Posted: 12/8/04
Section championship will be hard to repeat
|
|
 |
Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
When the Forest Lake High School boys swimming and diving team won the section 7AA title last year they shocked everyone, including themselves. Repeating as section champions may be a difficult task.
The section champion team sent three divers and and two swimmers to the state meet as well. Of the five state participants, Brian Welch, Sam Chaussee, Dillon Hudalla, Sam Gort and Andy Knaak, Hudalla, Gort and Knaak are back.
ìWe have a young team and a few chose not to come out this year because they are busy with school work,î Rangers head swimming coach Barb Vailodash said. ìPractices have been going well so far and I think the boys are motivated by last yearís achievement. They have that section title in the back of their minds and they want to replicate that.î
Knaak and Gort will do their best to return to the state meet. Knaak and Gort both competed in the 200-yard freestyle with Knaak finishing with a time of 1:52.59 and Gort a time of 1:53.56. Knaak also qualified for the 500-yard freestyle event and finished with a time of 5:04.88.
ìKnaak was a big part of the teamís success last year and has been swimming many years of his life and has accomplished some great swimming success on a national level,î Vailodash said. ìWeíll be looking toward him to continue his success along with Gort who is returning after a trip to state.î
Backstroker Mark Sandager is returning after doing some off season training. Sandager wasnít the only one to train this summer. Fellow teammate Knaak swam during the summer months as well.
ìAndy (Knaak) has the potential to replace some of the names on the board at the pool that have the schoolís records on it,î Vailodash said.
John Goossens, Elijah Miller, Mike Bahr and Peter Sandager also swam this summer to prepare for this season. Goossens is a freestyle and breaststroke swimmer, Sandager a 500-yard freestyle swimmer, Bahr a breaststroke and freestyle swimmer.
On the diving end the loss of seniors Welch and Chaussee will definitely hurt, but with Hudalla back, the diving team has some experience returning.
Jeff Isaacson is another returning diver, but the team is expected to be made up of newer divers. After Hudalla and Isaacson, there are four new divers that will most likely rotate into the third varsity spot until one becomes the clear number three diver.
ìThe divers have to know 11 dives to go to the section meet and right now the new boys only know five,î diving coach Deb Welch said. ìWeíll work with them some more and see who stands out in the bunch.î
Having the experience of Hudalla and talent in Isaacson, Welch says the team should succeed at some point.
ìThis happens to every team,î Welch said. ìYou have a core group that starts out together, they love the camaraderie and competition, they stick together for six years, halfway through you have a powerhouse, then the graduate. When that group graduates you have a new group coming through and if coached right and the camaraderie is there youíll build another powerhouse. Thatís what weíre trying to do.î
Competition
The Suburban East Conference has its fair share of strong swimming and diving programs. With the Rangers program still on the rise, Vailodash expects the Rangers to finish about where it did last year but hopefully with another win or two in the standings.
Vailodash sees conference meets as important dates on the teamís schedule, but to her they are more for preparation for the section meet.
ìA conference meet is more like a hard training day for the kids,î Vailodash said. ìI chose to place the kids where they will be able to shine and thatís at sections and state.î
While recapturing the section 7AA title is important to the Rangers, Vailodash says she is more concerned with qualifying more swimmers and divers for the state meet.
ìIt would be the greatest thing in the world to go back to the section meet and take a section title but I think more importantly weíre looking at sections to one, qualify for the state meet and two, thatís where we want the swimmers to set their personal records. Thatís where our focus is,î Vailodash said. ìIf the points tally up and we end up to be the best team thatís the ultimate.î
The Rangers kick off their season today, Thursday at the conference relays at Stillwater at 5 p.m.
Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605