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.

Relays Rock at Regionals

Thirty-two teams competed at the Region 2 Championships held at Loos Natatorium February 8 & 9. Only the top 8 swims from each event at Friday's preliminaries made it to the finals on Saturday. Remarkably, 9 of the 13 cowgirl and 9 of the 15 cowboy swims qualified for the finals! In most cases, there were 24 competitors per event.

While all the finals were exciting, it was the relays that stole the show, with both the girls and guys medaling (top 3) in two relays each. The men's 200 Free and 400 Free relays have been within a fraction of a second from besting the team records all season long. It came down to the final race of the season, and for some, the final race of their high school career to take home the team record in both events. Now that's drama!

The boy's 200 Free Relay made up of Andrew Osborn (10), Jacob Fenster (11), Nick Bass (12), and Chris Marshall (12), came in 3rd with a record time of 1:31.96.

The boy's 400 Free Relay made up of Andrew Osborn (10), Nick Bass (12), Scott Bigelow (12), and James Baker (12), came in 2nd with a record time of 3:21.96.

The girl's 200 Medley Relay made up of Melanie Ruegg (11), Aimee West (11), Caitlin Koranda (9), and Grace Crampton (10) came in 3rd with a time of 1:57.30.

The girl's 400 Free Relay made up of Kelsey Fred (9), Ashlan Barta (11), Aimee West (11), and Caitlin Koranda (9) also came in 3rd with a time of 3:51.09.

Here are the remaining Regional results for Coach Henry's 1st year as Cowboy head coach:

GIRLS

Ashlan Barta (11): 200 Free Relay - 6th,

Grace Crampton (10): 200 Free Relay - 6th

Kelsey Fred (9): 200 Free - 7th, 500 Free - 10th, 200 Free Relay - 6th

Katy Ische (12): 200 IM - 7th, 100 Back - 12th

Caitlin Koranda (9): 100 Free - 10th, 100 Back - 6th

Melanie Ruegg (11): 200 IM - 6th, 200 Free Relay - 6th, 100 Back - 5th

Amiee West (11): 100 Fly - 11th, 100 Breast - 4th

BOYS

James Baker (12): 200 Free - 13th

Nick Bass (12): 200 Free - 8th, 500 Free - 5th

Chris Bigelow (10): 200 Medley Relay - 8th, 200 IM - 10th, 100 Breast - 6th

Scott Bigelow (12): 200 Medley Relay - 8th, 500 Free - 8th

Robert Broun (9): 1 mtr Diving - 6th

Jacob Fenster (11): 200 Medley Relay - 8th, 100 Fly - 16th

Bobby Jiang (12): 200 IM - 13th

Chris Marshall (12): 200 Medley Relay - 8th, 50 Free - 10th, 100 Fly - 10th

Andrew Osborn (10): 50 Free - 7th, 100 Free - 6th

Congratulations to all and special thanks to Coach Henry for a getting the most out of our swimmers and divers!

Support your Cowboys at Regionals

It's time to support your 16 Cowboy swimmers and divers that move on to the regional competition this week, February 7-9. Regionals are split over three days and two venues. Diving will be held Thursday at the LISD Aquatics Center in The Colony beginning 1:30pm. Swimming prelims start 9:00am Friday, and swimming finals begin at 1:00pm Saturday. All swimming will be held at Loos Natatorium in Addison.

The fastest 8 swimmers or relay teams in Friday's preliminary events compete in Saturday's finals. First place in each finals event automatically advance to the State meet in Austin. Others may be called up to swim at the State meet based on their finals time. The list of athletes called up to swim at State will be available on the TISCA website.

Our District (6-5A) is one of the toughest in the Region (see Regional breakdown), meaning many of our swimmers are within reach of State (see the Psych Sheet for preliminary seeding). Bring a friend and let them hear your spirit. Go Cowboys!

For more information on the Regional meet, click on the title of this post.

Team sending 16 to Regionals!

A total of 16 swimmers and divers are going to Regionals after Friday's stunning District 6-5A performance at Lewisville IDS Aquatics Center in The Colony. Coach Henry had the team ready with almost all swimmers topping their career best times, many in dramatic fashion.

During the regular season, Varsity would be in the water at 6:30am every morning, even if they had a meet at 6:30pm that night. All that hard work is paying off, as they now have 28 opportunities at Regionals to qualify for State. District 6-5a is very competitive and considered the strongest in Region 2.

Overall the men's team finished third and women's team finished fourth. While the team brought home 32 medals (first -third place), special recognition goes to Nick Bass and Chris Bigelow for their first place finishes in the 500 Free and 100 Breast respectively!

The Cowboys who will move on to Regionals this weekend are listed below with their events and District finish. Click on the title of this post for the full meet results.

GIRLS
Ashlan Barta - 200 Free Relay(3), 400 Free Relay(3)
Grace Crampton - 200 Medley Relay(2), 200 Free Relay(3)
Kelsey Fred - 200 Free(3), 500 Free(4), 200 Free Relay(3), 400 Free Relay(3)
Katy Ische - 200 IM(5), 100 Back(4)
Caitlin Koranda - 200 Medley Relay(2), 100 Free(6), 100 Back(3), 400 Free Relay(3)
Melanie Ruegg - 200 Medley Relay(2), 200 IM(6), 200 Free Relay(3), 100 Back(2)
Amiee West - 200 Medley Relay(2), 100 Fly(6), 100 Breast(5), 400 Free Relay(3)

BOYS
James Baker - 200 Free(4), 400 Free Relay(3)
Nick Bass - 200 Free(2), 500 Free(1), 200 Free Relay(2), 400 Free Relay(3)
Chris Bigelow - 200 Medley Relay(2), 200 IM(4), 100 Breast(1)
Scott Bigelow - 200 Medley Relay(2), 500 Free(3), 400 Free Relay(3)
Robert Broun - 1 Mtr Diving(6)
Jacob Fenster - 200 Medley Relay(2), 100 Fly(5), 200 Free Relay(2)
Bobby Jiang - 200 IM(6)
Chris Marshall - 200 Medley Relay(2), 50 Free(7), 100 Fly(3), 200 Free Relay(2)
Andrew Osborn - 50 Free(6), 100 Free(5), 200 Free Relay(2), 400 Free Relay(3)

Get Ready for Districts!

This year's District Swimming competition will be held at the new LISD Aquatics Center in The Colony on Friday, 1 February. The team bus leaves at 1:15pm, warm-ups begin at 4:00pm, and the meet starts at 5:30pm. District Diving will be held Thursday, 31 January starting at 5:00pm.

To Fans and Families, please note Lewisville has two high school pools: LISD Natatorium in Flower Mound and LISD Aquatics Center in The Colony. We'll be at the Aquatics Center in The Colony. All District events are final (no prelims) and only the top six in each event move on to Regionals the following weekend. It's the moment of truth, so come loud and proud to support our Cowboy swimmers! Adult admission is $4, students are $3, and heat sheets are $2.

Banquet planned for 9 March

Mark your calendars, the team's banquet is planned for Sunday, 9 March at historic Belo Mansion. Doors open at 5:30pm and the event starts at 6:00pm. Located in the heart of the Arts District, Belo Mansion offers a truly unique and memorable venue to celebrate the team's success. Invitations will be sent shortly and RSVP is required.

Seniors, if we haven't received your baby pictures, please send them to Kevin Matheny as soon as possible.

Grapevine Diving Invitational - Cancelled

This weekend's Diving Invitational at Grapevine has been cancelled with no make up planned.

Districts are up next! This year's competition will be held Friday, 1 February at the new LISD Aquatics Center in The Colony. The bus leaves at 1:15p, warm-ups begin at 4:00pm, and the meet starts at 5:30pm. Please note the original meet schedule included prelims on 31 January. This was incorrect. All District events are final and only the top six move on to regionals. Let's show our Cowboy pride and show up in mass. Go Cowboys!