success of the meet!

UPDATED GREAT TIMES LINEUP - Coach has again updated the Gator lineup for Great Times. Please check your events!

HOTEL INFO for upcoming meets:

Ozark Challenge Feb. 21-22: Drury Inn & Suites at Creve Coeur, ask for Gator Swim Team rate of $72.99 by Feb. 6. 800-325-0720
Ozark Championship Feb. 27-29: Holiday Inn by RecPlex (ask for Gator Swim Team rate of $69) call 800-767-3837; Drury Inn 800-325-0720 (ask for Gator rate of $72.99 by Feb. 13)

SIGN-UP SHEETS for the Great Times Meet are now posted on the bulletin board. Please sign up for the area in which you wish to work for the meet. Remember that each family is required to provide one person for one session per day of the meet. Meet sign-up info (34k Adobe PDF) is also in your family's file folder.

GATOR IN THE NEWS - Jameson Kuper makes us proud in a Southeast Missourian feature article published Jan. 8, 2004.

AD REMINDER: Psych Sheet ads are due Wednesday Jan. 7th!

GATOR-WEAR AVAILABLE - The following extra Gator-wear is available for immediate purchase (call Alicia Scott at 335-0580):

Black long sleeve T-shirt with Gator logo, $12, one XL, two youth medium, one adult large, one adult small available
Black hooded sweatshirt with Gator logo, $23, one large, one XL available.
Grey hooded sweatshirt with Gator logo, $18, youth medium, adult small, adult large available
Flannel shorts, $10, one M, one L, two XL available
Boys Gator suit size 28, $25
Green shorts, youth medium, $10
Short sleeve grey Gator shirts, $7, three adult large, three adult medium, 1 adult small available.

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