Ripides end successful 2009!

MB Riptides end successful 2009; look forward to 2010

The Myrtle Beach Riptides swimming team participated in its final swimming meet for the 2009 calendar year the weekend of December 11-12 in Rock Hill, SC.  Four members of the locally-based youth swimming team made the trip.  At meet’s end, the Riptides had tallied eleven team records, fourteen SC Swimming State Championship qualifying times, nineteen personal best times and two 2010 Age-group Sectional Championship qualifying times.

Danielle Flaherty (10/Under) achieved four personal best times and four team records in the 50-yard freestyle (36.47), 200-yard freestyle (2:54.78), 50-yard breaststroke (46.55) and 50-yard butterfly (40.97).

Chad Bateson (11-12) earned seven personal best times, nine SC Swimming State Championship times and his first two Age-group Sectional Championship times.  Bateson broke team records in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events, 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events, 100-, 1000- and 1650-yard freestyle events.  Bateson’s times in the long-distance freestyles were also his first Age-group Sectional Championship q-times – 12:30.16 and 20:36.53, respectively.

The 2010 Eastern Section Southern Zone Age-group Sectional Championships represents approximately 600 of the fastest swimmers in the region, aged 14-and-under.

Eddie Bateson (11-12) swam to two personal best times and five SC Swimming State Championship q-times.  E. Bateson earned personal bests in the 50-yard freestyle (29.64) and 100-yard backstroke (1:15.15).

Jeremiah Sharp (13-14) achieved seven personal best times.  Sharp improved his 200-yard freestyle by more than 16 seconds and his 200-yard Individual Medley by over 10 seconds.  This is Sharp’s first year of competitive swimming.

According to Riptides’ head coach James Smith, team records have been broken 77 times since October of this year and countless personal best times were achieved.

“The entire Riptides’ coaching staff is pleased with what has been achieved in the first part of the season.  We have been able to successfully develop swimmers to all possible levels of competition available through the end of March and look forward to continued improvement of all of our swimmers,” commented Smith.

The Riptides will have one more event to close out 2009 – the Annual New Year’s Eve Marathon Swim.  This event will test the physical and mental conditioning of those who participate and will also be used as a fundraiser for the Riptides.  Swimmers may practice between 2,500 yards (100 lengths of the pool) for the beginner swimmers up to 22,000 yards (880 lengths of the pool) for the senior level swimmers.  Those interested may make tax-deductable donations to the Riptides, a 501c3 organization, by contacting head coach James Smith at (843) 222-7105 or by visiting www.TeamRiptides.com.