One Last Splash

ODSL Swimmers Take Final Shot at All-Star Berths

By Paul Tenorio

Saturday, July 19, 2008

On the final weekend of the Old Dominion Swim League's regular season, many of the swimmers racing across the county were diving into the lanes for the final time this summer.

But for swimmers like Lenah Run’s Haley Marshall and Exeter’s Kyle Frazier, the meet provided a final opportunity to extend their season one more week.

The 15-year-olds were two of many swimmers across the county hoping to be among the final additions to the All-Star meet next weekend. But with swimmers who registered a top-18 time this summer already qualified, only the top six times from across the league in each event would make the cut. With kids from 25 teams across five meets shooting for those final slots, each race had an added excitement as kids pushed to make the top six.

Marshall and Frazier were among 325 swimmers from five teams competing in a Divisional meet at Exeter in Leesburg, and both said their races had a different feel with an All-Star berth at stake.

"It brings more momentum with me [in the races]," Frazier said. "I concentrate, get in the zone better. I really want to swim All-Stars because the rest of the team is there. They’re really good and encouraging and it gets in your head and helps you swim faster."

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Divisional Meet at Exeter

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Timers await Exeter's Kyle Frazier as he leads the 15-18 boys' 50-meter breaststroke on July 19. (Paul Tenorio)

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Lenah Run's Haley Marshall swims in the 15-18 girls' 50-meter butterfly on July 19. (Paul Tenorio)

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Lenah Run's Daniel Garbus turns at the wall in the 13-14 boys' 100-meter individual medley on July 19. (Paul Tenorio)

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Frazier finished first in all three of his events – the 50-meter freestyle and breaststroke and 100-meter individual medley – and had high hopes for qualification. After recently returning from a swim camp at the University of Virginia, Frazier dropped a little over one second in the breaststroke on Saturday.

"He got trained pretty hard [at UVA] and was pretty tired but he got down to that 40 which is where we want him," Exeter Coach Nick Grzeda said. "I really hope [he made the cut.] I would have been a little more comfortable with a 39 but we’ll see what happens. … I think he’s got a good shot."

Marshall finished first in the 50 free with a time of 35.63 and the 50 fly (40.47) and said she hoped her performance was enough to send her to All-Stars, where she would join her sister Alexie, 16.

"I’m trying to give it all I got,” Marshall said. “I talked to my sister about it and she told me to bring all my game so I kind of zone out [before races] and focus on that.”

Lenah Run Coach Tamara Yaunches said that with kids already heaping expectations on themselves, and pressure to make All-Stars building practices this week focused on keeping things relaxed.

"I think some of the kids get a little nervous, they really want it so bad," Yaunches said. "And I have some swimmers who don’t go to All-Stars and are here and invest their time so it’s just a chance to do well and end their season on a high note.

"I learned my lesson a while ago that the more pressure you put on your swimmers the worse they swim so I really try to tell them to go out there and have fun and just do their best."

The top times from the meets were compiled Saturday night.

Tagged: Old Dominion Swim League, youth sports

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