` Vallejo Aquatic Club

P.O. Box 5846

Vallejo, CA 94591
(707) 553-swim
www.vallejoaquatics.org

April – May 2010

“Senior Edition”
Shark Attack
The Official Newsletter of the Vallejo Aquatic Club

2009 - 2010 VJO Board
Angelynne Yee, President
Brian Rodinsky, Vice President
Dove Butler, Treasurer
Kathy Lau-Nelson, Secretary
Diane Powell, Membership
Debbi Tucker, Officials
Debbie Rodinsky, Meet Director
Debbie Cameron, Newsletter
Coaches
Coach Tuffy Williams
Coach Aaron Jon Toch
Coach Lesley Ruszel
Presidential Proclamation
Thank you to all the lot of work, as participate in.
parents who parents, not only are I would like to also
volunteered and we setting a good congratulate our 2010
helped make our May example to our graduating seniors and
swim meet a children, but we are wish them the best in
successful one. also showing them their future.
Although it may seem that we care & support
like volunteering is a them in whatever they Angelynne Yee
Talent search…
Looking for musicians/singers for a “Star-Spangled” meet
VJO is looking for singers & musicians to perform the Star-Spangled
Banner at our next meet. Mr. & Mrs. Keilholtz have agreed to take the
lead in this endeavor so please contact them for more info.

The first long course meet of the season brought out LOTS of smiles….
make sure you don’t miss out on the fun in July!
Page 2
Reflections from the Deck
You are either out of school or you soon
will be out of school. You will have time
for practice without homework
hanging over your head. Should you
get tired during the day you can even
take a nap; isn't summer great? You
can spend more time getting Pledges for
the Swim-A-Thon.
Shark Attack
If your friends have an interest in
swimming suggest that they tryout for
the Team. Be encouraging to them tell
them how much fun you have (a little
fib is okay) at practice and swim meets.
Remember to tell them about our social
activities. Make yourself a good
representative of what VJO is all about.

You should be planning on putting all Remember get those Pledges!

Coach Tuffy
NOTES FROM THE TUFFGUY
This is it what we all have been
waiting for...summer swimming.
your effort into learning how to dive,
swim backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly Go VJO,
and freestyle.
Tuffy
We will have more swimmers joining out
team during this time. Make sure you
make them feel welcome by knowing
their names and not leaving them out of
activities.

Coach Aaron Jon
The Senior Edition of our
newsletter--one of my favorites
because we get to celebrate
those swimmers who have gone
through the program and are
now on to “bigger and better
things,” or “the real world.”
Through their involvement with
the team, they have certainly
made our club a better, more
friendly place to swim. And even though sports drinks are okay too (powdered
they are leaving us, we will always have Gatorade is good because you can dilute
a lane open for them! it to reduce the sugar content).
During the summer months, it is Chocolate milk is a great after-workout
often easy to forget to take care of recovery aid, as are nuts and peanut
one’s body. This is true both at the pool butter. All swimmers, especially our
during practice as well as away from older athletes, need to monitor their
pool, before and after practice. Liberal caloric intake. Remember that your body
amounts of sunscreen are a must at all is an engine and requires (healthy) fuel
practices. Our swimmers are in the to run on. This means you need to eat!!
water between 5-16 hours a week, Along with having a bottle of water
which is 20-64 hours a month--protect around 24/7, make sure you’re eating 3
your skin! We’re usually pretty good solid meals everyday and snacking
about sunscreen, but one area where throughout as well.
we can all (coaches included) do a
better job is hydration. I’ve noticed a lot
swimmers do not bring a water bottle to
practice. Even though you’re in water
and cannot tell, your body is still
working very hard and sweating, which
means you’re losing water. In order to
perform to the best of your abilities you
need to replenish those lost fluids.
Away from the pool, it’s important to
drink a lot of fluids throughout the day.
Nothing beats water, but low-sugar
Shark Attack Page 3

SENIOR SHARK PROFILE

2010

Camille Miguel Age: 17

Shark Attack: What are your plans for the next year?
Camille: To go to junior college and then to a 4-year college.
SA: What are your future goals?
Camille: To be an accountant & eventually own my own business.
SA: How do you think swimming will impact your future?
Camille: I was able to get certified in scuba-diving, which could lead to jobs in the
marine industry. It also gave me confidence that I can reach my goals that I set for
myself.
SA: What advice would you give new swimmers?
Camille: Working hard and listening to your coaches will pay off in the long run.
SA: What advice would you give USA Swimming?
Camille: Make sure the rules, as far as swimwear & equipment, make the
competition equal for everyone.
SA: What are your favorite strokes?
Camille: Butterfly & backstroke.
SA: What is your favorite memory from swimming?
Camille: All the hard work I did swimming for VJO made it possible for me to
compete in and finish the Tiburon One Mile open water swim…the water was SO
cold!
SA: Tell us something about you that would surprise us.
Camille: I like to do Tahitian & Polynesian dancing. I like to go surfing where
there is warm water.
Page 4 Shark Attack
SENIOR SHARK PROFILE
2010

Chris Duplantis Age: 18

Shark Attack: What are your plans for the next year?
Chris: To go to Solano Junior College.

SA: What are your future goals?

Chris: To get a degree.

SA: How do you think swimming will impact your future?

Chris: I will swim for the rest of my life and I learned life
lessons.

SA: What advice would you give new swimmers?

Chris: Stick with it and you will improve.

SA: What was your favorite set?

Chris: Long distance freestyle.

SA: What are your favorite memories from swimming?

Chris: All the swim meets.

SA: Tell us something about you that would surprise us.

Chris: I have an amazing voice.
Shark Attack Page 5

SENIOR SHARK PROFILE

2010

Kayla Craft Age: 17

Shark Attack: What are your plans for
the next year?
Kayla: I’m going to Solano Community
College.

SA: What are your future goals?

Kayla: To become an orthopedic surgeon.

SA: How do you think swimming will

impact your future?
Kayla: It is something I’ll do for the rest
of my life and it’s great therapy for my
knee.

SA: What advice would you give new

swimmers?
Kayla: It’s a great sport – you stay in
shape and you learn discipline.

SA: What was your favorite set?

Kayla: My favorite set as 10 – 50s on the
minute: freestyle and sometimes
breastroke.

SA: What is your favorite memory from

swimming?
Kayla: My favorite memory was the swim
meets and all the get togethers outside of
swimming, like the ice skating.

SA: Tell us something about you that

would surprise us.
Kayla: I scuba dove with a shark!
Page 6 Shark Attack

SHARK PROFILES
April - May 2010

Evan Sousa Age: 13

Favorite Strokes: Freestyle
Favorite Meet Events: 50 Free
Role Model: His parents
Future Goal: To get good grades
Hobbies: Swimming, soccer & playing piano
Favorite Song: Stereo Love
Favorite Movie: Up
Favorite Book: Harry Potter series
When Evan grows up, he wants to be an engineer.
If Evan could change one thing it would be to
be a little taller.
Something interesting about Evan that he
would like to share: He plays piano and trumpet.

ONE SET TOO MANY? – STRESSED SWIMMER PULLS HAIR OUT !

WELL NOT REALLY, BUT IT MADE A NICE HEADLINE, DIDN’T IT?
GERICA BUTLER GIVES TO LOCKS OF LOVE AND…

GETS A NICE ‘DO OUT OF IT.

WAY TO SHARE, GERICA!
Shark Attack Page 7

ALUMNI SHARK PROFILE

Vincent Bicomong Age: 21

Hi my name is Vince. I have been swimming with VJO since 1996

and swam all through my senior high school up to 2007.
Swimming with VJO created the best swimming experiences of all
time! Swimming with your close friends and having the most
creative coaches made every day a fun day at Vallejo Aquatics.
VJO has helped me understand that all those laps and early
morning practices are worth the work, because in the end you
learn that impossible is nothing and anything can be done with
the right mind set. Currently 21 years old and applying to the
nursing program, I constantly reminisce of the old times at VJO,
and feel grateful of every moment.

Shark Attack: Do you still compete?

Vince: Yes, I still compete: I swam for Diablo Valley College.

SA: What was your favorite set?

Vince: I remember my favorite set at VJO was when Chris Vince & Max
Oshiro would let us kick underwater and push hot wheel cars
down the ramp, total fun!

SA: What are your favorite events?

Vince: My favorite events are the 100 FLY and the 200 IM.

SA: What are your favorite strokes?

Vince: My favorite strokes are butterfly and freestyle.

SA: What was the best advice ever given to you by a swim
coach?
Vince: The best advice I ever got was when Coach Chris told
me, "When you’re on the pool deck it's swim time, leave all the
trouble and everything behind you and focus on swimming."

SA: What is your favorite memory from swimming, e.g. race,

event?
Vince: My favorite swim memory I can remember from VJO was
when we would hangout outside of the pool. We use to go
bowling and eat at Sac's which was always a fun time.

SA: What do you miss most about competing with VJO?

Vince: I miss my swim friends and inspirational coaches the
most. Tuffy, Chris and I go way back and sharing my swim
experiences with them was like no other.
Vince competing at DVC
SA: What advice would you give today’s sharks?
Vince: "Sharks always swim forward, like a shark a swimmer
has got to keep pushing." GO VJO!
Page 8 Shark Attack

SHARK BOWLING
(What IS Aaron Jon pointing at?)
Welcome to the Deck
APRIL
Derrick Egan
Josh Chambers
Anthony Aranas

MAY
Imani Boggan
Caleb Boggan
Justin Eggan
Jonathan Beltran
Paige Ang
Ethan Thomas
Matthew McGuire
Jackie Matabang

Life in the Fast Lane

The following swimmers achieved new time standards at the following meets:

THE “A” TEAM: “B” TIMES: JOOOOOOOOO Times:

VJO LC C/B/A+ 4/30-5/2
Jalen Aquino: 50 Breast, 50 Free,
50 Fly, 100 Free, 100 Breast
Mirelle Augst: 400 Free, 50 Breast
Sarina Chang: 50 Breast
Bobby Hilton: 50 Free, 50 Breast
Regina Horder: 100 Back, 100
Breast, 50 Fly
Milton Lau: 100 Free
Ricki Liang: 100 Back
Samantha Man: 50 Free, 50
Breast
Jose Martin: 100 Free, 100 Breast,
200 IM
Brandon Miguel: 50 Free
Rebecca Sabio: 50 Free
Ashley Sotelo: 100 Fly
Gabriel Viray: 400 Free
Braeden Yee: 50 Free, 100 Free
Sabrina Yee: 50 Breast, 100
Breast, 200 Breast
Marshall Zia: 100 Free
BSAL Swimming & Diving
Championships: 5/8
Mariel Bautista: 200 Free
VJO LC C/B/A+ 4/30-5/2
Jalen Aquino: 50 Back, 100 Back
Jeromy Chang: 100 Breast
Sarina Chang: 100 Breast
Meigan Dutcher: 50 Free
Carlos Escudero: 50 Free
Tim Man: 100 Back
Alex Yee: 100 Free, 100 Breast,
200 IM
Sabrina Yee: 100 Free
Mitchell Zia: 50 Back
Far “Out” Western Times…
VJO LC C/B/A+ 4/30-5/2
Dylan Powell: 400 Free, 800 Free,
100 Fly
BSAL Swimming & Diving
Championships: 5/8
Patricia Welton: 100 Breast
PRT Times…
Far Westerns: 4/8-11
Dylan Powell: 1000 Free
10 & Under Championship: 4/24
Samantha Man: 100 Breast
VJO LC C/B/A+ 4/30-5/2
Evan Augst: 800 Free
Mirelle Augst: 50 Free
Kelley Henderson: 200 Back
Milton Lau: 100 Breast
Brandon Miguel: 100 Free
Dylan Powell: 200 Free, 1500
Free, 100 Breast, 200 IM
Rebecca Sabio: 50 Breast
Marble Welton: 400 Free, 1500
Free
Post-Coast Walk-On Meet: 5/23
Kelley Henderson: 1650 Free
Jose Martin: 200 Breast
CONGRATULATIONS
JOSE MARTIN
on your
FIRST JO EVER!
 Shark Attack Page 9

Donation Station & Volunteer Central

Some great big THANK YOUs to organizations & people who have contributed so generously to & in behalf of VJO!

In upcoming editions of the Shark Attack, I thought it might be nice to profile some
volunteers: these are people who, meet after meet, spend HOURS upon HOURS helping out so that
our kids can compete. I thought I'd start with a Stroke & Turn Official - probably a pretty thankless
job, but an important one. It seems to me our S&T Officials do a really good job of keeping the
playing field level. It must be difficult to DQ a 6 or 7-year-old, but the kids REALLY learn from it, as
well as learning how to deal with a little adversity at the same time. If you are a volunteer and
would like to be profiled, please send me an email and let me know - I'll try to get you profiled in an
upcoming newsletter. My email address is communications@vallejoaquatics.org and please use a
subject line of "newsletter". Now...for our first Volunteer Shark Profile...David Elmore. As many of
you know, David is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame by having his picture included in the latest
Splash magazine - we thought we might as well make it 30 minutes...

From USA Swimming’s Splash Magazine

Page 10 Shark Attack
VOLUNTEER SHARK PROFILE
David Elmore
I’ve been an active S&T Judge for over two years now. I felt pretty overwhelmed when I attended my first official’s
clinic. I thought “wow, what a lot to learn”. “Will I be able to discern swimming infractions fairly?” “How will I deal
with the sadness from the younger swimmers that I will eventually DQ?”
The clinic for beginning S&T Judges requires about 3 to 4 hours of training. At the end of the training some
potential judges have second thoughts about continuing, while others look forward to go on deck and give it try.
During meets all trainee S&T judges work with a higher level S&T official when on deck. There is no rush to elevate
trainees to a higher status; they work with help until they are comfortable to handle it alone. After passing the online
exam (stroke, turn, and timer) working a few meets the trainee is eligible for Level 1 status. Continued working at
meets and passing recertification exams allows progression to a higher level status. Currently I hold a Level 3 status
as a Stroke & Turn Judge, and a Level 2 status as a meet Starter.
Depending on the meet, a S&T Judge might only work as a stroke judge or only as a turn judge. The main criteria
all of the judges adhere by is to give the swimmer the benefit of the doubt whenever discrepancies occur. In other
words, if you think you might see an infraction but have doubts or have to think about it too long, you probably did
not see the infraction and writing up a DQ is not warranted. There have been times when I’ve signaled an infraction
because I thought I saw a swimmer do something wrong only to refuse to write the swimmer up.
When the meet starts and I am officiating on deck I have to be extremely focused in the beginning. After a few
heats I relax a bit and everything becomes less hectic and somewhat automatic. The photo of me in the Splash
magazine actually demonstrates how focused Stroke & Turn judges are. I’m listening to or for the Starter, watching
to make sure the timers are not obstructed by others, even watching my counterparts on all sides of the pool of their
positions.
Writing a DQ for a swimmer that is 6 or 7 years old was never problem for me. My philosophy about writing DQ
slips for swimmers of all ages is that if the swimmer is doing a stroke or maneuver incorrectly they shouldn’t be. If
that swimmer displaces other swimmers in a meet that correctly mastered the stroke then it is unfair to those who
swam correctly. Parents are usually the ones that have a problem with S&T judges writing up younger swimmers.
Once during a 25 yard backstroke event one timer would step in front of me blocking my view as the swimmers
approached the wall for their finish if she thought a younger swimmer might get a DQ.
Some swimmers have bad habits that their coaches try in vain to correct. A swimmer might not receive a DQ for
incorrect strokes; they may believe their techniques are OK and continue to swim incorrectly. Coaches do welcome
DQ’s against swimmers that refuse to correct their stroke infractions. Sometimes I will talk to our VJO seniors when I
see them swimming incorrectly. I never interfere during Coach Aaron’s practices and will only talk to the swimmer
once practice is over or mention to Coach Aaron that he has a swimmer that might get into trouble at a meet.
My son Ares has been a senior swimmer going on four years. I’ve missed some of his events due to my officiating
duties. My wife sometimes has to let me know that Ares is getting ready to swim. I may first see him at the blocks or
when I’m at the other side of the pool, while he’s completing his turn. Other times he has unknowingly appeared in
the lane I’m officiating. When I know he’s in one of my lanes I try mentally communicating with him not to “mess
up”.
I attend all of Ares’ practices. He always asks me how he did at the end of practice while we are driving home. I
count his arm strokes and let him know how efficient he’s doing. I’ll tell him about his body position and reinforce
Coach Aaron’s critiques and criticisms of him and of the team in general. Since I attend all of Ares’ practices I don’t
feel too bad about those times I miss one of his events. I do try to watch them all but some will be missed.
Finally, I would like to mention something I believe is extremely important to all swimmers – promptness. Whether
it’s a practice or at a meet, being on time is a must. Being late for your practice affects your training and
conditioning. An athlete that is chronically late for practice will not reach their potential and will incur setbacks,
injuries, and disappointments in their sport. A working body produces pollutants that must be gotten rid of. If not,
fatigue sets in and muscles become sore. Proper breathing and cool-down (warm down after a hard swim workout)
are crucial. Paying attention to your coach’s instructions will greatly reduce discomforts experienced after a hard
workout.
We are all there for our swimmers; the officials, coaches, parents, and also the swimmer’s peers. I’m proud to see
the VJO team pride in our swimmers; watching seniors and age groupers letting each other know that their meet
event is near, and hearing younger ones cheering their buddies on. Vallejo has a great swim club and I am, and have
been, proud to be part of it as a Stroke and Turn Official.