|
|
Reports of Leah Gingrich 2006 Victorian Swimming Championships in Melbourne, Australia written by Coach Mike
Team USA Media Guide USA Swimming
|
|
Monday 1/9/06 Leah arrived at the Philadelphia Airport looking a bit tired, but ready to get back to training and working toward USA Nationals in Irvine this Summer. First order of business is to get back to school, get the work done that was missed, and yes she misses her high school friends and team mates. Over the next few days I will upload some video that was taken at the meet....enjoy
|
Leah's gold medal winning 800 free (Listen to the song in the background...almost funny) |
|||
Friday 1/6/06 7:30pm (Mechanicsburg time) 11:35pm on Saturday 1/7 (Melbourne time) In her last event of the meet Leah swam the 200 free. I knew she was going to be tired as the fatigue of a 5 day meet was going to be setting in. As I concluded my Friday evening with the WSY Mini Team (first night for these kids), Leah called and told me of her 200 free, and she swam it very well, going 2:04.74 and securing another finals swim this evening, which means yes I get another 4:30am phone call tomorrow (Saturday, Mechanicsburg time). Leah actually swam her best 200 time as the lead off in the 800 free relay (prelims) earlier in the week.(2:03.99). Leah did tell me that after the meet on Saturday, the team has two intense training sessions in Melbourne on Sunday (Lets just say Coach Mike had some say into those practices), and between workouts the team will venture to the beach along the Australian Coast. Leah is due back into Philadelphia on Monday evening (eastern time), just in time for her High School meet on Tuesday of next week............I will report more later as to the outcome of the 200 free
Friday 1/6/06 4:35am (Mechanicsburg time) 9:35pm on Friday1/6 (Melbourne time) Leah captured her first individual gold on Day 4 of the Victorian State Championships (Jan. 3-7, Melbourne, Australia), highlighting another strong day of performances for the U.S. National Junior Team. The Americans captured six medals on Friday to bring its meet total to 29: nine gold, eight silver and 12 bronze.
During the first three days of the meet, Gingrich had earned a medal of every color: gold as a member of the 800m freestyle relay, silver in the 400m free and bronze in the 200m butterfly and 1500m free. It was only the individual gold that eluded her.
Gingrich got her chance on Friday, swimming down Australian National Team members Elka Graham, Haley Reddaway and Caroline North to win the gold with a time of 8:39.89, (previous lifetime best was 8:45), which is the 23rd fastest time in the world, and the 7th fastest time by an American!!! American teammate Monica Drake (Bloomington, Ill. / BNY Waves) posted an 8:43.31 to take home the bronze. In a stacked American field, four additional U.S. swimmers finished in the top 10.
“The women’s 800 free was an outstanding race,” said Mike Parratto, women’s assistant coach. “It has to give all of those distance girls and their coaches great confidence in their ability. I think their training will move to a whole new level.”
Leah has the 200 free remaining to swim.......all I can say is WOW....GO USA (Full Article from USA Swimming)
Thursday
1/5/06 4:35am (Mechanicsburg time) 9:35pm
on Thursday 1/5 (Melbourne time) WOW what a day. I
was woke up this am with a very happy Leah. Last evening we had gotten
some time to talk on the phone and we talked about a variety of subjects.
She was very excited to be seeded first going into the 400 final, however
she
knew she had her work cut out for her. Leah had done her lifetime best
earlier in the day, and was ready for more. at 4:30am (our time) I had an
equally excited phone call with Leah telling me she went 4:12.88 in finals,
however she did get touched out by an Australian (Haylee Reddaway who is 8th in
the world at this time). Leah was VERY happy. With her 4:12, she is
27th in the world at this time (world
rankings are here) and 5th fastest American. Tomorrow Leah will have a
200 IM prelim in the morning and a very competitive 800 free final at night
where she is seeded in the Top 5 going into the event
....more
later GO USA!!!
The U.S. National Junior Team almost doubled its medal count from the previous two days of competition, racking up 11 medals on Day 3 of the Victorian State Championships (Jan. 3-7, Melbourne, Australia).
Team USA amassed three gold, four silver and four bronze on Thursday to bring the team total to 23: eight gold, seven silver and eight bronze overall.
On the women’s side, Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa. / Germantown Academy) won her second individual gold of the meet, taking the title in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:14.75.
In the women’s 400m free, Leah Gingrich (Enola, Pa. / West Shore YMCA) posted an outstanding time of 4:12.88, finishing second to Australian World Championship Team member Haley Reddaway and touching out Australian Olympian Elka Graham. Gingrich’s silver medal-winning time was an almost four-second improvement over her personal best and the fastest in U.S National Junior Team history by two seconds.
“I was surprised at how fast (Reddaway) went out,” Gingrich said. “It was really hard in the middle, and I couldn’t catch her, but it was fun to swim in such a great race.”
Wednesday 1/4/06 10:35pm (Mechanicsburg time) 2:35pm on Thursday 1/5 (Melbourne time) I have very few results from Leah's 400 free during prelims, however I did find results in an Australian Newspaper (The Townville Bulletin). That article is here. From this article, I see Leah is seeded 1st going into finals tonight in the 400 free. This newspaper article quotes her prelim time of 4:15.83, which is a lifetime best (previous best 4:16.58). Just got a call from Leah's mom and she said Leah is doing very well, and swam a very strong 400, and will have a great race this evening. Leah's splits in the prelim 400 were (1:02.0/1:04.40/1:05.30/1:04.20)
Wednesday 1/4/06 6:15am (Mechanicsburg time) 10:15pm on Wednesday 1/4 (Melbourne time) Leah swam the 100 free today, basically as a "fun" event for her, and went a 1:00, which is a great time for her. The 100 was a prelim/semi/final, however Leah did not make it out of the prelims, which actually we expected, as she doe not tend to be a sprinter. At night Leah, showing her wide range of events, swam the mile. Team USA had a very strong group of girls going into this event. Leah's best time previously was 16:47.85 (Top 50 time in the world). The competition was very stiff in the mile at this meet. Chloe Sutton, and Monica Drake, two of the USA team mates gave Leah a great race, with all 3 girls almost even at the 800. In the end Leah took her third medal of the meet with a bronze in this event, going 16:43.67, another lifetime best time. Now is the time, when multi day meets get tough, with the heat, emotions, and change of time, now is when all of the challenging workouts at WSY come in helpful. I talked with Leah's mom today at AM practice at the Y, and Leah is ready for her challenges that lie ahead of her. Tomorrow she will swim the 400 free, where she is the top seeded American at 3rd, however the competition will be tough, and she is very aware of this. Any time you compete internationally, everyone is looking to "beat the Americans". Full day 2 results are here, where Leah swam the 1500 (page 13)
The women might have carried Team USA in the medal count on Day 1, but it was the men who stormed back on Wednesday to capture three medals for the Americans at the Victorian State Championships (Jan. 3-7, Melbourne, Australia). A U.S. sweep of the women’s 1500m freestyle on Day 2 brings the overall American medal total to 12 – five gold, three silver and four bronze.
The American women had an impressive performance in the 1500m free, sweeping the medals and claiming the top five spots. Chloe Sutton (Ashburn, Va. / The Fish) won her first individual gold, and teammates Monica Drake (Bloomington, Ill. / BNY Waves) and Leah Gingrich (Enola, Pa. / West Shore YMCA) claimed the silver and bronze, respectively, notching the top three times in National Junior Team history. It was the second medal for Drake and Gingrich’s third medal of the meet.
Tuesday 1/3/06 1:15am (Mechanicsburg time) 3:15am on Wednesday 1/3 (Melbourne time) Well the results are coming in slowly, however it will be a day or so before we can see them "live" from Australia. Here is some information I received this morning. I know it is getting very busy over there, and I did not get any emails or phone calls from Leah however I know her "free time" is limited to about 45 minutes per day. Day 1 results are here, and you will see that Leah got a bronze medal in the 200 fly (2:15.91 a 2008 Olympic Trial Qualifying Time), which is a lifetime best (previous best time 2:17.02). That was her first race, and as you can imagine swimming a lifetime best in your first race is a great way to get you going for the remainder of the meet. She knew she had to swim that race fast in order to be mentally ready for the remainder of the week. Her second race was the 400 IM. Team USA Teammate (and from Pennsylvania) Teresa Crippen won the event with a time of 4:49.49. Leah placed 9th with a time of 4:59.80 (4:55 in prelims, and another 2008 Olympic Trial Qualifying Time). Next up was the very exciting 800 free relay, where Leah and her team mates went 8:15.28, getting gold in the event by over 3 seconds. Here is a media release with all of Day 1 results. Here are the Day 1 results with splits of only USA Swimmers
The women’s 800m freestyle relay might have been the last race of the day, but it was one of many shining moments for the U.S. National Junior Team on Day 1 of the Victorian State Championships (Jan. 3-7, Melbourne, Australia). The Americans won six medals overall on Tuesday, including two gold, two silver and two bronze.
Team USA’s relay of Megan Romano, Monica Drake, Chelsea Franklin and Leah Gingrich captured the gold in 8:15.28, which broke the 26-year-old Victorian All Comers record of 8:21.24 by more than seven seconds. Posting the fastest time in National Junior Team history by more than five seconds, the relay won the Betty Holdsworth Trophy performance award from Swimming Victoria.
“The women’s team exceeded our expectations across the board tonight,” said Jerry Holtrey, women’s head coach. “They came together as a unit and really swam well for the USA.”
Theresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa. / Germantown Academy) led a U.S. sweep of the 400m individual medley, taking home the gold in 4:49.49, a Victorian record. Caitlin Leverenz (Tucson, Ariz. / El Dorado) and Jessica Rodriquez (Aurora, Colo. / Mission Aurora) both swam lifetime bests to win the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
The American women also had a strong showing in the women’s 200m butterfly as Kathleen Hersey (Atlanta, Ga. / Swim Atlanta) was the silver medalist and Gingrich (Enola, Pa. / West Shore YMCA) won the bronze, her second medal of the day and a lifetime best.
“Today was all really exciting,” Gingrich said. “The best part was standing on the podium with my three teammates to receive the gold medal for the USA.”
Today (Wednesday in Melbourne) will be Leah's easiest day as far as her event program. She will only be swimming the 100 free, which is a prelim in the AM, semi's in the evening, and if she can make the final it will be tomorrow. Tonight Leah will swim the metric mile (1500). I do know she is looking forward to this event. As I get reports from Melbourne, I will get them posted ASAP.
Monday 1/2/06 5:15am (Mechanicsburg time) 9:15pm on Monday 1/2 (Melbourne time) Second email from Leah:
We had our second practice today and it was more crowded. it was how are warm ups will be for the swim meet so we got to experience it. We jumped in two lanes and basically took over, so it was pretty cool. we've done some cheers too and that always get me excited!! haha. during today's second practice was the first time I really thought about the whole thing for representing the USA, it all just sunk in. now I am as excited as ever to swim in the meet tomorrow!! tomorrows my 200fly and 400im, and hopefully the 800free relay!
This meet is really cool that everyday everyone wears the same clothes, it shows a lot of team unity. you look at other teams like Canada and they don't do the same. Everyone on the team is really close already. I saw my parents today, we didn't talk much...actually we only said hi, then I had to go get changed and meet the rest of the team. I feel good in the water and I am used to the time change, its not affecting me anymore..that i can tell anyway.
Russell took us surfing today!!!!haha (comment from Mike here......she can not stand on a surfboard while it is laying on the sand....how would she be able to do it in the actual water, so I see her sense of humor is still with her)
Yea so the food really isn't that good, we have chicken everyday. Thankfully I brought other food though so I eat the small dinner and i go back and eat some of my snacks. they give us really small portions!! Don't they realize swimmers eat a lot! like they give you one piece of everything! and there is only 3 meals a day...usually i eat 5-6! but they coaches bought us bread and peanut butter and stuff so I'm still eating and drinking...don't worry!! no worries mate!!! We have a team time everyday too. its just a snack like cookies or something and a drink. Tomorrow for warm ups we get to do our own thing, unlike during the practices they gave us stuff to do, we could change some stuff but i did for the most part what they told me to and one of the coaches told me I looked really relaxed!! They also told us as of now, we have to check in for our race 3 events before our own. and we have to stay in the ready room...which could mean over a half our. I am not really used to that so i'll have to make sure I stretch a lot...more than I usually do so I am ready for my races. The coaches said they might change that as the meet goes on though.. hopefully they do!
For this meet nobody is aloud on deck...its like the trials, so everyone sits in the stands to cheer. The coaches bought us face paint and flags!! Its going to be so excited during the meet especially during finals!! I cant wait!!
I don't know if I have ever been so excited for a swim meet before!! This is so different than any other meet!!
well i need to go to bed so i'll email you and call you tomorrow! Leah
Sunday 1/1/06 8:30pm (Mechanicsburg time) 12:30pm on Monday 1/2 (Melbourne time) First email from Leah:
Sunday 1/1/06 5:15pm (Mechanicsburg time) 9:20am on Monday 1/2 (Melbourne time) Just got an email from a member of the USA Swimming staff that the team is doing well, and the temperature has cooled off a bit. On New Years eve (day) the temperature rose to 110 degrees, and now it has lowered to a more reasonable 65-70 degrees. The new pool is very nice, and I am in the process of getting some pictures sent back from Melbourne.
Sunday 1/1/06 1:20pm (Mechanicsburg time) 5:20am on Monday 1/2 (Melbourne time) - Still have not year heard from Leah, which is to be expected as I know the USA Coaching staff keep the athletes very busy, not to mention it is very hot over there right now. I do know the athletes had one practice lasting about 2 hours yesterday after they landed in Melbourne, and they have two practices today (Monday in Melbourne). The meet actually begins in about 24 hours, and Leah has a very busy first day. Her first event will be the prelims of the 200 fly as well as prelims of the 400 IM, and perhaps she will earn a spot on the USA 800 free relay. She is seeded 3rd in the metric mile (1500 free), so she will not swim that final until Wednesday (1/4). I am also awaiting to hear from Leah's parents and brother who made the trip over as well. They departed the United States a day after Leah, and I believe they have arrived on Australian soil as well.
Leah departed Philadelphia, PA in the early morning of Friday (12/30). Her next stop was Los Angeles, which was the assembly point for the USA National Junior Team. I talked to Leah at 9pm local time on Friday (12/30), and the team was getting ready to board the plane for the 16 hour plane ride to Sydney, and then catch another plane to Melbourne, where the team will be competing in the 2006 Victorian Swimming Championships. The meet will see swimmers from Australia, and elite swimmers from the Canadian National Junior Teams as well as teams from New Zealand, Japan and Fiji. The meet will begin on Tuesday of next week, however remember Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of our time.
After talking with Leah on Thursday evening, prior to her departure for Australia, she was very excited, and looking forward to her first international experience. She has made many new friends, and was glad to see them again. The 15 hour plane flight was not a big conversation though. The USA team is staying in college "dorm-like" rooms, and it is very hot. The temperatures have been about 93 degrees during the day, and in the mid 70's at night.
I have received information that Dave Gingrich went surfing, and his picture was picked up by the local newspaper:
