Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 12, 1992 TAG: 9203120422
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The waterproof glove that goes over the cast gives the swimmer a little something extra to grab the water with.
But that advantage is one that Pat Bateman, coach of the Marlins swim team, would rather not have, since it can also lead to disqualification of a swimmer. He may be facing that possibility this weekend, however, when the Marlins and the Gators, another Roanoke Valley swim team, compete in the Virginia Junior Olympics at Old Dominion University at Hampton.
The Junior Olympics, which begin today and run until Sunday, will give the Roanoke swimmers, ages 9 to 14, a chance to compete against 25 other teams from around Virginia for a place on the state team. The very fastest swimmers have a chance to advance to the national Junior Olympics competition, then the senior nationals, and if they're good enough, to the Olympic trials and the Olympics themselves.
Of those who don't make the nationals, the two fastest swimmers in each division will represent the state in zoned competition, a national event ranked just below Olympic levels.
Just making it to the Junior Olympics is pretty special, too, Bateman said. Only about 1 percent of all young swimmers get this far, he said.
Bateman describes his team as "young." It has only been in existence for two years, but it has attracted 126 swimmers. Most of them, however, are 12 years old or younger.
Seven of his team members, all girls, are going to the competition. One of them, Mary Logan, broke her wrist last week while skiing and may have to swim with it or be disqualified, unless her doctor puts her in a splint. Another girl, Ginny Johnson, broke an arm earlier in the year, and although her cast is off, she had to train while wearing it.
His swimmers, Bateman said, "have a mixed bag of tricks" and will be competing in almost all of the events. Because of the small size of his team, Bateman said, he is not expecting to win any of the team medals, but he hopes each girl will do her individual best.
"It's a very pure sport," he said. "The more you put into it, the more you get out of it." His swimmers have good attitudes and have put a lot of effort into what they do.
Bobby Braaten, the Gators coach, will take 23 of his 100 swimmers.
This year, he said, his team has not had too many problems with injuries, but the team is a little smaller than it could have been. Many of his older swimmers compete in YMCA-sponsored meets and chose to sit the Junior Olympics out in order to be rested for those races.
The swimmers he is taking are "really excited" about the meet, he said. Most of them are girls, he said, because swimming "takes a lot of work, and girls seem to be able to listen better at this age. He believes four of the girls - Carolyn Bucher, Mandy Lippitt, Lindsay Maze and Jamie Spradlin - have a chance at the zone team.
Bateman said there is an attitude of "friendly competition" between the two teams, and neither coach can say for sure whether he has future Olympian.
One of Braaten's former swimmers currently is rated 25th fastest in the nation, and three others have gone on to the Olympic trials.
About his team, Bateman said: "Anything is possible."
by CNB