1st Booster Club Meeting of 08-09 Season

All parents of CHS swimmers and divers should attend our first booster club meeting of the 2008/09 season Tuesday September 9th. The meeting will be held at the Coppell YMCA, starting 7pm in the large upstairs conference room.


The agenda will cover:

* The upcoming season
* Homecoming parade (yes, it is the very next week)
* Our annual fund raiser
* October road trip, etc.

This is also the time to purchase spirit wear, team swimsuits, booster club membership, and flamingos for our fundraiser, so bring your checkbook!


We look forward to seeing everyone Tuesday night. Please pass this information on to anyone on the team that is not yet on our distribution list.


Go Cowboys & Cowgirls!

Four credits for four years

Did you know that high school athletics is the only elective that receives just two credits for four years of participation? All other electives including Band, Dance, and JROTC, receive four credits for four years. Did you also know students starting with this year's Freshman class are required to take a fourth year of Math and Science to graduate under the Recommended and Distinguished Achievement Programs, replacing two graduation credits that were previously available for electives including athletics (referred to as "4x4")?

While it has always been unfair that four year athletes did not receive graduation credit for their Junior and Senior years in Athletics, the new State 4x4 requirement now makes it extremely difficult for student/athletes to graduate under the Distinguished Achievement Program.

Study after study have proven that...

1. Participation in interscholastic activities is a valuable part of the overall high school experience.
2. Students who compete in interscholastic activities make higher grades and have better attendance.
3. Interscholastic activities yields positive results after high school as well.
4. Interscholastic activities fulfill students' basic needs, help in students' attitudes toward self and school, and minimize dropout and discipline problems.
5. Interscholastic activities teach lessons that lead to better citizens.

For further background and details on the studies, please visit the National Federation of State High School Associations.

A petition to treat Athletics similarly to Band, Dance, JROTC, and other electives, giving athletes one credit for each year of participation, was resoundingly approved (13-2) by the State Board of Education (SBOE) in March. Unfortunately this was just the first step in a five step process. After review by the Texas Education Agency, the SBOE will reconsider the petition at their 22-23 May meeting (step 3 of 5).

The Texas High School Coaches Association does not believe the petition will go any further without support from the athletes' parents and encourages you to call, write, or email your SBOE representative and legislators. To find out who to contact, go to Who Represents Me and enter your home address.

Hard work this summer will pay off next year

Coach Henry encourages all swimmers and divers to get as much pool time as possible this summer. There are plenty of area teams offering a variety of practice times to work around even the most hectic summer schedules.

For those new to summer swimming, options abound. You will find CHS swimmers on the Coppell Cruisers, Texas RiverSharks, Dallas Mustangs, Lakeside Aquatic Club, and more. Coppell Cruisers, the Coppell Family YMCA team, is the most convenient in terms of location. The other teams are members of North Texas Swimming, the Local Swimming Committee of USA Swimming. North Texas Swimming generally offers a higher level of competition as each meet is similar to a high school regional meet.

UIL beefs up District 6-5A again

Coppell swimmers & divers will have their hands full next year, as UIL Athletics beefed up District 6-5A a second time with the addition of both Mansfield schools. The initial realignment for for the 08/09 and 09/10 seasons replaced the Carrollton schools with Southlake Carroll, a perennial top 10 State finisher. In addition, our Region (2) now covers most of the top teams from North Texas, including all North Texas schools that finished in the top 25 at the State Championships this year.

Keep in mind, only the 1st place finisher of the 8 regions automatically go to State. After that, the next 8 fastest finals times in each event regardless of region are invited to the State Championships. Region 2 should be well represented!

Next year's district meet will be held at Southlake Carroll 29-31JAN09. The Regional meet will be at Mansfield. The State Championships are 27-28FEB09.

May 1st Booster Club Meeting

The booster club will meet one last time for this school year. Please mark your calendar for next Thursday, May 1st, 6:30pm at the Y (2nd floor conference room). We'll elect next year's board and do a final wrap up.

All swim parents are encouraged to attend, including parents of new 2008/09 swimmers and this year's outgoing parents.

We look forward to seeing you next Thursday!

Tryout for the 08/09 Team

Team tryouts are scheduled Wednesday and Thursday, 2-3 April at the Coppell YMCA from 4:00 to 4:45pm each day. Anyone planning to attend Coppell High School during the 08/09 school year is eligible. You only need to attend one of the two days offered. Join "life in the fast lane" with CHS Swimming & Diving!

District, Region, and Team Awards Announced

Belo Mansion made for a beautiful backdrop as coach Patrick Henry and company celebrated the team's accomplishments at Sunday's banquet. Coach Henry, in his first year as CHS swimming and diving coach, is recognized throughout the state for bringing the best out of his athletes. This year was no exception, as he announced a long list of All District and All Region awards.

In addition, eight athletes (4 girls & 4 guys), hand picked by the team, received special recognition for their achievements and contributions in four categories coveted by Coach Henry:

• MVP: Kelsey Fred (9), Nick Bass (12)
• Most Improved: Melanie Ruegg (11), Andrew Osborn (10)
• Hardest Worker: Maria Wald (10), Chris Bigelow (10)
• Cowboy Spirit: Jessica Myers (12), Chris Marshall (12)

The All District and All Region award winners are:

Ashlan Barta (11): 1st Team All-District 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay, 2nd Team All-District 50 Free. 1st Team All-Region 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay.

Grace Crampton (10): 1st Team All-District 200 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relay, 2nd Team All-District 200 Free and 100 Fly. 1st Team All-Region 200 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relay.

Kelsey Fred (9): 1st Team All-District 200 Free, 500 Free, 200 Free Relay, and 400 Free Relay. 1st Team All-Region 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay. 2nd Team All-Region 200 Free and Honorable Mention 500 Free.

Katie Ische (12): 1st Team All-District 200 IM and 100 Back. 2nd Team All-Region 200 IM and Honorable Mention 100 Back.

Caitlin Koranda (9): 1st Team All District 100 Free, 100 Back, 200 Medley Relay, and 400 Free Relay. 1st Team All-Region 100 Back, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay, and Honorable Mention 200 IM.

Jessica Myers (12): 2nd Team All-District 200 Free and Honorable Mention All-District 500 Free.

Melanie Ruegg (11): 1st Team All-District 200 IM, 100 Back, 200 Medley Relay, and 200 Free Relay. 1st Team All-Region 200 IM, 100 Back, 200 Medley Relay, and 200 Free Relay.

Aimee West (11): 1st Team All-District 100 Fly, 100 Breast, 200 Medley Relay, and 400 Free Relay. 1st Team All-Region 100 Breast, 200 Medley Relay, and 400 Free Relay.

James Baker (12): 1st Team All-District 200 Free, 400 Free Relay, and Honorable Mention 100 Free. 1st Team All-Region 400 Free Relay. School Record 400 Free Relay

Nick Bass (12): 1st Team All-District 200 Free, 500 Free, 200 Free Relay, and 400 Free Relay. 1st Team All-Region 200 Free, 500 Free, 200 Free Relay, and 400 Free Relay. School Record 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay.

Chris Bigelow (10): 1st Team All-District 200 IM, 100 Breast, and 200 Medley Relay. 1st Team All-Region 100 Breast, 200 Medley Relay, and Honorable Mention 200 IM.

Scott Bigelow (12): 1st Team All-District 500 Free, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay, and 2nd Team All-District 200 Free. 1st Team All-Region 400 Free Relay and 2nd Team All-Region 500 Free. School Record 400 Free Relay

Robert Broun (9): 1st Team All-District Diving. 1st Team All-Region Diving.

Ryan Daly (11): Honorable Mention All-District 500 Free

Jacob Fenster (11): 1st Team All-District 100 Fly, 200 Medley Relay, an 200 Free Relay. 1st Team All-Region 200 Free Relay. School Record 200 Free Relay

Bobby Jiang (12): 1st Team All-District 200 IM and 2nd Team All-District 100 Back.

Chris Marshall (12): 1st Team All-District 100 Fly, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay, and 2nd Team All-District 50 Free. 1st Team All-Region 200 Free Relay and Honorable Mention All-Region 100 Fly. School Record 200 Free Relay

Andrew Osborn (10): 1st Team All-District 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free Relay, and 400 Free Relay. 1st Team All Region 100 Free, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, and 2nd Team All-Region 50 Free. School Record 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay

Congratulations to all for a job well done. Special thanks to John Daly, Jan Ruegg, and Judy Bigelow for making the event special. The team is taking a well deserved holiday, but will be back in the water after spring break preparing for next year.