THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602020197
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 28 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
FOR A GUY WHO is a standout in football and soccer, swimming hardly seems like a natural tie-in.
But for First Colonial's Jesse Harris, the three endeavors couldn't come together any easier.
After all, he's using plenty of leg in all of them - all that kicking and running.
Last fall, Harris concluded a stellar place-kicking career at First Colonial by nailing 11 extra points and seven field goals for a Patriot team that struggled. And he is anxiously looking forward to his final high school soccer season this spring.
But in the meantime, he is practicing a passion he has had almost as long as any other sport.
Two years after Harris started playing soccer at the age of 4, he took up swimming for the Alanton-Baycliff team that competes in the Virginia Beach Summer Swim League. It wasn't until the eighth grade that he started booting a football through the uprights.
Now a senior, Harris is finally getting to participate in swimming at the high school level.
``I think I would be doing a lot better at swimming and at my other sports, probably, if they would have started high school swimming a long time ago,'' Harris, 17, said. ``It really helps with my endurance in other sports.
``I didn't swim in the club stuff last year because I was lifting weights for soccer and football.''
The Beach started its swimming program last winter under a club team format and began its first varsity season in December.
Harris has been swimming in 50-meter freestyle, 100 butterfly and some relay events. Overall, he's been pretty successful.
``This is basically a fun thing for me,'' Harris said. ``I'm not super competitive with it. I mean, I am a competitor and I try my hardest, but it's not like it is in other sports.
``I won a couple of events and was doing well until we met some of the teams that had a bunch of the ODACers. They blew me out of the water.''
Several of the top teams this season have swimmers from area clubs like the Old Dominion Aquatic Club, which features some of the top swimmers in the country. Other area clubs like the Tidewater Aquatic Club and the Tides have been beneficial to the high school programs.
``Going up against those guys pushed me to swim harder and it was kind of fun,'' said Harris, who has improved on all of his times because of such competition.
Harris will get another shot at improving those times when the Beach holds its first district meet Friday at the Princess Anne Recreation Center off General Booth Boulevard. The competition begins at 9 a.m., with consolations beginning at 5 p.m. followed by the finals. The top six finishers in each event will advance to the first Eastern Region meet Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Princess Anne Recreation Center.
The first Group AAA state meet won't will be held until next season.
At the district meet Friday, the competition in both boys and girls divisions should be close.
The race for the boys team title should be between regular season champion Kempsville (9-0), Cox (8-1) and First Colonial (7-2). Salem (6-3) and Tallwood (5-4) could figure in the placings.
Cox (9-0) captured the girls regular season title and will be the favorite. Salem (8-1), First Colonial (7-2) and Kempsville (6-3) will provide a bulk of the competition.
``It's just been a great season so far and I think everybody is really looking forward to this meet. I know I am,'' Falcons coach Joe Gentry said. ``The team races are going to come down to placements - the top six go to region, but it's going to be the next six that will determine who wins.''
The top 12 scores in each event count toward team scoring.
In individual races, many of the matchups in the finals could pit club teammates against each other.
Kempsville's top individuals to watch are Mark Giusto, John McLaren, Kevin Sinsabaugh, Stephan Sharpe, Chris Din, Bryan Brady and Jared Bissell. For Cox, Matt Morrisette, Conrad Mapp, John Herske, Ryan Quinn, Mike Delfaus and Jon Suttle are the mainstays. First Colonials swimmers to watch are John Floyd, Stephen Laboretta, Scott Payne, Harris, Ryan Haltiwanger, Adam Montgomery, Danny Mazur and Zack Bradley. Tallwood's Ryan Calicich is a swimmer to watch individually, as are Salem's Sean and Ryan O'Meara, Jeff Lewis, Luke Raymor and Mark Messersmith.
Marcy Laderberg of Cox finished the regular season unbeaten individual competition.
``She can swim anything for us and we've moved her around all year to get her where she can help us most,'' Gentry said. ``But there are a lot of good individuals out there.''
Among them are Laderberg teammates Becca Rose, Lauren Bulkely, Leigh Starling, Tamsen Heckel, Abby Ferrell and Karen Lamoureux.
Salem is led by Shannon Turlip, who gets help from Kristin Thorn, Julie and Heidi Lestyan, Tara Lewis, Ashley Theiser, Monica Hollowell and Toni Masters. First Colonial's top individuals are Megan Roberson, Elena Horvath, Leslie Kearley, Katie Finefrock, Lindsay Widener and Elise Weinberg. Top competitors for Kempsville are Blair Hardesty, Carrie Williams, Jacquie Matthews, Stephanie Jenkins, Stephanie Webster, Allison Lalonde and Catherine Parker. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
``I think I would be doing a lot better at swimming and at my other
sports, probably, if they would have started high school swimming a
long time ago,'' says First Colonial's Jesse Harris, 17, a soccer
player and football placekicker. ``It really helps with my endurance
in other sports.''
by CNB