What an impressive state meet, I was so happy to be a part of it! I want to thank all families for making the effort and driving down to White River Junction on a very hot and very long weekend. According to Swimtopia reports, we had 75% improvement in times or 179 swims out of the 239 swims were best times, which was incredible. I loved seeing the excitement and enthusiasm. Swimmers were crowding the deck cheering their teammates on. I loved the sportsmanship and camaraderie, that is what these meets are all about. Also what was fun was the creative sharpie body art that these meets have created an opportunity for. I think at least on Sunday the 11-12 boys got the most audacious and impressive body art award with the red sharpie beards. Everytime I looked over at them my eyes did a double take, good work boys. Hopefully the art has finally faded and faces are back to normal.

        Now back to a run down of the swimming side of things, starting with the 8&Unders and the 10&Unders wow. As I look through the results the impressive performances are astounding. Winnie Sutherland, Quinn Melasky, Sadie Klogan, and Ginny Koerner had big time drops and exciting races in the 6&Under 25 Free and also had a super fun all 6&Under Freestyle Relay that they competed in together on Sunday. I can’t wait to see what these girls do in the years to come, watch out VSA! For the 6&Under Boys, Bennett Main had his first heat ribbon and overall 4th place finish in the 25 Free, along with stellar performances of Henry Newcomb and Julian St. Peter. Sorry I couldn’t make an all 6&Under relay happen for you boys, but it was a really good meet nonetheless.

        The 8&Under swimmer of the meet would have to go to Sydney Brown. I think every swim she had was a major time drop. She dropped over 11 seconds in her 50 free to earn a 3rd place in the event along with high places and time improvements in the 100IM, 25 Bk, and 25Fr. Her enthusiasm was infectious. Although I do question her decision to ride home from the meet in her brand new towel pants and states sweatshirt in the 90degree heat. Another outstanding swimmer was Posey Wannop who dominated the 8&Under 25 Fly by almost a second, way to go Vermont State Champion. Posey loves to race and loves to swim fast, it was inspiring to watch. Also to round out the 8&Under girls crowd were Sumi Koerner, Bella Atladonna, and Marin Schwartz, all with great swims and team spirit. For the 8&Under boys, thanks Sam Miller and family for delaying your trip to swim some races on Saturday, your relay and team really appreciated it. Way to go Thomas Melasky for time drops in some big events, the 50 Fr and 100IM, way to represent. Also James Mack, Bruce Sharkey, and Evan Clogan, good meet, thanks for bringing your very best. And Mickey Brown wow good job, way to drop some time and race hard especially in that 25 Bk!

       On to the 9-10 Girls, this squad has been a force to recon with the entire season and it was not different at this meet. The swimmer of the meet would have to go to Aubrey Dalhstrom, for battling with an almost healed hairline fracture in her wrist. She still fought hard and nearly held off the lead in the anchor leg of the Medley Relay, ultimately resulting in a very close 2nd place finish. That was a fun race to watch. Also Mavis Gurry, was unstoppable in the 50 Back and 100IM, was to go. Kendall St. Peter had incredible performances in her 50 and 25Fly. Alice Stoner dropped time in every event she did. Along with Tara Clogan, Mabel English, Tory Wannop, and Maggie Sharkey rounding out the team. We had 2 solid relay teams, not many other teams did. Thank you all, job well done. For the Boys, a big pat on the back and thank you goes to Charlie Brown, he represented BTC in the 50 Bk with a 4th place finish in an event he did not necessarily want to do. Also I want to recognize the big time drops and stellar performances of Emmett Donovan and Will Wannop, I think everyone of their swims were best times. Also great job Wesley Karlhuber and Gabe Stanton-Geddes for bringing your very best. You guys are all awesome.

       For the 11-12 girls it is hard to single out just one outstanding swimmer, all of you were incredible. Cailin Fitzgerald, Lara Martinez, and Fiona Agnew had the largest amount of time drops. I think every swim was a best time, great work! Xandra McClean had a great meet as well, with her 2nd and 4th place finishes in her 50Bk and 100Bk. Selma Citarella dropped some time on her 50 Br along with Maddie Stanton-Geddes. Susie Sutherland, cracked 1:40, in her 100Br, job well done! Alissa Pavlov and Sasha Balyakin thanks for some great swimming and team spirit. It was great to see you all being such a strong, tight knit group. For the boys side, we already established points for the sharpie beards, good work. But I also want to thank you for bringing your best in the pool. Charlie Stinchcombe gets swimmer of the meet for 11-12 Boys, he dropped time and excelled in every event he did. He earned 2nd place in the 200 free and 3rd in the 100Fly, which are very impressive finishes in very challenging events. Townsend English, Jack Donovan, Jack Main, and Eliot Murphy had time drops in every event. Way to go! But the most impressive display of team spirit was Jake Suskin, for swimming the backstroke leg of the 15-18 Boys B Medley Relay. His performance and bravery in swimming this event with guys double his size, allowed 3 other boys a chance to swim a relay. Thank you Jake you are a hero!

        Thank you 13-14 year olds, this age group really took one for the team swimming challenging events and events they do not usually swim. Thank you Lucy Stadtmauer for swimming both the 50 and 100 Butterfly events in addition to your usual Breaststroke events. You scored some points for the team and contributed largely. Cameron Gurry and Tess Day your 1,2, finish in the 200 Free was amazing, along with your performances in your other swims. Thanks Emma Main for your impressive 3rd place finish in the 500 Free. Katie Sumner thanks for being a teamplayer and swimming the 500 free, 100fly, 100Bk, and 50 Fr, max events in the meet all in one day! Thanks for your team efforts. I also want to recognize the big time drops and impressive performances of Zoe Martinez (8th place 100Br) and Lila Murphy (8th place in 50 Bk and 100Bk). On the 13-14 year old Boys side there were only 3 swimmers, Matias Citarella, Sam Doherty, and Jack Foster. They swam hard and had many good races. Jack Foster had a great 100 free. Matias had big time drops in his 50 fly and 100Br- both good enough to earn him impressive 2nd place finishes. Sam Doherty had a great 6th place finish in his 50 Fly. Thanks for doing a great job boys!

      Last but certainly not least the 15-18 year olds. For the girls, Mya Peters gets the iron lady award, she swam all the longest events; starting with the 500 free (a 30 second time drop), then the 200 free and the 200IM on Sunday. Way to take one or three rather for the team Mya. Marin Hemmett had a great meet too, earning 1st in the 50 Br, 100Br, and 200IM. She also earned 2nd in the 100IM. Ella Cooper was unstoppable in her events, 50 and 100 Free, 100 Fly and 200IM all first place finishes, wow! Ester Cuneo did a great job battling back from a knee injury and still being top of the podium, or near top in all her swims. Natalia thanks for swimming and helping your team out Saturday, it was great to have you. Also Laura Hoak, always impressive to watch swim your underwaters on your backstroke. You are a great competitor, I am going to miss having you swim for us, as you move on to college in the fall. Now for the boys side, hold onto your hats. The Russell boys were on fire. Simon and Jacob tied in the 50 fly, Jacob got the 17-18 state record but Simon did not get the 15-16 record because it was .03 seconds faster. What a fun race to watch! Also Luc Gagnon set the 15-16 state record in the 50 Bk, in another incredible swim. Both the 200 Medley and 200 Free Relay teams set state records as well. Great job boys! Thank you Dan Coel, Rudd Day, Simon Russell, Jacob Russell, Luc Gagnon, Anderson McEnaney, and Adriel Mendez for bringing the energy and excitement. You are all very impressive and fun to watch. Great meet!

      So if you made it to the end of this dissertation, I applaude you. Thanks everyone for a great first season. I appreciate each and everyone of you! Thank you swimmers, parents, volunteers, and fellow coaches for making this a memorable and successful season! Way to go State Champions! Go BTC! Have a great rest of your summer everyone and I hope you keep swimming. 

Oh and if you have medals and awards to collect they are located in labelled baggies at the clubhouse. Also we are getting a State Champion t-shirt made if you would like one to commemorate this season then fill out the order form and we will have a shirt made for you. 

Thanks everyone!

Hilary