Riptides make history at Juniors!

MB Riptides’ swimmers make history at Junior Nationals!

The Myrtle Beach Riptides swimming team competed at the 2010 National Club Swimming Association’s (NCSA) Junior National Championships March 16-20 in Orlando, FL.  The meet hosted teams from all over the United States, bringing in over 1100 swimmers aged 18-years and younger.   It was the final meet of the season for the locally-based Riptides and it was historic. 

The Riptides sent swimmers Lauren Campbell (MB High School, Carolina Forest resident), Megan Kingsley (Conway Christian School, Carolina Forest resident) and Keenan Lineback (Conway Christian School, Conway resident).  The girls combined for several personal best times, but even more impressive were the seven team records broken and two SC Swimming state records broken.

Head coach of the Riptides, James Smith, was quite impressed by the performances of the ladies.

“The girls had been working all season for this meet and they not only did the Riptides proud, but they represented the entire Grand Strand and South Carolina extremely well,” said Smith.

Lineback started the meet off for the Riptides in the 1000-yard freestyle and moved up 11 places.  However, Lineback fell ill before the start of the meet and struggled with chest congestion and fever the entire week. 

Yet, when Lineback competed in the in the 400-Individual Medley (IM) she was able to qualify for Finals for the first time ever, finishing 31^st overall.  Her butterfly leg of the IM was a best time of 59.4.  As the week progressed, Lineback swam strongly, but was not able to shake her cold.

“Keenan would have had a better meet if it had not been for her getting sick.  She was strong through the first 200 yards of her events, but fatigue would just set in and for a distance swimmer, it makes the race even tougher.  As her coach, I understand how hard she has trained and to get sick before the meet was just heartbreaking.

“But true to the Riptides’ character, Keenan did her best and never gave up,” continued Smith.

Campbell had an excellent meet in her second trip to NCSA Juniors.  Campbell had the largest place gain of 35 spots in the 200-yard backstroke.  Her time in this event, 2:05.9, was the “A” standard [she previously held the “B” standard] and a new team record. 

Later in the meet, Campbell time-trialed the 200-yard IM and set a new team record of 2:09.1.

By far Campbell’s best event was her final event – the 1650-yard freestyle.  Campbell swam a 16:59.4, becoming the first female swimmer from the Grand Strand to break the 17:00 barrier.  According to Smith, Campbell’s time is the third fastest time in South Carolina since 2005 for girls 18/Under.  Campbell finished 24^th overall, setting a new team record and earning her first USA-Swimming short-course Junior National qualifying time (q-time).    

Said Smith of Campbell, “Lauren just knows how to step up and race when it counts most.  When we come to a meet such as Junior Nationals, she is capable of racing to her best and achieving great things.  Enough can’t be said about going under 17-minutes in the 1650-free - anytime a swimmer can break a :00-barrier, it’s always an achievement.”

Kingsley’s performances proved why she is one of the nation’s best young female swimmers.  In just her second trip to Junior Nationals, the 13-year old returned to Finals in 4 of her 8 events, making her the youngest swimmer at the meet to return to Finals.  In the process, Kingsley broke four team records and two SC Swimming state records and gained admiration of many coaches at the meet.

In the 200-yard backstroke, Kingsley finished 22^nd overall with a time of 2:01.8.  Just a few minutes later, Kingsley swam the 200-yard butterfly to a 19^th place finish with a time of 2:01.3.  The butterfly time was Kingsley’s first USA-Swimming long-course Junior National q-time.  With this, Kingsley becomes the first female swimmer [and second swimmer] from the Grand Strand to qualify to that meet.

However, Kingsley was not done.  In the 400-IM, considered by many to be the toughest event requiring the athlete to be proficient in all four competitive strokes, Kingsley earned her second USA-Swimming long-course Junior National q-time, broke the state and team records with a time of 4:20.7 and finished 13^th overall.

Kingsley’s final event of the meet was the 200-IM and she finished in stellar fashion, breaking another state record with a time of 2:03.8 and placed 18^th.  Her time was just 0.4 seconds away from a third USA-Swimming long-course Junior National q-time.

“Megan is one of those rare talents who comes along.  She is fortunate to be immersed in a group committed to training and achieving at the highest levels.  It is the training group which makes all the girls fast.   

“Megan doesn’t have a weak stroke.  She has junior national q-times in all the 200-yard distances of each stroke – backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle – which is crucial to becoming a great swimmer, not just a specialist,” continued Smith.

Within the hierarchy of competitive swimming in non-Olympic years, USA-Swimming Summer Nationals is the highest level of competition.  Summer Nationals is followed by USA-Swimming Summer Junior Nationals, USA-S Winter Nationals, USA-S Winter Junior Nationals and NCSA Spring Junior Nationals.  An estimated 2% of swimmers aged 18/Under can qualify for the NCSA Spring Junior Nationals and as swimmers qualify for higher levels of competition, the percentage decreases.  Only swimmers aged 18/Under can participate at any of the Junior National Championships.  There are approximately 250,000 registered swimmers in the United States.

For Smith and the entire Riptides’ coaching staff, the training of swimmers is a long-term process, taking years.  Dedication to their craft, the determination to succeed and the full support of the Riptides’ membership are keys to long-term success of all swimmers at all levels.  And at halfway through the current Olympic quaddrenium, the Riptides are on their way to having the first Grand Strand swimmers qualify for 2012 US Olympic Trials.