Young ELITE Otters Getting Noticed
PALM SPRINGS, CA – November 14, 2021 – Sometimes it’s the little things you see every day that you don’t really notice or appreciate. The ELITE Otters had a swarm of little ones make some big improvements in the 2021 CA YST Veteran’s Day ABC SC Meet on November 12-14 at Yucaipa.
Seven Otters lowered their personal best times by more than 10% in a race. Twelve swimmers had drops 7% or greater in at least one event this weekend, led by:
- Blake Keller, age 11, in the Boys 11-12 50 Yard Fly and 100 Free;
- Zander Lopez-Evanson, age 7, in the Boys 8 & Under 50 Back and 100 Free with a first-place finish in the 25 Free, and four top-four finishes in each of his four events;
- Sebastian deCastro, age 7, in the Boys 8 & Under 25 Back and 100 Free;
- Rebecca La Cour, age 11, in the 11-12 50 Back and 100 Free;
- Kendra Sican Gordillo, age 11, in the Girls 11-12 50 Fly and 100 Free, and dropped in four out of her five events;
- Alexander La Cour, age 8, in the 25 Back;
- Axel Gonzales, age 11, in the Boys 11-12 50 Breast and 50 Free;
- Scarlet Quirk, age 10, in the Girls 7-10 100 Free and 50 Fly and two top-3’s;
- Vesper Quirk, age 7, in the Girls 8 & Under 25 Free;
- Julia Freedberg, age 17, in the Girls 15 & Over 100 Back;
- Olivia Sullivan, age 8, in the Girls 8 & Under 50 Back and 100 Free, and dropped in four out of four events;
- Landon Lundquist, age 7, in the Boys 8 & Under 25 Fly, and dropped in five out of six races, with two seconds, two thirds, and two fourth-place finishes.
Other notable results were turned in by:
- Eli Otteson, age 8, won all eight of his 8 & Under races;
- Ava Otteson, age 13, won five out of six races including two gutsy, come-from-behind wins in the Girls 13-14 200 IM and 100 Free;
- Daniela Scott, age 12, won the Girls 11-12 50 Free and finished top-3 in five events;
- Shayna Hecht, age 12, won the Girls 11-12 50 Fly and had eight top-2 finishes;
- Casey Hecht, age 10, dropped time in 7 out of 9 races with nine top 3 finishes including three victories;
- Mia Meyer, age 13, had two seconds and two third-place finishes.
Chris Stone, age 9, made his Otter swim meet debut.
Coach Josh Otteson said, “The excitement in our team pop-up tent was
palpable as one after another swimmer had significant drops in times. These young Otters are getting to see the results of their hard work in practices. I’m so proud of their effort and expect to see bigger things from them.
“We have another meet this weekend in our home pool as we tune up for WAGS next month and we will be hosting our very first swim meet on January 8-9. These are exciting times for the team.”
About ELITE Otters Swim Team:
ELITE Otters Swim Team, the Coachella Valley’s premier and fastest growing swim team, is dedicated to providing positive encouragement and opportunity for all swimmers to pursue excellence in a safe environment, while also working to build self-discipline, sportsmanship and integrity. Our primary focus is teaching proper stroke technique, racing skills and building endurance so our swimmers can compete and excel at ELITE levels. Coaches believe communication, high expectations, and setting goals are critical components in achieving
success in life and in the pool. For more information please visit the team
’s website at
www.ELITEOtters.com
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