Comets Host Florida Gold Coast Open Invitational

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

January 27, 2011

The South Florida Aquatic Club will open its 2011 season at the Florida Gold Coast Open Invitational that begins on Friday.

The three-day meet that ends on Sunday will be hosted by the Comets at the Academic Village Pool in Pembroke Pines.

According to meet officials, there are fifteen teams and a total of 580 athletes entered.

Several SOFLO swimmers including Arlene Semeco, Jessie Alcaide, Lindsey McKnight, Emily Kopas and Marc Rojas will use the meet as a tune-up for the Feb. 18-21 USA Swimming Grand Prix in Columbia, Missouri.

Others including Brandon Goldman and Keegan Boisson-Yates will try and make their Grand Prix qualifying times. Both are coming off outstanding high schools seasons. Boisson-Yates competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.

SOFLO’s top-seeded swimmers are:

Juan Lucas, 11, 100-yard backstroke, 1:05.29; 100-yard individual medley, 1:08.75.

Tristan Celestin, 11, 50-yard breaststroke, 30.50; 50-yard freestyle, 25.02; 100-yard breaststroke, 1:09.87; 50-yard butterfly, 28.46; 100-yard freestyle, 57.95.

Carlos Rodriguez, 11, 100-yard butterfly, 1:06.30.

Samantha Stinemire, 12, 50-yard freestyle, 26.43; 50-yard backstroke, 29.23.

Jessica Rodriguez, 12, 500-yard freestyle, 5:38.56.

Alfredo Mesa Jr., 12, 500-yard freestyle, 5:20.71.

Gustavo Valery, 12, 50-yard backstroke, 29.85.

Emily Kopas, 14, 50-yard breaststroke, 31.39.

Brandon Goldman, 15, 100-yard backstroke, 54.47; 200-yard backstroke, 1:58.83.

Keegan Boisson-Yates, 15, 50-yard backstroke, 26.50.

Kristina Brennan, 15, 50-yard butterfly, 27.74.

Lindsey McKnight, 16, 100-yard backstroke, 56.19; 100-yard butterfly, 55.31.

Emily Greenwood, 16, 50-yard backstroke, 28.06.

Brian Arnaud, 17, 50-yard breaststroke, 29.45.

Gina Gautieri, 17, 200-yard breaststroke, 2:24.84.

Jaafar Bouland, 18, 100-yard butterfly, 27.00.

Arlene Semeco, 27, 50-yard freestyle, 23.16.

SOFLO top-seeded relays are:

Girls 12-and-under, 200-yard medley relay, Samantha Stinemire, Audrey Mason, Allison Kopas, Catharine Cooper, 2:01.73.

Girls 12-and-under, 200-yard freestyle relay, Catharine Cooper, Audrey Mason, Sophia Bucaro, Samantha Stinemire, 1:50.25.

Boys 12-and-under, 200-yard medley relay, Gustavo Valery, Tristan Celestin, Alfredo Mesa Jr., Cristian Rossi, 1:56.24.

Boys 12-and-under, 200-yard freestyle relay, Cristian Rossi, Carlos Rodriguez, Gustavo Valery, Tristan Celestin, 1:44.45.

Girls 13-and-over 200-yard medley relay, Amber Hunter, Leysha Caraballo, Maria Lopez, Brittany Williford, 1:58.82.

Girls 13-and-over 200-yard freestyle relay, Leonie Davies, Carly Swanson, Amber Hunter, Maria Lopez, 1:47.59.

Boys 13-and-over 200-yard medley relay, Ivan Parada, Marc Rojas, Xavier Brown, Dylan Sell, 1:43.82.

Boys 13-and-over 200-yard freestyle relay, Marc Rojas, Dylan Sell, Ivan Parada, Xavier Brown, 1:34.01.

The Comets and Coral Springs Swim Clubs will compete in the 8-and-under division.

Other teams entered are Big Gator Swimming, Broward Aquatics, Flying Fish Swim Club, Fort Lauderdale Aquatics, Gulliver Swim Club, Heritage Aquatic Club, Metro Aquatic Club of Miami, Miami-Dade County Aquatic, Miami Swimming, Midtown Weston Aquatics, Rockway Swimming Team and SwimFast.

Two other FGC Open Invitationals are being hosted Friday through Sunday at St. Andrew’s Swimming and Martin County.

IF YOU GO

What: Comets FGC Open Invitational

When: Friday-Sunday

Schedule: Friday, Session I, 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Session II, 8:30 a.m., Session III, 2 p.m.; Sunday, Session 4, 8:30 a.m., Session 5, 2 p.m.

Where: Academic Village Pool, 17189 Sheridan Street, Pembroke Pines.

Admission: $3 per session, $3 heat sheets per session. For information call 954-538-3721.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Alia Atkinson Invited To Compete In Jamaica, First Time In Ten Years

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

January 26, 2011

Alia Atkinson is a role model not only in South Florida at the Academic Village Pool and Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, but in her native country Jamaica.

Atkinson has been invited to compete in the 16^th annual LIME/Y Speedos Karl Dalhouse International Swim Meet Feb. 4-6 at Jamaica’s National Stadium Pool.

The telecommunications firm LIME is sponsoring the event for $500,000 which is expected to add to the prestige of the meet. The “Y” Speedos Swim Club is host club.

For the first time in meet history it will serve as a FINA World Swimming Championships qualifier.

It is the first time in ten years that the two-time Olympian who represents Jamaica internationally will return to compete in a local meet.

Atkinson is entered in six events.

Atkinson, a multi-national short course and long course record holder in Jamaica, will also conduct two clinics for Jamaica’s junior swimmers.

“She is very excited about competing here and we believe some great times are in store for us,” said meet director Dr. Brian James. “This year at Karl Dalhouse, Jamaica will be introduced to its intelligent, articulate. gentle, humble and patriotic swimming champion and they cannot help but fall in love with her. That’s my personal guarantee.

“Alia decided that while she is in Jamaica for the swim meet she will conduct two clinics for Jamaica’s junior swimmers. She is determined to help strengthen Jamaican swimming by sharing some of her skill and experience with younger aspirants.”

The 22-year-old was runner-up for the 2010 Sportswoman of the Year Award behind track star Veronica Campbell-Brown at the recent 2010 Sports Foundation Awards. She told reporters it was the highest honor she has received in her swimming career.

“This is the first major award that I got outside of swimming, so it’s unbelievable to even imagine that I was even nominated for it much less place runner-up,” Atkinson said.

“I didn’t think my performance at world championships was good but I guess other people felt it was higher, so to make runner-up was amazing.”

Atkinson, a Texas A&M graduate, was the first Jamaican swimmer to qualify for two world championship finals at the world short course championships in Dubai. She also won four gold medals in record-performances at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Puerto Rico.

“Y” Speedos president Martin Lyn expects more than 350 swimmers and seven clubs in the field.

“This swim meet features top-class competition and hopefully record-breaking times and we again look forward to a successful staging,” Lyn said.

Joining Atkinson are Jamaican teammates Victoria Ho, who trains with Gordon Andrews at Lake Lytal in West Palm Beach, Kendese Nangle, Timothy Wynter and Alexia Royal Eatmon.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com