Orcas Get Rolled by Rolling Hills

It’s not often that a team has a shot at perfection.  The funny thing about being perfectly winless as an Orca in 2011 is that it really doesn’t matter. 

Swimming, like golf and singles tennis, is an individual sport, with teams put together by individual performances.  Nobody is passing a ball to an open teammate, blocking for the freight train behind them or moving a runner along the base paths to get into scoring position. The only team performances that take place are in relays–events in which the top performers participate and those swimmers make up a small minority of the team. 

What really matters is that the kids are getting exercise, improving and having fun, and by that measure 2011 is a very successful year for the Orcas.  Winning meets as a team would be nice, but it’s hardly necessary in the scheme of things.

This week’s top Orca performers scoring best times in all three of their individual events include:

Girls 8 & Under–Danielle Grubb and Karina Yamini

Boys 8 & Under–Marley Elwood

Boys 9 & 10–Jason Burris

Girls 11-12–Erin O’Rourke

Girls 13-14–Natalie Wambach (who scored two first places and a third!)

Boys 13-14–Walter Roggenkamp

Girls 15-18–Dakota Chamberlin (scored with a first and a second place finish), Emma Pedlar and Morgan Sailing

Boys 15-18 J.P. Campbell (a first and second) and Nicholas Rossa (a second and third).

Blake Thompson continues to impress in the Boys 8 & Under category, this week with two first place finishes and best times in both the breaststroke and IM. 

Perennial powerhouse Boys 9-10 Jonah Albers scored best times in both freestyle and breaststroke on his way to second and first place finishes respectively. 

Equally impressive Corban McIntosh got first and second places and best times in the breaststroke and IM. 

Watching these kids swim one has to wonder when it’s too early for college recruiters to start contacting parents about their rising stars.

Other noteworthy performances include Boys 13-14 Zach Kent who got best times and second and third places in the breaststroke and butterfly. 

Two very impressive young ladies in the water swimming as Girls 15-18 are Madalyn Kenney who got best times in the breaststroke and IM while grabbing second and third and Juliette Retornaz who beat everyone in butterfly and scored a second place in backstroke, both of which were best times.

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference, like my own older daughter, henceforth to be referred to as Sky (she’s dropping the ‘lee’ – and I was the one who came up with the name Skylee too!), who got best times in both the IM and breaststroke.  In the breaststroke for the first time this year she took a second place that scored points for the team!  As a nine year old we would not expect her to contribute to the team point totals, so this is a welcome surprise.  Next year as a ten year old at the top of the 9-10 age bracket Sky will likely make a lot of noise in the league. Last year as an eight year old at the top of her age bracket she enjoyed a lot of success.

In the meantime her younger sister Sabrina has officially rejoined the team.  Sabrina earlier this year decided she didn’t want to swim but couldn’t take hanging around the pool on Saturday mornings without being part of the action so she is an Orca once again. 

I’m not so sure that’s what made the difference for her though.  During one of the first cold Saturday morning meets we let Sky have a cup of noodles because she was swimming and we wouldn’t let Sabrina.  I think that’s what changed Sabrina’s mind more than anything.  It was not being able to have that cup of noodles.  After that she was willing to start practicing and be part of the team.  Hot chocolate after Friday evening practices didn’t hurt either, nor did the prospect of ribbons and fun team events.  I’m just glad to have both of my daughters participating again!        

Click here for more photos from the swim meets.

Editor's note: In an earlier version of this article, Morgan Sailing's name was misspelled.