[Breeze]

2015 ESSZ Age Group Sectionals – GaTech – 3/12-3/15

So Coach Andy emailed us the events that the kids are currently scheduled to swim at Sectionals. At this meet, kids can swim up to 3 events a day, but no more than 8 individual events in total. Here is what the schedule currently looks like:

Bailey

400 IM
50 Fly
200 Back
100 Fly
50 Back
200 Fly
100 Back
200 IM

200 Free Relay – A Team
200 Medley Relay – A Team

Not surprisingly, Bailey is all Fly, Back and the longer IMs. I was a bit surprised to find out Bailey will have 2 relays. I didn’t think four 11-12 year old girls actually had Sectional Cuts (and it is possible they don’t, because the event is local, they may be bringing girls in just for the relay). I’m going to assume the relay will be the same girls from state – Julia, Reagan, and probably Jordan, but I’ll clear this up when I know more.

Bear

1000 Free
200 Free
100 IM
100 Fly
100 Free
500 Free
200 Fly
200 IM

200 Free Relay – B Team
200 Medley Relay – B Team

As for Bear, he’s got some problems because of the schedule. Coach would like for him to swim the 400 IM, but it is swum the first day along with the 1000 Free, and there is basically no way to swim both competitively. The coach has him in the 1000 because it is his better event right now, and he’s only 3 seconds from a team record, and the coach really wants him to break that record. Also, the 1650 is the last day of the meet. Right now Bear isn’t scheduled to swim it, because it is unclear if the event will be scored 11-12s and 13-14s, or if it will be scored 14 and unders. Once that is determined Bear’s schedule may change.

Also surprisingly, Bear is currently on the B relay for both Free and Medley. When I found that out, I was shocked…so I looked into it. Basically, it all comes down to a mistake in the entries at the state meet. I don’t think I noted this in my state write-up, because I figured it would get corrected and there would be no fallout…but during the 200 Free Relay, Bear’s A team swimmers where listed under the B Team results and vice versa. So the leadoff leg on the B team was credited with Nicklas’ 26.03 time…which is not only faster than Bear, it is close enough to Nate, that it shuffled the Medley relay moving Nate to the fly leg, and giving the kid who erroneously is credited with Nicklas’ time the free leg. It is extremely frustrating, and I have pointed out the error to Bear’s coach. Hopefully it will get fixed, because this change not only aces Bear out of two strong relays, it will cost Gold over 2 seconds and probably several spots in the standings and points for the team.