2009
Sports
Swim Team looks to new coach, 2005 graduate, for leadership
S ean P ebler
With two new coaches,
the Swim Team is looking
for even more success than
last year when only one
boys' relay team qualified
for State. New head coach
Maclain Marsh fills the spot
left by last year's head coach
Phoebe Skinner.
"I like him. He seems
like he's going to be a great
coach," Branden Brooksby,
sophomore, said. "He has
a serious attitude about
swimming and he likes to
get things done."
A 2005 West Linn
graduate, Marsh coached
an age group swim team at
Club Sport for two years.
He comes from a long line
of swimmers, including
his father, who coached at
WLHS and Southern Oregon
University.
"My coaches and I bring
discipline and experience
that I feel has been around
in the past but has been
missing for a couple years,"
Marsh said.
Many of the swimmers
are excited about the new
season and new coaches,
including senior Captain
Haley McCrae.
"I think they're really
motivated to bring new
ideas, and the difference
from last year's coaches are
that they want us to do well
this year," McCrae said.
New coaches also set new
goals and aspirations for the
Swimmers to succeed this
season. Both the coaches
and the athletes were a bit
disappointed in last year's
finish, and they expect to
send many more athletes to
the State meet this year.
"I hope to improve on
how I did last year, which
was being an alternate at the
State meet. So I want to do
well at Districts, and maybe
go to State as an alternate
again," Brooksby said.
Others are expecting
big changes from the team
dynamics and ideals of past
years.
"I'm expecting the team
to change a lot from last
year. I think there will be a
lot more team strength, and
more people aspiring to new
goals," McCrae said.
Photo by Libby Kara
Kevin Sellers, senior, swims butterfly in a relay at the team’s first meet
on Dec. 1 at Lake Oswego High School. The Three Rivers League
relay meet is used as a warm up to the season.
Many people believe that
the team is very young and
may lack experience, but
Marsh thinks otherwise.
"The team is a younger
team but I think we
are already developed.
Swimming isn't a sport you
just jump into, you either
need to have been swimming
for years or at least have had
a taste," Marsh said.
In its first meet at Lake
Oswego High School, the
team got a taste for the new
season. They placed first in
the mixed 800 yard Relay
Medley, girls' 200 yard
Butterfly Relay, boys' 200
yard Backstroke Relay and
Mixed 200 yard Backstroke
Relay.
"The expectation that my
coaches and I have for this
season is to show that we are
a team to pay attention to.
We are going to work harder
and give more than we ever
have in the past," Marsh
said.
The team's next meet
will be at Lake Oswego
High School against the
Milwaukie Mustangs at 6
p.m. on Dec. 10.
Teamwork helps Debutantes qualify for dance championships
C hrisann K im
Winning their recent
competition with first place
in Kick and second place
in the Lyrical division,
the Debutantes qualified
for the upcoming dance
championships. Thinking of
this goal every time, the girls
Work not only as individuals,
but as a team as well.
"I love the atmosphere.
Everyone is supportive of
one another and wants the
best for the team. You can't
be in a bad mood during
practices because the girls
are so funny, light-hearted
and caring that you just cheer
right up," Elisabeth Haffner,
freshman, said. "All of our
coaches, Amanda Wilcox,
Angie Sharpe and Karissa
Hanno work together to
create choreography and
teach it to the team. They do
an amazing job of breaking
it down into sections that are
easier to remember."
The dance captains are
Hannah Zaayer, Maggie
Swalko, Alexa Miller and
Sydney Nopson, seniors. The
Debs dance mostly to jazz,
lyrical and contemporary
music. Their competitions are
mainly Show Division which
include props.
Practices and rehearsals
are on Mondays, Thursdays
and Saturdays lasting,
anywhere from two to six
hours depending on how
close to a competition they
are. Although the team
is focused on winning
competitions, they also work
to impress their audience.
"Everyone likes to be
Photo by Angie's Photography
The Debs compete on their way to a first place in the Kick division and a second place in the Lyrical
division at a competition at Gladstone High School on Nov. 7. The team will compete next at the Fall
Category Championships on Dec. 19 at Parkrose High School.
number one, but we like
to do our best. Everything
we give to the judges is our
best.That's what drives us,"
Zaayer said. "We show them
who we are and show them
how good we actually are."
So far, the Debutantes have
been very successful. They
catch on quickly, according to
Wilcox, despite the fact that
half of the girls on the team
are new. They have to work
together as a team, since the
dances aren't judged based
on individuals, but on the
team as a whole. Wilcox
enjoys coaching the team
because of her own passion
for dance in her life.
"The girls learn so much
more than dance on Dance
Team. They learn about
teamwork, leadership, trust
in each other, and setting and
reaching goals," Wilcox said.
The Debs are practicing to
compete at the Fall Category
Championships on Dec. 19
at Parkrose High School. The
team will compete in Kick
and Lyrical divisions.
S ports P hotography for all ages
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