Englewood Herald > Sports
Pirates host big swim meet
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| Englewood's April French-Mack nears the wall to complete the final lap of the 200-meter freestyle during the Jan. 13 meet against Aurora Central. French-Mack posted a time of 2:51.41 to take second in the event. Photo by Tom Munds |
By Tom Munds
A couple hundred young women wearing swim caps and suits will line the edges of the pool Jan. 17 for the annual Englewood Intra-State 8 Invitational Swim Meet.
Englewood has hosted the eight-team competition for more than three decades and this year, teams include the Pirates, Cherry Creek, Colorado Academy, Kennedy, Kent Denver, Platte Canyon, Skyview and Westminster.
It is a regular swim meet. The only difference is each team can only have one entry per event.
Action begins at 9 a.m. at the Englewood High School pool. The pool entrance is located off the parking lot adjacent to the tennis court on the north side of the building and southeast of the Lowell building.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students with school identification.
The Pirates will be at a bit of a disadvantage at the Jan. 17 meet because of the team’s small roster.
However, Coach Tracey Lonn said the team remains basically unchanged since starting the season with 18 on the roster.
She said she was pleased that all the girls returned to practice after the Christmas holiday break and that they continue to work hard in practice and in the meets.
Lonn lauded the efforts of the athletes that resulted in swimmers recording faster times and divers increasing their scores every week.
The small roster creates a need for every team member to compete in several events. Rules permit an athlete to compete in four events, one of which must be a relay. Just about all the Pirates compete in the maximum number of events. The coach said while at most league schools divers are specialists, all three Pirate divers also swim in one or more events.
She said that one of the divers, Alisa Luker, is a triple threat as she dives, swims and sings the National Anthem at home meets.
The coach said one surprise this season is the emergence of Corrine Winthrop as a competitive entry in the 200 individual medley in her first year swimming the event.
Winthrop posted her best time and won her first individual medley event at the Jan. 13 meet against Aurora Central.
She said she enjoys swimming but gets bored swimming the same strokes all the time. So, she decided to try in the individual medley, which requires the athlete to swim 50 meters in each of four different strokes, freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke.
Winthrop also recorded a first Jan. 8 as she won the 100-meter breaststroke in the meet against Centaurus.
“I had my best time in the event and it was exciting,” she said. “The first-place finish also was important to me because I came in first in a meet against a team that was stronger than our team. That was special.”
Englewood has hosted the eight-team competition for more than three decades and this year, teams include the Pirates, Cherry Creek, Colorado Academy, Kennedy, Kent Denver, Platte Canyon, Skyview and Westminster.
It is a regular swim meet. The only difference is each team can only have one entry per event.
Action begins at 9 a.m. at the Englewood High School pool. The pool entrance is located off the parking lot adjacent to the tennis court on the north side of the building and southeast of the Lowell building.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students with school identification.
The Pirates will be at a bit of a disadvantage at the Jan. 17 meet because of the team’s small roster.
However, Coach Tracey Lonn said the team remains basically unchanged since starting the season with 18 on the roster.
She said she was pleased that all the girls returned to practice after the Christmas holiday break and that they continue to work hard in practice and in the meets.
Lonn lauded the efforts of the athletes that resulted in swimmers recording faster times and divers increasing their scores every week.
The small roster creates a need for every team member to compete in several events. Rules permit an athlete to compete in four events, one of which must be a relay. Just about all the Pirates compete in the maximum number of events. The coach said while at most league schools divers are specialists, all three Pirate divers also swim in one or more events.
She said that one of the divers, Alisa Luker, is a triple threat as she dives, swims and sings the National Anthem at home meets.
The coach said one surprise this season is the emergence of Corrine Winthrop as a competitive entry in the 200 individual medley in her first year swimming the event.
Winthrop posted her best time and won her first individual medley event at the Jan. 13 meet against Aurora Central.
She said she enjoys swimming but gets bored swimming the same strokes all the time. So, she decided to try in the individual medley, which requires the athlete to swim 50 meters in each of four different strokes, freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke.
Winthrop also recorded a first Jan. 8 as she won the 100-meter breaststroke in the meet against Centaurus.
“I had my best time in the event and it was exciting,” she said. “The first-place finish also was important to me because I came in first in a meet against a team that was stronger than our team. That was special.”
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