 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Gold within young swimmers' reach
By SUSAN THURSTON © St. Petersburg Times, published October 1, 2000 PEBBLE CREEK -- Six-year-old swimmer Leanne Castro might not be the next Brooke Bennett, but she knows all about going for gold. She and about a dozen other swimmers competed for "Olympic" medals as part of Pebble Creek's "Swim to Sydney" program. Their goal: swim the 9,300 miles between Tampa and Australia, but in yards. To get a gold, the junior athletes had to log 10,000 yards, the equivalent of 400 laps in Pebble Creek's pool. A total of 7,000 yards earned a silver, and 5,000 got a bronze. Swimmers set a world record if they went 15,000 yards. The swimmers began Sept. 6 and had until this weekend to finish up. Winners will get their medals during "closing ceremonies," which coincide with the real ones today in Sydney. Swimming coach Melissa Jarrell came up with the idea as a way to keep her students motivated. Kids peak at the end of the summer, she said, but often get less time in the pool once school starts. Participants swam for about an hour four days a week. Many went longer, like 10-year-old Desmond Vasquez, who surpassed the "world record." They rotated among freestyle, butterfly, breast stroke and backstroke. Everyone wanted the gold. Angie Pisarczyk says her sons, ages 5 and 6, couldn't wait to get into the pool. Watching the Olympic swimming events at home, they shouted: "That's me! That's me!" "They don't want to stop," Pisarczyk said during one practice. "They are really into it." The competition got the swimmers fired up about the Olympics, Jarrell said. She quizzed them about the games and told them if they work extra hard they could be like gold medal swimmer Bennett, who lives in Valrico. Going for gold gave 13-year-old Rachel Alford a new appreciation for the sport and the world champions. She marveled at Bennett's speed as she watched her on television. "I thought she was going to get tired she was going so fast," she said. Classmate Nicole Stanley hopes the competition helps her get on Wharton High School's swim team next year. Maybe there, she can turn her g old medal into a school record. - Susan Thurston can be reached at (813) 226-3463 or thurston@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times |
