By Chris Hug, Zone Coordinator

Head Connecticut Zone Coach Brooks Ensor summed it up: "this group of 54 athletes came together remarkably fast and the mutual support among the athletes really showed in the many, many excellent swims." The Connecticut team placed 5^th overall among the ten teams attending this year’s Eastern Zone Championship meet in New Jersey March 30-April 1. The 5^th place showing was the highest our small LSC has had in many years. The men placed 6th and the women placed 5^th, both of which are excellent showings compared to recent years.

Our Connecticut athletes went to New Jersey to swim fast and have fun – and that they did. Overall, more than 54% of the swims were best time performances. In some cases, such as the 10&Us, athletes swam best times at a 77% clip and the 13-14 women swam at 70% clip. Seventy of our swims were top eight finishes and eleven of those (yes – that is not a typo) were first place finishes – oh and one relay victory too. Needless to say, our athletes were wild with enthusiasm every evening of finals. Moreover, to further illustrate just how well our athletes worked together, it is interesting to note that every single relay (thirty six in total) scored in the top 8. Truly remarkable!

Our athletes made their mark nationally too. Seventeen of the swims at Zones qualified for national top 16 consideration. On the Connecticut level, eight resident records were set, four of which were by 11-12 Elizabeth Pelton, two by 10&Us Livy Rettstatt and K.C. Moss and two by 11-12s Kim Jerome and Kyle Kim-E. Elizabeth also set a new Eastern Zone mark in a remarkable 200 back on the first day of the meet in a time of 2:07.35. Rachel Grusse, the first adapted swimmer to ever attend Zones from Connecticut, had a remarkable meet, qualifying for the US Paralympic National meet in July 2005.

In short, the 2005 short course Eastern Zone Championships were a rousing success from a performance standpoint. Our well-behaved athletes will also tell you that the trip was also a terrific time. New friends were made both within and without our LSC and it will be an experience they’ll remember for years to come. The goofy hats, face paintings, spirited cheers, among others, are all great memories. The Age Group Committee encourages athletes, coaches and parents to continue their support of this wonderful experience for our athletes.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

RESULTS
PHOTOS
ZONE WRAP-UP & STATISTICS

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Little do most know, but this past short course CT Zone Team was on the verge of not happening due to a shortage of up-front volunteers. By early February, despite efforts of the Age Group Committee, no coordinators had been identified. Luckily for our Connecticut swimmers, Age Group Committee member, Kaeley Steinnegel, stepped up and took the reins. And just like the athletes (see above article), the teamwork began.

Many individuals stepped up and chipped in from small to very large ways to help make this zone experience very, very special. There was of course, Kaeley, who coordinated the whole event and made sure every last detail was covered. Nan Cooper once again quietly attended to many details and, as usual, supported the whole effort in many ways. At age group championships, Wendy Jackwin, JoAnn McKeown, Lisa Wolff, Mary Scobee and Randy LaRocca did the difficult task of keeping track of who was going and getting them the right apparel and simply explaining the process. A special thanks to Wendy Jackwin who put together the actual entry (and worked very hard to get it right – and succeeded). Kaeley managed to enlist long time former coordinator, Bonnie Fisher, to come out of retirement and help with a few important items. Randy LaRocca, who is this summer’s zone coordinator, attended to the hotel details and meals, which turned out quite well.

There were also the chaperones, including: Cezary Ambrozej, Peg Ahlberg, Sharon Gosha, Tami Kim E, Sherry Mathieu, Chris Weir, Howard Naumann, Karen Barkley and Shao Gong. These chaperones worked very hard from the moment the bus left to the moment it arrived home. But just like the athletes, these chaperones also had a wonderful experience and very much enjoyed the company of our wonderfully well-behaved Connecticut athletes. Kaeley, who was unable to actually attend the meet, handed off zone coordinator responsibilities while at the meet to Chris Hug and his endlessly energetic cohort, Vinnie Savarese.

The coaches providing the leadership this year included veteran head coach, Brooks Ensor and his terrific colleague’s, Ann Hughes, Kevin Quill, Rachel Zappalorti and Dan Zeek. Needless to say, by the last evening of finals, few of them had their voices (from cheering) and they all had huge smiles due to the terrific performances of our CT athletes.

These coaches in cooperation with the chaperones, coordinators and behind the scenes helpers, helped make this year a successful, safe, fun, and memorable zone meet. THANKS TO ALL!!