All Star Banquet

Sep 29, 2009

 
Congratulation to our Stingray Georgia swimming All stars.  Sept 27th was the All Star Banquet in Atlanta. Only about 10% of Georgia swimmers achieve this honor.

Chloe Miller, Emily Najar, Kamaria Mahone, Emily Meilus, and Stockton McGuire all received recognition and All Star Towels.  Also 2 new DCS swimmers Justin Moore and Sean Morin also made the qualifying times. The minimum standard is AAA time in any race... our 10 and under girls had a combined 35 AAA swims and over 23 AAAA times.

The guest Speaker was Atlanta’s own Amanda Weir American record holder in 50 and 100 free. silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic games. She spoke of the importance of enjoying swimming and owning your swimming, don’t swim for your coach or parents swim for yourself.

read news article below

 

There were no signs of rust from the Douglas County Stingrays as they opened the 2009-10 short course season in Columbus last weekend.
   The Stingrays had 15 swimmers to place in the top 12 in scoring at the Hurricane Classic in their respective age group, with 11 first place finishes and four competitors making age-group state qualifying times in eight events.
 Chloe Miller, 11, led the way for the Stingrays with five first place finishes to capture the high-point award in the 11-12 age-group division. The Stingrays had the top three high-point scorers in that age group with Emily Najar, 11, producing the second-most points and Kamaria Mahone, 11, finishing third in individual scoring.
   Miller won the 50-yard freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 100 free and 50 fly. She made state qualifying times in the 50 free, 200 Individual Medley and 100 back. Also making state qualifying times were Mahone in the 50 breaststroke and Najar in the 50 fly. Chad Martin, 12, made state times in the 200 I.M., 50 and 100 breast.
   “The Hurricane meet is always a great start to the season,” Stingrays coach Judy Prokopiak said. “Quite a few great swims mean we are on the road to an exceptional year ahead.”
   Overall, the Stingrays finished fourth overall out of 12 teams at the three-day meet held at the D.A. Turner YMCA.
   Other high-point winners included Lindsey Dowling, Bailee Spivey, Lindsey Dowling, Jessie Crews, Stacie Evans, Robert Blanchard, Kirsten Lockhard, Emma Gwinn, Mark Vickers, Madison Moore, Ashley Alexander and Christian-Malachy Porter.
   Both Evans and Porter are making a comeback after being sidelined the majority of last season with injuries. Porter, 8, won the 25 fly and was second in the 25 back.
   Prokopiak also noted that some of the first time swimmers had a good meet.
   “Many of our new and novice swimmers swam very poised for their first meet,” she said.
   In addition to a successful meet, seven members of the Stingrays were named to the Georgia Swimming All-Stars, which held its banquet September 28 at the Hilton Northwest in Norcross. Olympian Amanda Weir was the guest speaker for the event.
   Making the all-star were Miller, Moore, Mahone and Najar in addition to Sean Morin and Stockton McGuire. Moore and Morin, new to the team, achieved the standard with their previous teams.
 Emily Meilus also made all-star before moving to Washington, D.C. over the summer.
   To make all-star, a swimmer has to achieve at least one AAA national motivational time standard during the 2008-09 short course or 2008 long course season. Miller, Mahone, Meilus and Najar combined for 35 AAA swims and over 23 AAAA time season.
   Weir is the American record holder in the 50 and 100 free in addition to winning the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics. She encouraged the packed ballroom to enjoy swimming and to “own your swimming”, and not to swim for “your coach or parents”, but swim for yourself.