WaterWorks members make an early splash

Despite a limited amount of pool time, Suncoast WaterWorks synchronized swimmers began their competitive season with high marks.

Results from an association meet last month in Tampa advanced swimmers to the Junior/Senior Zone Meet in Baltimore this month. There, some qualified for next month's Senior Zone in Coral Springs; others for Junior Nationals in April in San Diego.

Among the Senior Zone qualifiers are Rachel Rooth, Nichole Lee, Andrea Patterson, Andrea Apple, Caitlin Carey, Darcee Kingsley, Jamie Freshour and Meredith Cooke. Kingsley qualified in solo competition, Kingsley and Patterson in duet, Rooth and Lee in duet and Rooth, Lee and Patterson in trio.

The trio squad of Rooth, Lee and Patterson secured a Junior Nationals berth, as did the duet team of Freshour and Cooke.

"This is a new trio this season, and you have to work really hard to get the timing and create the right angles," Suncoast WaterWorks coach Lisa Riddell said. "It helps that Nichole and Rachel have a duet, but it takes quite a lot of practice to add even just one person." Riddell, a former six-year U.S. National Team member, is in her fourth season as the WaterWorks coach. As an international competitor, she participated in U.S. victories in World Cup meets in Egypt and Spain.

Rooth and Lee have been involved in synchronized swimming seven years and Patterson five. The eighth-graders gravitated from speed swimming to synchronized and haven't looked back. "I'm kind of a perfectionist and want to put in the time to do the best I can and the best we can as a trio," said Rooth, 14. "When we're getting ready for a competition -- like this last one in Baltimore -- we practice every day." Lee, 13, has four other national experiences. "Every meet gets a little bit bigger and more intense," she said. "My mom did synchronized swimming in college, and that was one of the reasons I decided to try it. Plus, it's fun traveling with a team and competing all over."

Patterson's goals for the upcoming competition are simple: do the best possible and make it to the final round. "This is my first time to qualify to go to the Senior Zone, so I'm real excited." Freshour and Cooke train to improve their endurance by swimming regular strokes and their strength by lifting weights. "I'm really thrilled they did so well," Riddell said. "Their routine was a good one."

GIRLS GYMNASTICS: The Tampa Bay Turners captured two awards and a runner-up trophy in the Gym Quarters Invite in St. Louis. The Turners' Level 10 and 8 were first, and Level 7 was second. Leading Level 10 was Terin Martinjak, who won uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise en route to capturing the all-around title. Kaylene Sattano was second, Cameron Logan third, Emily Earle and Brett Taylor fourth and Lauren Bernloehr fifth. Lauren Jones won all four events to take the Level 8 all-around crown and was joined by Lindsey Weber in first; Alyssa Alison, Casey Dellinger and Lisa Taylor second; Natalie Mira third; Brittany Hunt fifth and Alecia Pollina sixth. Top-five all-around finishes from Alyssa Collins (second), Lindsay Apperson (second), Kirsten Chmielewski (third), Ashley Sullivan (fourth), Jennifer Lee (fifth) and Dayna Adams (fifth) led the program in Level 7. Alyssa Harmon was first all-around in Level 9 and won bars and vault. Sarah Brownlee was fifth all-around.

LaFleur's Gymnastics of Largo won the Level 7 competition in the Gasparilla Classic on the all-around performance of Kailey Comparetto (first), Jaime Applefield (second), Nicole Abdo (third), Stephanie Young (fourth), Lisa Leone (fifth) and Jordyn Wright (seventh). Applefield won the vault, Abdo the uneven bars and Wright the floor. Briana Melander won the Level 8 all-around, vault and beam. Bayside Gymnastics was third in Level 8. Casey Caleca collected a first all-around and a win on bars; Danielle Carey was third all-around with a vault victory; Crysta Huszai was fourth all-around with a win on floor; Jenna Paul was third all-around; and Kristina Low took eighth. In Level 7, Melissa Tomlin was first all-around and won bars, beam and floor. Other top-10 all-around honors were earned by Amanda Shumake (second), Amy Rice (fourth), Kortney Wright (fifth), Elle Mixa (sixth) and Kirby Kreider (eighth).

Medalist All-Star Gymnastics collected four first-place all-around awards in the Second AAU Qualifier in Bradenton. First in Level 7 were Melissa Perkins and Briana Stiles. In Level 8 was Jeniece Rahn, and in Level 9 was Ryann Matthews. Others placing in the top-five all-around were Tirzah Bailey (second), Marissa Bragg (third), Claire Ferrari (third), Dalila Lemezman (third), Jamie Oakes (fourth), Stacey Ostlund (second) and Christine Sayler (fourth) in Level 7 and Amanda Crane (second) in Level 8.

BOYS GYMNASTICS: Top-five all-around awards in the Second AAU Qualifier were earned by Medalists' Zachary Jacobs (second), Joseph Garrison (second) and Byron Starlin (third) in Class 7; and Kevan Cook (third) in Class 6. Medaling in the Gasparilla Classic were Stephen Kerekes, Cook, Robert Ostlund and Starlin.

STARS OF THE MONTH: Selected Stars of the Month in the John Lynch Foundation and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission program were Elisabeth Croy at Seminole Middle School, Nicholas Schlereth of John Hopkins Middle and Jordan Smith and Michael Abrahamson at Seminole High School. Criteria for selection include excellence in athletics, academics and community involvement. SWIMMING: St. Petersburg Aquatics' Megan Romano won 10 events in the 10-and-under competition of the Lake County Aquatic Winter Meet in Orlando. Stase Michota collected five firsts in the 11-12 girls division, and Stephanie Margalis earned three in senior girls. Claiming one event were Tracy Rorer (11-12), Daniella Brands and Jaime Milo (13-14), and Brent Sunnucks (13-14 boys). DIVING: Austin Hampton earned a third on the 1-meter board and a ninth on the 3-meter in the All-Star International Meet in Orlando. TRIATHLON: SPA swimmers Sunnucks and John-Paul Newfield are among the top 25 in the 2001 U.S. rankings. Sunnucks, 14, is 16th and Newfield, 13, is 24th in the 15-and-under division.

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