Joye--ful choice: Stanhope Elmore swimmer signs with
Longhorns
By Wesley Lyle • February 3, 2010
MILLBROOK -- Woody
Joye knew where he wanted to sign.
The Stanhope Elmore and Montgomery YMCA
Barracuda swimmer has known since his sophomore year where he
wanted to compete in college. That made his signing with the
University of Texas on Tuesday even better.
"This is where I've
wanted to go," Joye said. "It's good to be able to go to the
school of your dreams on an athletic scholarship."
Joye said he chose
Texas over USC, Auburn, Arizona, Michigan, LSU, Alabama, South
Carolina and Georgia -- among others. Texas has been ranked No.
1 for much of this season and has finished as the national
runner-up the past two seasons.
"I've got two good
friends that are at Texas on scholarships and they've had
nothing but good things to say about the program," Joye said.
"When I took my visit, I knew it was right. I like the coaches
and the program and I fell in love with the school and the city.
I felt like it was a place I could spend four years and be
successful."
A swimmer with the
Barracudas since he was 9 years old, Joye has won five national
YMCA championships (twice in the 400 individual medley, twice in
the 200 IM and once in the 200 freestyle) and six Alabama High
School Athletic Association state championships (twice in the
100 backstroke and once each in 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly,
500 freestyle and 200 IM).
Joye is the AHSAA
record holder in five of eight events. He set the 200 IM and 500
freestyle records in 2007 and the 100 backstroke and 200
freestyle records in 2008. This past December, he set record in
the 100 butterfly with a time of 48.76 seconds.
He also holds 30 team
records for the Barracudas.
"I've been in the
water since before I could walk and I've been with the
Barracudas since I was 9," Joye said. "The Barracudas have sent
swimmers on to several colleges and I've just tried to do my
part to continue building the program's name. I want to make my
family and coaches proud."
As for the future,
Joye said that like most swimmers, he'd love to have a shot at
the Olympics one day. But for now, his goals are more immediate.
"You have to take it
one step at a time," Joye said. "I want to go to Texas, work
hard and do as good a job as I can to help the team."
Stanhope Elmore and Montgomery YMCA
Barracuda swimmer Woody Joye signs with the University of
Texas on Tuesday.(Mickey Welsh)
Hitchcock Awards: Athletes all-stars of inspiration
By Josh Moon • jmoon@gannett.com
• May 8, 2009
Thirty-one years
after winning the Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award,
Charlie Anderson sat in the audience at this year's
ceremony and tried to convince himself that his son,
Roscoe, had a shot to win.
It was a long
shot, Charlie knew. Because of his small size, Roscoe,
who played baseball, football and basketball at
Catholic, didn't possess the athletic accomplishments of
most of the other 51 award nominees.
Fortunately
for the Andersons, the Hitchcock Award is less about
athletic achievement and more about Christian leadership
in athletics, academics and life.
Roscoe met
those requirements with ease, and, as committee chairman
Terry Price announced that the 2009 male winner was a
165-pound lineman, both he and his father knew a second
Hitchcock Award was coming home.
"I never
anticipated winning this," Roscoe said. "I was never the
most outstanding athlete. I was never an all-star. I was
never the biggest or the fastest. I never imagined I
could win. It's an unbelievable honor."
Anderson was
joined by Laura Johnson, who, as one of the most
decorated swimmers in Montgomery history, won the female
award.
Like Anderson,
Johnson convinced herself going into the ceremony that
she couldn't win.
"All of these
(other nominees) are so worthy," Johnson said. "I feel
so blessed right now. I thought there might have been a
chance, but there are just so many worthy nominees."
The first time
Johnson thought she might have a legitimate chance was
when Price began quoting the female winner's teachers.
"I thought,
'That could so be my teacher,'" Johnson said. "And then
right after that, he said something about swimming, and
I knew then, of course."
There's a
reason for that. In her swimming career, Johnson has won
two National YMCA championships, five state titles and
was a USA Swimming scholastic all-American. She recently
signed with Auburn, one of the top swimming programs in
the country, after receiving more than 100 scholarship
offers.
"Right off the
bat, we knew in speaking to Laura that she would be a
future leader of our swim team because of the type of
questions that she asked us, such as what is the
character of the team and her anticipated contribution
to the team," Auburn swim coach Brian Pursley told the
Hitchcock committee. "Not many other recruits ask those
types of questions."
Among her
other scholarship offers was an academic scholarship to
Auburn, thanks to a 4.12 grade-point average.
Anderson
wasn't a slouch in the classroom, either. With a 3.983
GPA, he earned full academic scholarships to Auburn,
Alabama and St. John's University (New York). He was
also a member of numerous youth and Christian leadership
organizations and held several school offices.
"I couldn't
expect him to win, but it honestly doesn't surprise me,"
Charlie Anderson said. "You hope as a parent to be
humbled by your children, and I have been. He's always
made the right choices. He's so mature. He exemplifies
what this award means far more than I did."
Catholic's Roscoe Anderson and LAMP's
Laura Johnson display their Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Awards
they received Thursday during a ceremony at Frazer Memorial
United Methodist Church. (Amanda Sowards)
February 2009
USA Swimming Master Coach Ed Spencer
to Visit MYB
USA
Swimming "Master Coach" Ed Spencer will visit the
Montgomery YMCA Barracuda Swim Team, February 23 -
25. Coach Spencer has led three major programs
including Industry Hills in Southern California,
Reno Aquatic Club in Nevada and Dynamo in Atlanta,
GA. He will be working closely with our coaches and
athletes during his stay, sharing his experiences
and challenging us all to make MYB even better.
Ed
Spencer has been a Master Coach Consultant with USA
Swimming since January of 2005. Prior to retiring
from coaching, Ed was the Head Coach of the Dynamo
Swim Club from January 1998 to October 2004. While
there, he led the Dynamo Swim Club to several 18 &
under National Championships, six consecutive years
of Southeastern Senior Sectional Champions and three
consecutive years (2002-2004) of second place
finishes in the USA Swimming’s Club Excellence
Program. Over 35 different swimmers attained Senior
National qualifying times and over 20 swimmers
attained Olympic Trials qualifying times during this
period with three swimmers winning National
Championships.
Prior
to coaching at Dynamo, he was the Head Coach at the
Reno Aquatic Club (1990-1998) where he had several
National Champions.
Ed was
the distance and IM coach (1979-1983) and Head Coach
at the Industry Hills Aquatic Club (1983-1990) where
four of his swimmers set more than ten American
Records and won more than twenty Senior National
titles. His swimmers represented the USA on the
1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic Teams.
HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING: Stanhope's pride, Joye wins 2
state titles
December 9, 2008
TUSCALOOSA -- Stanhope Elmore's Woody
Joye won two state high school swimming
championships in record-setting style Saturday.
Joye won the 200 freestyle in
1:38.39, breaking the previous record by more than 2
seconds, and the 100 backstroke in 50.03 seconds,
almost seven-tenths of a second better than the old
mark.
LAMP's Austin Abigt took silver in
the 50 freestyle and the 100
butterfly. His time of 21.99 seconds in the 50 free
trailed only the 20.24 of UMS-Wright's T.J. Leon.
Leon participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials this
summer.
Abigt finished the 100 butterfly
in 51.22 seconds. Daphne's Michael Dubose won in
50.65.
Prattville's
Jake Reynolds was second in the 100 freestyle in
45.53 seconds, behind Leon's 44.73. Reynolds was
also second to Joye in the 100 backstroke in 51.12
seconds.
Elmore County High's Charles
Ballard was second in the 100 breaststroke. His time
of 1:01.03 trailed just the 57.61 of
Catholic-Huntsville's Tyler Kaliszak.
Bob Jones won the team
championship with 3021/2 points. Auburn was second
with 2501/2 and Huntsville third with 162.
GIRLS
LAMP's Johnson wins title
TUSCALOOSA -- LAMP's Laura Johnson
won the 200 individual medley state championship by
almost seven seconds Saturday.
Johnson
finished in 2:05.58. She was also second in the 100
breaststroke in 1:03.96. Auburn's Megan Molnar won
the 100 breast in 1:02.46.
Trinity's Rebecca Young was fourth
in the 100 butterfly and sixth in the 100
breaststroke.
Grissom was the team champion. The
Tigers scored 193 points, ahead of Auburn's 164 and
St. Paul's 161.
-- From staff reports
Prattville star swimmer Reynolds dives in with UA's program
By Jimmy White
Progress writer
Jacob Reynolds signed an athletic scholarship
Wednesday with The University of Alabama, where he
will be a member of the swim team. Seated, from
left, are his father, Joe Reynolds; Jacob Reynolds;
mother, Mary'Heather Reynolds; standing, Prattville
High School athletic director Jamey Dubose; PHS swim
coach Paul Mieilke; siblings, Caleb, Sarah, Josiah,
John and Noble; and PHS principal Lee Hicks.
Prattville star swimmer Reynolds dives in with UA's
program. - Angelique Suzanne,
Progress
Prattville High School senior swimmer Jacob Reynolds signed
a letter of intent Wednesday morning in the school's
library to attend The University of Alabama on athletic
scholarship.
Reynolds began swimming as a youth in the city of
Prattville's Department of Leisure Services Flying Fish
program, where his father, Joe Reynolds, has been the
long-time coach of the award-winning program. He also swam
with the Montgomery Barracudas swim team in addition to
Prattville High School swim team.
Reynolds chose Alabama over the University of
Louisville, the University of Kentucky and Auburn
University.
"I took my visits to the other schools, and I just really
felt more at home at the University," Reynolds said. "The
program seemed to fit me more comfortably and also I have a
couple of friends from Montgomery (Luke Boutwell, Clint
McClendon) that I had swam with in Montgomery with the
Barracudas that are on the Alabama swim team. That played a
part in my decision. The biggest thing for me was the school
itself. I just enjoyed it there and felt it is the best for
me to spend the next four years."
The University of Alabama swim coach is Eric McIllauham.
One of the assistant coaches is James Barber, who is a
native of Prattville.
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: LAMP senior Johnson signs to
swim at AU
By Wesley Lyle • November
19, 2008
Laura Johnson looked happy and relieved Tuesday
as she made her college decision official.
The LAMP senior and longtime Montgomery YMCA
Barracuda swimmer signed with Auburn
University.
"This has been a long process and it feels
good to have it finished," Johnson said. "I'm looking forward to Auburn.
I've been an Auburn fan, so this wasn't a hard
decision.
"It's been in my mind that I wanted to swim
in college since I started high school. It's
always been a dream and it's finally becoming a
reality."
Johnson is LAMP's third Division I signee
since 2000 and the sixth overall. She is the
school's first swimmer to sign.
"Laura has been a great asset to our school,
not just with her swimming, but with her
personality and character," LAMP athletic
director Conni Sikes said. "She is a true leader
in ever sense of the word."
Johnson is a five-time Alabama High School
Athletic Association champion, winning the
breaststroke three times and the 200 Individual
Medley twice. She was second in the 200 IM as a
freshman. In 2007, Johnson set the state record
for the 100 breaststroke and the 200 IM.
Johnson was the YMCA national champion in
the 100 and 200 breaststroke this past April.
She is an eight-time YMCA All-American, a title
given to swimmers who finish in the top eight
at the YMCA nationals.
"The national championships were the big ones,
because I prepared all season for that," Johnson
said. "The high school championships were great
too. (With the state meet coming up),
I want to maintain and repeat if I can."
LAMP's Laura Johnson
signs to swim for
Auburn University
in 2009. Johnson is
LAMP's third
Division I signee
since 2000 and the
sixth overall.
(Amanda Sowards)
Johnson will compete in the AHSAA state meet
at the University of Alabama on Dec. 5-6.
"She has worked extremely hard to achieve a
high level of success in high school," YMCA
Barracudas' coach Paul Mielke said. "Training
with better swimmers is only going to make her
better. Auburn has one of the strongest swimming
programs."
The Auburn women won five national titles in
six years from 2002-2007 and were No. 2 in the
nation last season.
"It's exciting to become part of a team like
that," Johnson said. "I want to be able to
contribute and try to help them win more
national championships."
October 2008
Barracudas display skills at fall meet
By Davita M. Cade • Special to
the Advertiser • October 3, 2008
As an inauguration for their upcoming season, the
YMCA Barracudas Swim Team competed in the recent
Birmingham Swim League-Sprint into the Fall Swim
Meet.
There were 30 swimmers ages 6-18 years old who
participated.
These swimmers are from different schools
throughout the river region. Joe Reynolds, a coach
for the Barracudas, described their performance as a
job well done.
"We did well," he said. "I was proud of our
swimmers and their performance as individuals."
The swim meet did not judge the swimmers as a
team but looked at their individual performance.
Reynolds said that this meet could be described as
the Barracudas baseline meet in which they see where
their players are and where they want them to be.
The meet also provided a preview of how the team
is going to do for the fall season. Reynolds praised
all of his swimmers but some stood out because of
their consistency. Those swimmers were Matthias
Smith, 8, McAwley Parker, 9, Meg Walker, 8, Tori
Arnold, 12, and Lorraine Hicks, 17.
The Barracudas hope to use that meet as a
stepping stone to the season. Over the past month
the various teams and practice groups have been
gradually formed based on skill level and
experience.
Several of the YMCA Barracudas swimmers competed
on summer league teams and now the coaches are
helping them get back into groove of all around
swimming for their upcoming season.
Reynolds anticipates that they will have a good
season and welcomes support from the community. He
expects his swimmers to continue to do well. He
stresses consistency with an eye toward improving
each week.
An upcoming event for the YMCA Barracudas is a
big swim meet in mid-October held in Auburn.
"This is one of the more competitive meets and we
are preparing our swimmers now for it," said
Reynolds.
The Barracudas plan on sending a 60 swimmers to
that meet. The Barracudas head coach is Paul Mileke.
For more information on the YMCA Barracudas, visit
www.mybswim.org.
July 2008
Spirit, love of water forge bond between
champion, blind 8-year-old
By Kym Klass • kklass@gannett.com
• July 10, 2008
PRATTVILLE -- Woody Joye
holds two national YMCA titles in the
individual medley, but he had to surf the
Web to find out how to teach Maddie Allen
how to swim competitively.
Eight-year-old Maddie is
blind and Woody, only 16 himself, didn't
know where to start in coaching her.
She couldn't see what the butterfly or the
crawl looked like -- strokes second nature
to him. He and the other coaches of the
Flying Fish swim team would have to find
another way to teach her proper technique.
They found the guidance they needed on the
Internet: Maddie needed to be touched with a
"tapper," a long stick
with a soft ball attached to the end, to
keep her from hitting the lane rope or the
wall when she should turn or stop.
So Woody taps. When Maddie
is doing the crawl, Woody is out front
walking backwards, and gently taps her when
she starts swimming toward a lane rope.
And Woody talks. When Maddie is swimming
backstroke and starts getting close to the
wall, Woody calls out "5-4-3-2-1." On "1,"
she touches the wall.
"I do like to swim," Maddie said. "My
favorite stroke is butterfly. It was hard to
learn, but I did it, with Mr. Woody."
Woody gives his protege the credit.
"She follows rules real well," he said. "She
gets better each day."
Maddie couldn't have any better teacher than
Woody in Joe Reynolds' estimation.
"She has got one of the top swimmers in the
United States helping her to come along,"
said Reynolds, head coach of the Flying
Fish.
In April, Woody won the national YMCA titles
for the 400 and the 200 individual medley --
with times of 3:52.89 and 1:50.84,
respectively.
"Woody was a little 6-year-old sitting on
this pool deck and crying because he did not
like the sport," Reynolds recalled. "And now
he's being looked at by colleges, but he's
too young for recruiting."
Maddie, whose blindness is the result of
being born 24 weeks early, joined the Flying
Fish's pre-team last year. The team, which
prepares swimmers for competition, embraced
Maddie.
When Maddie decided she wanted to swim
competitively, "we were more than willing to
bring her on to the team," Reynolds said.
"This is helping Maddie to develop her
swimming skills and gain a lot of confidence
in an environment that maybe she is not used
to," he said. "And she has really taken to
that. She's not afraid of anything. And
thanks to her coaching, she has come a long
way in her swimming skills."
Woody enjoys the time he spends with Maddie,
even though it's his job.
"She really wants to know how to do it, and
she tries hard, so I definitely want to work
with her," he said.
Another coach, Martie Brown, brags on how
well Maddie has learned all the strokes and
is glad the city is giving her the
opportunity to do something she loves.
"The city here has given her the ability to
get some different times in (the water), and
some of the older kids give their time to
work with her," Brown said. "Maddie has a
chance at being a great swimmer like all the
rest."
Melinda Allen wants her daughter to get out
there and try, to not be afraid of
challenges.
"I have always encouraged Maddie to be a
part of this community and when she and I
accomplish something, it paves the way for
other children here," said Allen, who works
with babies and children who have
developmental delays or disabilities as
intervention coordinator for Autauga/Western
Elmore counties.
Maddie has thrived -- in and out of the pool
-- because of all the help from her coaches.
Day to day, she is simply more confident.
"It's neat to see how much she's
progressed," her mom said. "She goes home
every day and practices all those strokes.
That's her world."
May 2008
RECREATION: Barracudas make
waves at swim nationals
By Davita M.
Cade • Special to the Advertiser •
May 16, 2008
"A Stroke of Success" is a quote
used by the Montgomery YMCA
Barracuda Swim Team. Recently,
that motto was put to use while
the team took nine competitors
to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to
compete in the YMCA National
Championship.
This elite team
of nine competed against about
260 other teams and 1,600 other
swimmers from across the nation
and out of all of those teams,
the Barracudas
placed 8th in the
nation. Along with that two
members of the Barracudas
won
big at nationals -- Laura
Johnson and Woody Joye.
Coach Paul Mielke gave rave
reviews for his swim team,
acknowledging their expertise in
swimming and dedication to the
sport.
"I believe that we have some
of the best high school swimmers
in the country," said Mielke, a
former member of the Auburn
University swim team who had
coached the Barracuda Swim Team
for about five years. "Almost
all of our kids in the program
get swim scholarships."
He emphasizes that this is
one of his top priorities as a
coach is to get his swimmer s
scholarships. Among some of the
colleges that show interest
and/or recruit his swimmers are:
Georgia Tech, Auburn University,
University of Alabama, Missouri
University, Colorado State and
Cleveland State. "I stress that
they should work on the little
things and make them better,"
said Mielke.
Johnson, 17, a junior at LAMP
High School followed her
coaches' advice because she says
that in her opinion her swimming
did not improve for a year but
she continued to work hard. She
defines her win at nationals as
excited.
"I really worked hard all
year and all the hard work paid
off," said Johnson.
Her interest in swimming
began at the age of eight. She
accredits her parents and swim
coaches as the inspiration that
keeps her going and excelling in
the sport of swimming.
"Some people don't think that
swimming is as hard as it seems
but it takes a lot of dedication
and practice," said Johnson.
The Barracudas practice daily
from anywhere from 90 minutes to
21/2 hours. Their practices
include -- but are not limited
to -- lifting weights, running,
abdominal work and yoga. There
are 11 different workout
programs offered a week. The
Barracudas best swimmers usually
participate in eight or nine of
those workouts.
Before a swim meet, Johnson
listens to music, warms-up and
eats pasta the night before.
Advice that Johnson offers to
future and current competitive
swimmers is that you should
stick with it, even though there
are hard times because hard work
pays off.
Her fellow teammate agrees
with Johnson's emphasis of hard
work.
"My initial reaction to
winning at nationals was
surprised, I knew I was ahead
but didn't expect to win," said
Joye, a 16-year old sophomore
from Stanhope Elmore High who
began swimming at the age of 5.
"My parents put me in a swim
program and I turned out to be
good, so I just stuck with it."
Joye listens to rap music
before a swim meet -- it gets
his adrenaline going and heart
rate up, he says.
Both swimmers say that
although they have to juggle
practice, school and family that
each makes sure to devote enough
time for all, stressing the
importance of making time for
school. Johnson says that
swimming helps her with time
management.
Work and competition aside,
Mielke insists there is also
time for fun and games.
"After any competition, we
take the team somewhere to just
relax and celebrate, we have
done such things as snorkeling
and surfing," he said.
Still, Mielke's goal is for
his team to become one of the
top YMCA teams in the country.
With continued work and
dedication, he believes the
Barracudas can get there ... one
stroke at a time.
Woody Joye and Laura Johnson were big
winners for the Montgomery Barracudas at
the YMCA National Championship in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.
Local teen swims his way to the top
By Hamilton Richardson
Progress staff writer
Woody Joye, a Coosada resident who has broken
several swim records and won many awards, has
hopes of going to the 2012 Olympics.
Woody Joye is a Stanhope Elmore High School sophomore
who loves to swim. More specifically, he's a student
who loves to swim and has proven it by winning multiple
awards and broken multiple swim records over the last
several years.
Joye, who lives in Coosada with his family, has been
swimming since he was little.
"I started with the Flying Fish," Joye said.
Linwood Joye is Woody's father. "I started him
swimming at five years old. It was natural for him to
swim," he said.
Woody started swimming with the Prattville Flying
Fish at age 5, where he won five straight years in three
different events. Joe Reynolds coached Joye while he was
with the Flying Fish.
"I remember a crying kid who was scared to death,"
said Reynolds.
By the time he was 8, he'd moved to the Montgomery
YMCA Barracudas, where Reynolds serves as an assistant
coach.
"At 10 or 11, I saw his talent emerging," commented
Reynolds. "He was swimming part-time for a while but at
13, he was full-time, year-round," said Joye.
Woody's swimming successes have only improved over
the years, as he was recently chosen to be part of the
National Select Camp to go to the Olympic Training
Center in Colorado Springs.
Also, Joye just returned from the National Short
Course Championship held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where
he won first place in the 200- and 400-yard individual
medleys, third place in the 100-yard backstroke and
fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle. In this
particular event, Joye beat out 221 YMCA teams and
1,611 athletes.
Coach Reynolds saw Joye compete in the nationals and
was very impressed.
"It was one of the great swims I've seen," said
Reynolds.
According to Linwood Joye, Woody has his sights set
on the Olympics.
"He wants to go to the Olympics. He's just a few
seconds shy for the Olympics trials in some events,"
said Joye. "He's shooting for 2012."
Woody Joye however, is still unsure about his Olympic
hopes.
"The Olympics are nice but I know it's a long shot,"
said Joye.
But Reynolds believes Woody could easily go to the
Olympic trials.
"Woody's on the right track," he said.
Joye's plans for the future include swimming but
also college and a career.
"I'm going to swim through high school," Joye said.
But he also hopes for a swimming scholarship.
"I'd like to go to the University of Florida in
Gainesville," said Joye. "I want to go to college and
get a good career and maybe be an engineer. But my
opinion changes once a month."
Woody is currently working as a lifeguard for the
Prattville City Pool and also coaches his previous team,
the Prattville Flying Fish.
January 2008
USA Swimming
Master Coach visits MYB
Bob
Steele, a Master Coach with USA Swimming, visited the Montgomery YMCA Swim
Team for a 4-day practice session. He spent time with swimmers,
coaches, and parents sharing years of valuable information.
As a Master Coach, Steele visits clubs and coaches around the country where
he spends a few days with each club, observing practices, meeting with the
coaching staff, answering questions, and
offering advice. He shares
information and ideas on training and team management.
Bob Steele is presently a Master
Coach Consultant with USA Swimming. He was a very successful college coach
at Southern Illinois University and a club development staff member at USAS
prior to serving as Head Coach at the Wichita Swim Club from 1995-97. After
leaving WSC, he was again a successful college coach at UC-Bakersfield prior
to returning to USAS in his present position.
LAMP swimmer Laura Johnson doesn't have time to hit
the snooze button on her alarm clock. Over the past two
weeks, she has seen the benefits of her discipline.
Two weekends ago, Johnson competed in a short-course
international meet -- which included competitors such as
six-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps -- and
placed 14th in the 200-breast stroke and 12th in 200-IM.
She didn't let down last weekend either. At the high
school state meet, Johnson set state records in both
events in which she competed, winning both.
"Over the last two weekends, Laura's gone from being
a really good breaststroker to a great breaststroker,"
said Paul Mielke, coach of Johnson's club team, the
Montgomery Barracudas.
The only reason Johnson didn't have a better day was
because the state meet rule regulates that each swimmer
may only compete in two events. So she responded by
setting state records in both.
It was a testament to Johnson's long days of hard
work.
Johnson's days begin with 5 a.m. swim practices.
During the summer those practices are in Prattville,
which means half an hour of driving before practice.
After practice she goes to school and then practices
again after school, training approximately 10 times per
week.
During the fall, Johnson has even busier days. She
competes on LAMP's cross country team, which practices
during seventh period.
With class and three practices every day, how does
Johnson maintain?
"It is strenuous, but it really helps with time
management skills," Johnson said. "And I've done it for
so long that it's not as hard as it might sound. I've
done it all my life."
Johnson has been swimming competitively for eight
years and is enjoying great success this year. In the
state meet, she broke her own record in the 200 IM and
broke former Trinity star Amy Wheatley's record in the
100-breaststroke.
"Laura was extremely talented at a young age," said
Mielke, who has coached Johnson for four years. "She had
gone through 16 months where she hasn't made much
improvement, but she still kept working hard and broke
through this year to the next level. She's being
recruited by everyone now."
Well, technically she isn't being "recruited" by
anyone. But that's only because Johnson's a junior and
college recruiters haven't been allowed to contact her.
Instead, virtually every school, including Ohio State
and Auburn, has sent Johnson letters.
"I love getting the letters because it makes you feel
like you're doing something," Johnson said. "We've had
some swimmers go on to college and come back and it
makes you want to improve even more."
Johnson has improved over the past few years, but as
Mielke said, she has always been great for her age. In
fact, USA Swimming has a program, National Select Camp
program. USA Swimming invited Johnson to train at the
Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Johnson said she hasn't thought about competing in
the Olympics. She's more focused on finishing her high
school career strong and being able to swim in college.
Mielke, on the other hand, thinks Johnson has a
chance to represent the United States. "Absolutely,"
Mielke said. "If she keeps improving, by her senior year
she'll be on one of the U.S. national teams."
Perhaps by then she will have been allowed to press
the snooze button just once.
Eight-time NCAA coach of the year and
two-time United States Men's Olympic
Team swim coach Eddie Reese instructs
the Montgomery YMCA Barracudas at the
East YMCA on Thursday.
-- Tammy McKinley
Eddie Reese looks like a man
who could still swim a fast lap in the local swimming
pool. He talks like a man who could do stand-up comedy
on stage.
"A cousin asked me if I wanted
to be a swimmer. I mistakenly said yes," Reese said.
At an age (65) where many are
considering -- or are already enjoying -- retirement,
the renowned swimming coach is still going strong. Reese
arrived in Montgomery on Thursday to conduct a swimming
clinic at the Montgomery East YMCA. He was full of the
life that he has breathed into two college programs as
well as the national men's team.
The clinics, though, are just a
side job -- almost a hobby. His day jobs -- yes, more
than one -- include running the United States Men's
Olympic Team and also coaching the University of Texas
men's swimming program.
Still, there was no apparent
lack of energy from Reese, who gladly shook hands, told
stories and ran the 90-minute clinic as if he were a man
in his mid-20s.
"I just try to get better. I'm
not satisfied with the job I do. I'm always trying to
find ways to get swimmers to go faster," Reese said.
He has always been able to
accomplish that feat. Prior to his arrival at Texas in
1978, he conducted a six-year revival of the swim
program at Auburn.
When he took the job 1972, he
inherited a team that had not qualified a single swimmer
for the finals or consolation finals of the Southeastern
Conference Championships during the previous season. Six
years later, the Tigers had produced four consecutive
top-10 showings at the NCAAs, with the best being a
second-place finish in 1978.
One of those swimmers at Auburn
was Paul Melke, who currently heads the Montgomery YMCA
Barracudas swim team and was instrumental in Reese
coming to the Capitol City.
"When he coached me, he had the
same enthusiasm, the same energy. He's still searching
for knowledge and getting kids to work harder," Melke
said. "He's the most respected swim coach in the world."
Reese's honor roll includes 132
college All-Americans and 22 Olympians who have won 21
gold medals. That easily caught the attention of the
nearly 100 swimmers, coaches and parents in attendance,
some of whom came from as far as Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.
"My goal is to get to college
and swim at the national level," said 13-year-old
Winston Waters, now in her sixth year with the
Barracudas. "He's the best college coach there is."
During his lifetime of swimming
that has seen him inducted into the International
Swimming Hall of Fame, Reese has witnessed a lot of
changes in the sport.
"Swimmers do a better job in
getting stronger," Reese said. "They even have suits
that go from the neck to the ankle, which allows them to
go faster."
While Reese has the Midas touch
with swimmers, he was quick to point out that it is not
as easy as jumping in the pool and taking his
instruction.
"I don't believe anyone chooses
a sport. I think a sport chooses them," Reese said.
"Swimming is so different because it's like being in the
real world. If you want to get better, you have to work
hard."
Woody Joye, 14, of Millbrook
was in the group of intent listeners.
"He's motivational for most
kids and it's an honor to have him here," said Joye, who
swims the 200-meter backstroke and the 400-meter
freestyle for the Barracudas. "He has years of
experience. He knows what he's talking about."
August 2006
Joye swims
his way to the top
Special to the Progress
Woody Joye fared well in a recent
competition.
Woody Joye recently competed in the Southeastern Long
Course Championship in Knoxville, Tenn., and the USA
Southern Zone Championship in Atlanta. Joye is a member
of the Montgomery YMCA Barracuda swim team.
Joye, won the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 800
freestyle, and the 200 individual medley (IM) at the
Southeastern Championship. He finished second in the 100
freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke.
With these swims, he broke five Barracuda team
records for the 13 - 14 age group, and had four US
National Top-16 Consideration Times. After the meet,
Joye was selected to the Southeastern All-Star Zone
Team, and he was the high-point winner for the 13 -14
male age group.
The USA Southern Zone Championship Meet was held at
the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, home of the 1996
Olympic swimming competition. Joye finaled in all six
events in which he competed in.
He was the Southern Zone Champion in the 200 IM and a
member of the first place 200 freestyle relay team. He
finished third in the 200 freestyle, fourth in the 400
freestyle, fifth in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and
tenth in the 100 freestyle. Joye broke two additional
Barracuda team record and had one additional US National
Top-16 Consideration Time.
Joye, a freshman at Victory Baptist School, is the
son of Linwood and Terry Joye of Coosada
May 2006
Caro inks deal with
Delta State
By Jimmy White
Progress writer
Chris Caro, senior at
Prattville High School, has signed a letter of intent to
attend Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., on a
swimming scholarship.
Caro is a four-year letterman
for the swim team, as well as being a member of the
Montgomery YMCA Barracudas, where he swam for Coach Paul
Miekle. He also swam two seasons for Coach Joe Reynolds
and the Prattville Department of Leisure Services Flying
Fish team.
As a member of the Prattville
High School swim team, Caro placed in the top three at
the state high school swim meet.
At the YMCA National Swimming
Championship, Caro placed in the top five. He is also a
YMCA state champion and a YMCA All-American.
He holds a champion title from
the Southeastern Swim Meet, and is currently ranked in
the top 100 for breaststrokers in the United States.
"I really liked the school when
I took my official visit," Caro said. "The city reminds
me a lot of Prattville; it is not too large and the
school is smaller. I just feel I can do better at a
smaller school. With Delta State being a Division II
school and its swim team competing in meets against
similar schools, I felt I would have a better
opportunity to win a title."
Delta State University built
new aquatic facilities three years go.
Caro was recruited by Delta
State head coach Bryan Hien. He was also recruited by
Florida State University, Louisiana State University,
Western Kentucky University and the University of
Alabama.
Caro is the son of Rusty and
Lisa Caro of Prattville.
March
2006
Boutwell, McClendon
lead Barracuda team
By Wesley Lyle
Special to the Advertiser
Clint
McClendon and Luke Boutwell have been steady leaders for
the Montgomery YMCA Barracuda swim team.
The two University of Alabama
signees recently added to their list of accomplishments
with the local swim team. In their last major meet as
Barracudas, the duo combined for three championships and
one second-place finish at the YMCA Nationals in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.
"Both of those boys deserve
it," second-year Barracudas coach Paul Mielke said.
"They've put in the time, and the work to get where they
are. They'll swim with us this summer before going off
to college but this was their last big event."
McClendon, a senior at
Montgomery Academy, won the 100 backstroke and the 200
backstroke. Boutwell, a senior at Alabama Christian, won
the 100 breaststroke and finished second in the 200
breaststroke.
The two swimmers sparked the
boys team to a fourth-place finish -- the highest in the
program's history according to Mielke.
"I felt like this group was
capable of doing well," Mielke said. "They're in the
pool at 5 a.m. and they (usually) put in 10 or 11
workouts a week. When you work with a group of kids like
these, you see how hard they work and how much they want
it."
Overall, boys and girls
combined, the Barracudas finished 12th in the meet. The
team carried just 10 swimmers (seven boys and three
girls).
"We were one of the smallest
teams there but we had a good meet," Mielke said. "Some
teams carry 40 or 50 swimmers. Our program is not that
big. Of the teams in the top 20, we had the least number
of swimmers competing."
Laura Johnson, a freshman at
LAMP, led the girls in the meet. Johnson took third in
the 100 breaststroke and the 200 breaststroke.
Boutwell
overcomes adversity to win title By Wesley Lyle Special to the
Montogmery Advertiser (April 20, 2005)
Luke Boutwell was confident a
national swimming title was within his grasp.
He just thought it would be in
a different event.
The 16-year old member of the
Montgomery YMCA Barracudas captured the 200-yard breaststroke national
title earlier this month at the YMCA Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In 2004, Boutwell was second in
the nation in the 100 breaststroke.
"I came in this year expecting
to win the 100, not the 200," Boutwell said. "I took it easy in the
morning and rested in between swims. I had a good race and led every lap."
Boutwell's performance
highlighted a 12th-place finish by the Barracudas. But it also served as a
momentary distraction from what has been a difficult time for Boutwell,
his family and his team.
Following a long battle with
brain cancer, Boutwell's mother Angie passed away on March 11.
"It's been a trying time for
everyone," Barracudas head coach Paul Mielke said. "We look at this team
as a family and we've prayed a lot for Luke and his mom. This team is
strongly behind him and supportive of him. Because every swimmer knows if
the situation was reversed, Luke would be the first one trying to help
somebody else."
Mielke praised Boutwell's
courage throughout the ordeal. He said the Alabama Christian Academy
junior has always been a natural leader.
Even with the loss of his
mother and physical illness the night before nationals, Boutwell remained
focused.
"The night before he was to
compete, he was violently sick," Mielke said. "He had these bad headaches
that kept him up until 2 a.m. I don't know, maybe it was just the pressure
of the past month."
Boutwell downplayed the
headaches at the national meet. But there is no doubt the previous month's
events had an impact on him. He said his father (Robin) has been a source
of encouragement.
"When I was competing, I didn't
have time to think about anything else," Boutwell said. "But this was the
first time (Mom) wasn't there. After I would swim, Dad would tell me 'good
job. Mom would have been proud.' "
Boutwell and the Barracudas
have a little down time with the completion of the national competition.
But Boutwell's mind is already focusing on future competitions.
"His goal is to be the best
swimmer in the world," Mielke said. "His immediate goal now is to qualify
for the Junior National team."
To reach that goal, Boutwell
needs to meet a qualifying time later this summer.
"It will come down to late July
or early August," Boutwell said. "We've got a major meet in Auburn. If I
swim under my qualifying time, I can make the team. If I'm selected, I
would get to compete internationally."
At the same time, Boutwell is
already looking at his college future. With offers from schools across the
nation, Boutwell's decision won't be easy.
"I'm trying to keep my options
open," Boutwell said. "The schools aren't allowed to make scholarship
offers until after July 1. But there's an early signing period in
November. Depending on how I do this summer, I'd like to sign then."
Jeff Shearer,
Sports Anchor at WSFA Channel 12, on the WSFA website - Jeff's Journal -
4/15/05,
By the time you got up
this morning, chances are Luke Boutwell was already in the pool at the East
YMCA.
Luke, a 16-year-old
junior at Alabama Christian Academy, leaves home every weekday morning at 4:30
so he can be in the water by 5 a.m.
After two hours of
training (his "short" workout), Luke's on his way to school. When school's out,
it's back to the East Y for three more hours of practice.
That's the price you
pay to be a national champion.
Last weekend at the
YMCA National Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Luke finished first in the
200-meter breastroke. Some of the guys he beat will be swimming for powerhouse
college programs like Stanford and Tennessee next year.
Competing against more
than 200 teams from all over the country, Luke's team, the Montgomery YMCA
Barracudas, finished 12th.
So what goes through
your mind when you're underwater five hours a day?
"Sometimes you get a
song stuck in your head," Luke tells the Journal. "Sometimes you write songs.
Sometimes all you can think about is how much it hurts you to keep going."
Luke knows what it's
like to hurt. And to keep going.
One month before his
national title, Luke lost his mother. Angie Boutwell battled two brain tumors
for 15 years, practically all of Luke's life.
When you're
underwater, no one can see your tears.
"It was definitely
stressful," Luke says of competing so soon after her death. "I know she would've
wanted me to keep swimming."
Angie's illness
prevented her from attending many of Luke's meets. With her condition worsening,
the Boutwells were not planning for Angie to make the trip to Florida for
Nationals.
Luke believes his
mom's eternal residence affords a front-row seat of his accomplishments.
"After I'd race, dad
would say, 'she's proud of you.' That was real comforting," Luke says.
From swimming, Luke
says he's learned about discipline, time management and responsibility.
He's attracting
attention from 40 colleges. Auburn, Stanford, Kentucky and Virginia are on his
radar screen. If Luke gets the right offer, he'll consider signing in November.
But college swimming
is just the next step to an even bigger stage.
"I want to represent
the United States internationally," Luke says. "I'd love to swim in the
Olympics."
Is that realistic, I
wondered?
"Absolutely," Luke
replied.
If you're skeptical,
drive by Pelzer Avenue some morning and pop into the East Y.
Around 5 a.m.
YMCA Nationals
Luke
Boutwell is National Champion in the 200 breast! Luke also finished 2nd in the
100 breast and broke his own team record. Chris Caro dropped over 3 seconds and
finished 5th in the 200 breast and won the Consolation heat (9th). Clint
McClendon finished 2nd in 200 back , 3rd in the 200 fly, 3rd in the 100
back--breaking Matt Figh's team record, and 11th in the 100 fly--breaking his
own team record. The Relay Team of Andrew Walsh, Boutwell, McClendon, and Caro
finished 8th in the 400 Medley relay.
Laura Johnson finished 4th in both the 100 and the 200 breast. Summer Knight
finished 7th in the 100 back and 12th in the 200 back (breaking her own team
record). Summer also broke her own record in the 100 back leg of the medley
relay. Seniors Aimee Hukill and Katie Bellew participated in their last YNats
and will be swimming for Missouri and Cleveland State this fall.
There were over 200 teams participating. MYB (East Branch) finished 12th
overall
March 2005
BARRACUDAS WARM UP FOR NATIONALS WITH TOP
10 FINISH
Nashville, TN.
The Montgomery YMCA Barracuda Swim Team prepared for next week’s YMCA National
Championships by posting a top 10 finish among 55 teams at the Southeastern
Championships in Nashville last weekend.
Led by Clint McClendon with
six and Summer Knight with five finals, 14 different Barracudas scored points
during the three day meet. McClendon, a junior at Montgomery Academy, won the 200 butterfly and finaled in the 200 free, 200back, 200IM, 100
fly and the 100 backstroke. Knight, a freshman at Wetumpka High School, won the 100 backstroke and made finals in the 200 free, 200 back, 200IM
and the 100 butterfly events. Laura Johnson turned in two wins taking home the
100 and 200 breaststroke events and also finaled in the 400IM. Luke Boutwell
brought home the 100 breaststroke and finished second in the 200.
It was a family affair for
MYB as the brother- sister team of Sara and Jake Reynolds scored in three events
each and brothers Chris and Andrew Caro each finaled in two events. Rebecca
Young and Winston Waters also posted two finals while Danny Luehers, Kattie
Bellew, Bryful Sun and Chrissy Parsons also scored points for the Barracudas.
The MYB Gold Team heads for
Ft.Lauderdale April 4-9 to compete
in the YMCA National Championships as Coach Paul Mielke makes his first trip to
Nationals as head coach. He replaced long time Barracuda Coach Chris Snyder
after last year’s Championships.
Just a quick note on how the team
did at Raleigh. Summer Knight broke team records in every event she swam
in! Summer got 13-14 girls' team records in the 100 back, 200 back,
100 fly, 50 free, 100 free, and the 200 IM. Laura Johnson broke team
records in the 100 and 200 breast. Clint McClendon broke the Senior 100
fly team record. Results for Top 8 (finals) The girls' relay team of
Aimee Hukill, Katie Bellew, Summer Knight, and Laura Johnson came in
second in the 200 and 400 Medley relays. The boys' relay team of Andrew
Walsh, Luke Boutwell, Chris Caro, and Clint McClendon also placed second
in the 200 and 400 Medley relays, 7th in the 400 free relay and 8th in
the 200 free relay.
Andrew Walsh and Jake Reynolds
had personal best times in every event they swam! The team finished
5th overall out of 36 teams.
MYB had an exceptional
Sectionals Meet. Some highlights from one of the fastest Sectional
Meets in the country include (swimmer/ event / place):
Laura
Johnson/100 Breast/16
Sara
Servold/200 fly/5
Aimee
Hukill/ 200 breast/22
Luke
Boutwell/200 breast/ 5
Clint
McClendon/ 200 fly/ 20
John
Scott/200 fly/ 3
Relays: Women's relay--Knight, Johnson, Servold, Hea---(400
Medley) placed 15th taking 6 seconds off their entered time.
Men's
relay--McClendon, Boutwell, Scott, Hunter--(400 Medley) placed
4th (better than any other Southeastern team) and took 4.5
seconds off their best time.
And
shattering MULTIPLE Team Records:
Summer
Knight--100 back--1:09.33
Laura
Johnson--200 breast--2:45.24
Sara
Servold--100 fly--1:05.07
Sara-200 fly--2:20.18
Sara--400 IM-5:06.47
Luke
Boutwell---100 breast--1:06.62
Luke------200 breast--2:25.46
Clint
McClendon--100 back---59.78
John
Scott----100 fly----56.07
John
Scott got a National cut in the 100 fly---he will be swimming this
in addition to the 200 fly in the Summer National meet in
California .
This
was was one of the fastest sectional meets in the country--just to
make it back at night was an accomplishment! GO MYB!!
2004 Southeasterns:
MYB-ers "Ripping thru the water"!
Team Records fall at 2004 LC Southeasterns:
Summer Knight --Team Record in the 100 back
Sara
Servold--Team record in the 100 fly, 200 im, and the 400 IM
Sara
also won High Point for 17-18 girls
2004 Summer Nationals
John
Scott got a National cut in the 100 fly---he will be swimming this
in addition to the 200 fly in the Summer National meet in
California .
Jubilee 2004 Photos (click to enlarge thumbnails!)
Barracudas swimmers Sara
Servold of Prattville (left) and Luke Boutwell of Alabama Christian
helped lead the Barracudas to high finishes as the YMCA Nationals last
month.
-- Photos by Mickey
WelshAdvertiser
The 2004 YMCA Nationals
won't soon be forgotten by the Montgomery Barracudas.
The local swim team
turned in another solid team performance and had a number of impressive
individual efforts. But the meet will hold a special memory for many
swimmers because it was the last nationals under long-time coach Chris
Snyder.
Snyder, who has coached
the Barracudas since 1991, is moving to Asheville, N.C.
"Asheville is a place my
wife and I have gone on vacation and we've fallen in love with the area,"
Snyder said. "It's a place we feel is right for us. The Asheville YMCA has
offered me a coaching position and I think it will work out well."
Snyder added that the
challenge of building up another program is appealing.
"It's a little bit of a
similar situation to how the Barracudas were when I took over in the early
1990s," Snyder said. "They have a small but growing program."
In his time in
Montgomery, Snyder helped the Barracudas grow from around 30 swimmers to
more than 500. What's more, when he arrived, critics told him he would never
make the Barracudas into a national contender.
"Montgomery has been a challenge. Knowledge of the sport was somewhat
limited when I got here," Snyder said. "I had people tell me that we would
never have any kids qualify for nationals. That always served as motivation
for me. Over the past few years we've had about 13 swimmers a year qualify."
Barracudas coach Chris Snyder, who has led the program since 1991, has
accepted a job at the Asheville (N.C.) YMCA.
Snyder said the
nationals were a great sendoff. The men's team tied for 12th and the women
placed 37th. Combined, the Barracudas placed 17th overall out of 208 teams.
"We did well," Snyder
said. "We had super-high expectations. We've done so well over the last few
years that our expectation level gets higher and higher each year. The last
night was almost set up to be a fairy tale finish for me. The relay team
(400-yard medley) qualified first in the morning and Luke (Boutwell)
qualified first in the morning. They both swam great that night."
Boutwell, a sophomore at
Alabama Christian, took second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of
57.45 seconds. Boutwell had turned in a 57.39 to place first in the
preliminaries.
"In warm up, I felt
really good and it gave me confidence," Boutwell said. "But I still didn't
expect to place that high. It was one of the most enjoyable races I've ever
had. It was great a race at the end and I just barely lost."
Boutwell was also part
of the 400-yard medley relay. Boutwell teamed with Ben Reynolds, Clint
McClendon and Matthew Ison to place first in the preliminaries with a time
of 3:32.01 and third in the finals with a 3:29.64.
"We had two sophomores,
a freshman and a senior on that relay so we're going to have some good relay
teams for the next few years," Boutwell said.
On the girls side, Sara
Servold led the way with a pair of Top-12 finishes. The Prattville senior
and Colorado State signee took ninth in the 400 IM and 12th in the 200-yard
butterfly.
"We trained so hard this
year, we were expecting good results," Servold said. "I swam in four events
but the 400 IM and the 100 butterfly were my best."
Both Boutwell and
Servold said the team is going to miss Snyder.
"There are swimmers here
who have grown up with coach Snyder," Servold said. "It was devastating when
we first found out because he is our coach. We've spent five hours a day,
almost every day over several years with him. This team is kind of like a
second family."
Long time assistant
coach Paul Mielke has been selected as the new head coach and former
assistant Robyn Williford is rejoining the team.
"I have a lot of
confidence in Paul and Robyn," Snyder said. "I'm leaving the Barracudas in
very capable hands."
Mar
2004
Nashville,
TN March
11-14 Southeastern Championships
2004
Qualifying Team:
Katie
Bellew, Teresa Hea, Aimee Hukill, Amanda E James, Laura
Johnson, Summer L Knight, Sarah Reynolds, Madi Rupp, Sara E
Servold, Kayla E Teague, Taylor Washington, Rebecca A Young,
Austin Abigt, Charles F Ballard, Andrew J Caro, Chris Caro,
Bradley Charlesworth, Dewey Davis, Chris Douglas, Bryant
Hunter, Matthew Ison, Woody Joye, Clint M McClendon, Dawson
Morris, Brad Powell, Ben Reynolds, Jake Reynolds, Colton D
Rupp, Bryful Sun,
Special
congratulations to 13 year old MYB Swimmer Laura Johnson for
making not just ONE but TWO "Top 16 NATIONAL
Times"
First
her 13-14 100 Yard Breaststroke with a 1:05.11 and then 13-14 200 Yard Breaststroke with
2:20.61 - way
to go Laura!
As
perspective for this achievement, Laura's times were also
U.S. Open cuts and would have qualified her for this past
Spring's Senior Nationals.
MYB Swimmers Make USA Swimming's National 2002-2003 Top 16 Final List
- Amy Wheatley, Luke Boutwell and Matthew Ison.
nd
year in a row for MYB to make
National Top 16 (Amy
Wheatley was second in the 2001-2 rankings for Breaststroke).
st
time, first place ranking for MYB swimmer! Luke
Boutwell is number 1 in the 2002-2003 13-14 Boys, Top 16 100 breast.
Wonderful
Swims from all at Regional YMCA Championship Meet held Feb. 28-29
Is
that the Auburn game?
Our
Head Coach hard at work
Coach Joe Looks So Lonely - anyone seen his swimmers?
Barracuda Boys - what else can you say!
And
the "behind-the-scene" folks who make these meets happen
- The parents!
MYB-ers
prove "Hard Work Works!" Lots of new "personal best"
times set at Tuscaloosa Meet Feb 2004
Little Barracudas all in a
row
If we clap really loud,
think we can make her jump off the block?
click
photos to enlarge
The Roving Photographer Strikes
again, this time at the Orange and Blue Classic Meet (Jan 23-25) at
Auburn (thanks AGAIN to Mr. Vorobiev)
click photos to
enlarge
Great Photos from 2004 January Tri-Meet at
Huntsville (thanks to Mr. Vorobiev)
click photos to
enlarge
Barracudas
Place 8th overall in the Dec. 5-7, Speedo Capital Classic in Raleigh, NC.
Men's team makes 6th place, women's team makes 10th! Great results for our
MYB group - that's over 20 points PER swimmer! Big
MYB Cheers to Summer Knight for making her 100 backstroke
National cut and Laura Johnson for making her cuts in both the
100 and 200 breaststrokes. In doing so she broke Amy Wheatley's
(Former MYB Swimmer) MYB 13-14 200 breast record. Results at
Capital
Classic
Dec 13-14, 2003 Photos (Birmingham
B/C Meet)
Oct. 10-12 War Eagle
Invitational, Auburn and Oct. 18, 2003 Developmental meet, East YMCA
Montgomery AL
Sept 2003
Barracudas Score Big
at State Championships
Auburn,
AL.All eleven Montgomery YMCA Barracudas scored points for
their schools by reaching finals in the State of Alabama High School Swim Meet
held here last Saturday. The State Championship Meet is the one event of the
year where the Barracudas swim against each and compete for their respective
schools instead of the team. MYB swimmers represented Alabama Christian Academy,
Montgomery Academy, Prattville High, Stanhope Elmore, St. James, Tallassee and
Lamp School and performed well against bigger teams from
Birmingham,
Mobile and Huntsville.
ACA’s Luke Boutwell brought home a State Championship for the Eagles in
the 100 breaststroke and also finaled in the 200IM while fellow sophomore Clint
McClendon took 2nd in the 100 backstroke and 4th in the
200IM for Montgomery Academy. Five Barracudas reached finals swimming for the
Prattville Lions.Sophomore Teresa
Hea scored in the 50 and 100 freestyle and Chris Caro also recorded two top ten
finishes; fifth in the 100 breaststroke and 10th in the 50 freestyle.
Junior Chris Douglas finaled in the 100 breaststroke and 200IM while Seniors
Sara Servold and Bryant Hunter also scored in their last meet for the Lions.
Hunter finished 5th in both the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke;
Servold came in 5th in the 100 butterfly and 4th in the
200IM events.
Tallassee
Junior Katie Bellew took home forth place in both the 100 breaststroke and the
100 butterfly while Stanhope Elmore’s junior swimmer, Aimee Hukill also
finaled in the 100 breaststroke in addition to the 200IM.Lamp School’s Sean Miller recorded a top 10 finish in the
100 butterfly and Seventh grader Maddie Rupp displayed her bright future
swimming for the St. James Trojans by finaling in the 500 and 200 freestyle
events.
Prattville
and Hoover proved to be two of the State’s best in the pool in addition to the
football field. Hoover High captured the Boy’s State Championship while the
Prattville men finished fifth. Mobile’s St. Paul’s Epispical School ended
Mt. Brook’s three year reign as the Girl’s State Champion and the Prattville
Lady Lions finished 10th in the State.
Summer 2003
BARRACUDAS BRING HOME ANOTHER TOP 10 FINISH
Scott wins National Title and breaks Pool record
College Park, Maryland:
Led by their two college bound Seniors, the Montgomery YMCA Barracuda Swim
Team turned in a great performance finishing 6th in the country
at the YMCA Long Course National Championships held at the University of
Maryland this week. Over 1200 swimmers and 142 teams competed in this week
long meet held in College Park, Maryland.
John Scott
and Matt Bellew, swimming in their last meet for MYB, led the team in points
and played key roles in the success of the Cudas relay teams. Scott, who
will swim for defending National Champion Auburn this fall, brought home the
National Title in the 200 IM on Monday breaking the Maryland pool record
with a time of 2:08:80 just missing the National YMCA record of 2:08:46. He
also finaled in the 200, 100 and 50 butterfly events. Bellew signed with
Indian River Junior College in Florida, home of current Auburn University
Swim Coach David Marsh, earlier this year and finaled in the 50, 100 and 200
breaststroke events. He finished 2nd in the 200 touching the wall
just less than a second behind the winner.
Scott and
Bellew were not the only standouts for the MYB men. Sophomores Luke Boutwell
and Clint McClendon along with Juniors Bryant Hunter and Ben Reynolds helped
the Men’s Team finish 3rd in the country. Boutwell finaled in
the 50,100 and 200 breaststroke events while McClendon scored in the 200 IM
and the 200 butterfly. Hunter made finals in the 100 and 200 backstroke and
Reynolds scored in the 800 free and the mile events. The men combined to
final in five relay events during the four days.
On the
women’s side, Junior Sara Servold showed her versatility making finals in
the 200 and 400 IM, 200 breaststroke, and 200 butterfly. Sophomore Elizabeth
Reynolds, Ben’s sister, scored in the 800 free and the mile while fellow
10th grader Aimee Hukill finaled in the 200 Breaststroke.
The team now
takes a much needed rest and will begin preparing for the Fall season in
September. The team trains daily at the East Side YMCA on Pelzer Avenue here
in Montgomery and is coached by former Auburn Swimmers Chris Snyder and Paul
Mielke.
butterfly. His time of 21.99 seconds in the 50 free
trailed only the 20.24 of UMS-Wright's T.J. Leon.
Leon participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials this
summer.
Prattville's
Jake Reynolds was second in the 100 freestyle in
45.53 seconds, behind Leon's 44.73. Reynolds was
also second to Joye in the 100 backstroke in 51.12
seconds.
Johnson
finished in 2:05.58. She was also second in the 100
breaststroke in 1:03.96. Auburn's Megan Molnar won
the 100 breast in 1:02.46.
Jacob Reynolds signed an athletic scholarship
Wednesday with The University of Alabama, where he
will be a member of the swim team. Seated, from
left, are his father, Joe Reynolds; Jacob Reynolds;
mother, Mary'Heather Reynolds; standing, Prattville
High School athletic director Jamey Dubose; PHS swim
coach Paul Mieilke; siblings, Caleb, Sarah, Josiah,
John and Noble; and PHS principal Lee Hicks.
Prattville star swimmer Reynolds dives in with UA's
program. - Angelique Suzanne,
Progress
Johnson is a five-time Alabama High School
Athletic Association champion, winning the
breaststroke three times and the 200 Individual
Medley twice. She was second in the 200 IM as a
freshman. In 2007, Johnson set the state record
for the 100 breaststroke and the 200 IM.
Bob
Steele, a Master Coach with USA Swimming, visited the Montgomery YMCA Swim
Team for a 4-day practice session. He spent time with swimmers,
coaches, and parents sharing years of valuable information.
offering advice. 
Clint
McClendon and Luke Boutwell have been steady leaders for
the Montgomery YMCA Barracuda swim team.
