Birmingham Swim League

Open House/Registration Day

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Birmingham Swim League Open House/Registration Day Saturday, August 23, 2008 Wald Park Pool 8:00AM – 10:00AM Come to the Wald Park pool on Saturday, August 23^rd to sign up for swim team, swim lessons, or to get your pool passes for the fall, winter, and spring. Children will be evaluated in the pool for swim team group placement, so have suit and goggles ready to go. Current members, please help spread the word to recreational league swimmers about this Open House Day. Returning family registration packets will be available soon! Click below for next season’s practice schedule.

BSL CAPTURES 6TH PLACE OVERALL AND SENDS FOUR ATHLETES TO ZONES In one of the bigger Summer Southeasterns ever, BSL swam to a 6th place in the team competition. The finish also secured the top spot amongst club teams in Alabama. This marks the third top 6 finish in a row as a team. This weekend's meet, which also serves as the selection meet for the Southeastern All-Star Zone Team, saw four BSL swimmers qualify to make the trip to Atlanta next weekend. Genny Pittman, Mallory Mathias, Chris Giesen, and Andrew Reeves, will all compete in the Zone meet next week from Tuesday to Saturday. The meet is being held at the Georgia Tech pool, which was originally built for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Results will be available at stingraysswimming.com. BSL swimmers also achieved some tremendous feats over the course of this past weekend's meet. Both Genny Pittman and Katrina Chapman earned High Point Runner-up awards. Chapman, along with Mallory Mathias and Chris Giesen led an assault on the BSL record books. Katrina Chapman improved on two of her own team records, resetting the 9-10 100 Fly mark at 1:13.90 and the 200 IM mark at 2:45.37. Both swims were also Top 16 times. Mallory's swim in the mile (17:25.57) broke Kelly Smith's team record of 17:28.12, which was set in the mid-90's. This swim was also a Top 16 swim. Chris Giesen closed out the record breaking swims with records in both the Open Men's 200 and 400 Free's. His time of 1:57.19 in the 200 Free broke current Alabama swimmer Kevin Greer's record of 1:57.57, which was set in 2007. He broke Princeton alum, Ryan Dvorak's record (4:10.43) in the 400 free by over three seconds, going 4:07.40. BSL also had a number of event finalists and top 8 swims at the meet. These included Emily Allen (200 BR), Mary Cash (1500 FR), Katrina Chapman (400 FR, 200 FR, 50 BR, 100 FY, 200 IM, 100 BR, 50 FY), Elizabeth Fix (200 FY), Chris Giesen (200 FR, 400 FR, 1500 FR, 100 FR), Leigh Hendry (200 FR, 50 FR, 100 FR), Corey Holmes (1500 FR), Mallory Mathias (1500 FR, 200 FR, 400 IM, 200 FY, 400 FR, 800 FR), William McKinney (200 FR, 100 FY, 800 FR, 50 FY), Madeline Pitt (800 FR), Genny Pittman (50 BA, 100 FY, 50 FR, 200 IM, 100 BA, 100 FR, 50 FY), Andrew Reeves (100 BR, 200 BR), Ali Smith (1500 FR), Levi Smolin (800 FR, 1500 FR), and Miller Tracy (400 IM, 200 FY, 200 IM). Finally, there were a ton of new Stepping Stone cuts achieved at the meet. Those were: Gold: Katrina Chapman, Chris Giesen, Mallory Mathias, and Genny Pittman Silver: Emily Allen, Katelyn Duke, Elizabeth Lapham, William McKinney, Grace Pitt, Levi Smolin, and Miller Tracy Bronze: Joe Etterer, Elizabeth Fix, Will Freeman, Madeline Held, Elizabeth Miller, Lydia Mullins, Madeline Pitt, Andrew Reeves, and Mary Claire Shingleton *Blue:* Miles Duke, Julia Etterer With the exception of the four athletes at the Zone Meet, this meet concludes the BSL 2007-08 season. The team will kick-off it's 2008-09 campaign with the BSL Sprint into Fall Invitational September 20-21. Matt Webber Birmingham Swim League Head Senior Assistant Coach

B.S.L. - "A TRADITION" Founded in 1965 by Jack Barnacastle and the other summer league coaches to keep swimmers active year round. BSL has evolved into a program that offers the finest in aquatic instruction and training. Emphasis is on individual development and a concern for healthy minds as well as healthy bodies. BSL swimming teaches not only technique but the values of hard work and sportsmanship as well. BSL is incorporated and owned by its membership, while directed and operated by a full time professional staff for benefit of the children of Birmingham and the surrounding areas.

B.S.L. COMPETITION BSL competes in U.S.A. swimming meets with competition ranging from novice to the national level. As a group, BSL hosts 5 - 6 meets annually and competes in meets from the local to the national level. Swimmers compete against others of similar ability. The BSL coaching staff enters swimmers in meets that are in the best interest for the swimmer's development.

B.S.L. MISSION STATEMENT Birmingham Swim League provides each swimmer the opportunity to swim to the highest level in a team environment that promotes personal growth and character development.

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