2009 Senior Open Championship
March 5-8, 2009
Wesleyan University
Photo by Trica Jefferies
CSI's Senior Committee hosted the 2009 Short Course Senior Open Championship including 440 athletes representing 36 clubs. 2,000 splashes later, seven CSI records were broken and numerous athletes qualified for the Super Sectional Series.
Thanks go to Henk Jansen, Senior Committee Chair; Jeff Gray, Meet Referee; Anne Geissinger, Meet Director; Rick LaFrenierre and LeAnn Abbott, computer; Trisha Jeffries, photographer; Sue Husta, Awards and the many other volunteers whose hours of volunteer time made this meet a success.
Record Breakers!
Christian Higgins, unNCY: Boys 15/16 Resident and CT record in both the 100Y (56.07) and 200Y Breaststroke (2:01.99).
Alicia Mathieu, SNCO, Girls 17/18 CT record in the 1000Y freestyle (9:53.77).
KC Moss, WYW, Girls 13/14 Resident and CT record in the 200Y breaststroke (2:18.76).
Along with championship racing, the annual Athlete and Coach Representative elections are held annually at the SC Senior Championships. Elected by their peers, these representatives serve on the CSI Board of Directors and other CSI committees for two years. This year Cooper Kearns, of SNCO, and Dan Mascolo, of CDOG, were elected and will begin their terms on May 20, 2009. Congratulations Cooper and Dan!
A quick note of thanks.
By Jeff Gray, Referee
This past weekend Connecticut
Swimming hosted the 2009 Connecticut Senior Open
Championships. Before we get too far away from the
weekend, and caught up in other matters, I wanted to
take a moment to express my gratitude to everyone in
Connecticut Swimming who participated in the
weekend's events.
The members of the Senior Committee
did an outstanding job. My thanks to Henk Jansen,
the Senior Committee Chair, Anne Geissinger, the
Meet Director, Henk's assistant coach Jason Cochran,
and all of the Senior Committee volunteers for the
time and effort that they put into the weekend. I
truly appreciate all that they did to make the
weekend the success that it was.
Our parent volunteers were
outstanding throughout the weekend as well.
Available, helpful, cheerful, always pleasant and
armed with good humor. This group is particularly
broad, and includes dedicated meet officials,
competent computer experts, hospitality specialists,
and countless administrative loyalists, all of whom
gave so generously of their time and talents, in
support of our kids throughout the state of
Connecticut who have chosen the sport of swimming as
an area of focused dedication. Many of the
volunteers in these categories were present
throughout the entire weekend, and I appreciate all
that they did to make the meet run so smoothly.
Thank you to all for your support and time this past
weekend and throughout the year. It was a pleasure
to work with.
The coaches are a group that I am
particularly fond of. I admire their tireless
dedication and commitment to our athletes. I have
always appreciated their comradery on the deck, more
than they may know. I'm very proud to work with all
of those who staff our coaching ranks, and I truly
enjoy our time together on the deck. I even enjoy
the minor dust-ups that we occasionally have, all of
which are resolved with grace and good humor.
You're all terrific, and it's been an honor getting
to know all of you throughout the years.
Last but not least, I could not be
more proud of our athletes. From the 12, 13 and 14
year olds who were appearing at Senior Opens for the
very first time, all the way up to our veteran
National and Olympic Trial swimmers, and everyone in
between, our kids displayed good sportsmanship,
outstanding character and well developed athletic
skills. I've had the pleasure of getting
acquainted with many of our high school, college ,
and post college swimmers over the years, as well as
many of our young coaches who were former athletes
in Connecticut Swimming. I've known and had the
pleasure of watching many of them compete since they
were junior high school kids, swimming in Age
Groups. It's been so much fun watching them all
grow up and advance, as swimmers and more
importantly as young adults.. They are shining
examples of our mission, and their development is
the very reason that so many of our coaches and
volunteers dedicate their time and talents to
Connecticut Swimming. It's truly my honor to know
and serve all of our athletes.
As the General Chair for Connecticut
Swimming, I was proud of everyone this past weekend,
and proud of the event we put on. For those of us
who are involved in Connecticut Swimming in our
different capacities, this past weekend is what it's
all about: the all around development of kids as
young adults, the refinement of their swimming
talents, and fast swimming. Connecticut Swimming is
comprised of terrific kids, and outstanding
volunteers who give generously of their time. It's
my pleasure to serve and be associated with all of
you.
Great job, everyone.
Jeff Gray
Senior Open Meet Referee