GRIESHOP RESIGNS, COACHING SEARCH BEGINS

Tears flowed freely yesterday from coaches, swimmers and parents after Brad Grieshop announced his resignation from both his Yorktown coaching positions. Grieshop has accepted an age group coaching position with the Southeastern Swim Club, and will move on in the near future.

Brad made an immediate and lasting impact on both the Yorktown High School and Yorktown Swim Club athletes and programs. As a rookie head coach in 2008-09, Brad inherited a program in turmoil and put it back on the right path. Brad was named the Hoosier Heritage Conference boys Coach of the Year as YHS won the HHC championship that season. Brad went on to capture the boys Coach of the Year award at the IHSAA Sectional a month later, beating out coaching veterans Andy Pederson of Hamilton Southeastern and Ken Stopkotte of Fishers for the honor.

In little over two years at Yorktown, Brad has coached high school All-Americans and club state champions, collegiate swimmers home on breaks, and the smallest beginners fresh out of Swim America lessons.

Brad, we congratulate you on a great step up in your coaching career, and wish you all the best at Southeastern and beyond.

See ya 'round the pool.

2010-11 SEASON IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

With October just a couple of days away, it won't be long before the Yorktown High School Tigers find themselves getting ready to open their new season. The IHSAA allows girls' teams to begin practicing on Monday, October 25th, and to begin competing in meets as early as Monday, November 8th. The boys' season is staggered, with their first practices on November 8th, and their first meets no earlier than November 22nd.

The YHS schedule for 2010-11 will again be among the toughest in Indiana, but with one change--the
long-running rivalry with Anderson Highland High School is over, now that Highland has been turned into a middle school. All meets are co-ed unless otherwise noted.

Here's a look at the Tigers' 2010-11 path to the State Meet at the IU Natatorium:

Thursday, November 18th--Lawrence North at Yorktown (girls only), 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 20th--Yorktown at Westfield Invitational (girls only), 10:00 a.m.
Saturday, November 27th--Westfield at Yorktown, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, November 30th--Yorktown at Delta, 5:15 p.m.
Thursday, December 2nd--New Palestine at Yorktown, 5:15 p.m.
Tuesday, December 7th--Pendleton Heights at Yorktown, 5:15 p.m.
Thursday, December 9th--Yorktown at Anderson, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 11th--Yorktown at Homestead Invitational, 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, December 16th--Yorktown at Noblesville, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 6th--New Castle at Yorktown, 5:15 p.m.
Tuesday, January 11th--Yorktown at Muncie South, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 13th--Yorktown at Hoosier Heritage Conference Diving Prelims, 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 15th--Yorktown at Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet, 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, January 25th--Yorktown at Muncie Central, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 3rd--Yorktown at Hamilton Southeastern Sectional Prelims (girls only), TBA
Saturday, February 5th--Yorktown at Hamilton Southeastern Sectional Finals (girls only), TBA
Tuesday, February 8th--Yorktown at Diving Regional (girls only), TBA
Friday, February 11th--Yorktown at State Meet Prelims (girls only), TBA
Saturday, February 12th--Yorktown at State Meet Finals (girls only), TBA
Thursday, February 17th--Yorktown at Fishers Sectional Prelims (boys only), TBA
Saturday, February 19th--Yorktown at Fishers Sectional Finals (boys only), TBA
Tuesday, February 22nd--Yorktown at Diving Regional (boys only), TBA
Friday, February 25th--Yorktown at State Meet Prelims (boys only), TBA
Saturday, February 26th--Yorktown at State Meet Finals (boys only), TBA

See you around the pool, and GO TIGERS!

ANOTHER HALL OF FAME CANDIDATE

The Indiana High School Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame will induct 25 former swimmers, divers, coaches and other special contributors in 2011. My coverage of that recent announcement touched on whether former YHS standout Kelsi Hall will someday become a member of the HOF. But there's another former Tiger whose career presents an equally compelling case for induction--Maggie Bird.

Simply put, no one better exemplifies what Yorktown swimming was and is all about. Her name is synonymous with the sport at YHS; during her four years competing for former Coach J Agnew, Maggie won three IHSAA state championships (200 yard Free in 2005, 200 yard Free in 2006, and 500 yard Free in 2006). Her initial title in 2005 was the first individual IHSAA state championship ever won in any sport by a female athlete from Yorktown High School.

Bird also won 9 IHSAA sectional titles and 16 Hoosier Heritage Conference championships during her high school career. The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) named Maggie an
All-American 14 times, and an Academic All-American at the conclusion of her senior season in 2006.

Maggie Bird went on to swim with distinction for the Auburn University Tigers for four years, becoming an eight time All-American, winning two individual Southeastern Conference championships (1,650 yard Free and 500 yard Free), and setting an AU school record. She also represented the United States at the 2008 FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester, England.

It would only be fitting if the next HOF induction class included the greatest all-around competitor in Yorktown swimming history, Maggie Bird.

GO TIGERS!

NEW HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED

The Indiana High School Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame has chosen its 2011 inductees. The 25 former swimmers, divers, coaches, officials and other contributors will be formally inducted at a ceremony next April in Indianapolis. Each one will also be honored with a plaque that will hang in the concourse of the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

Yorktown swimmers and their parents will see some familiar names on the list, which includes several athletes and coaches the Tigers faced over the years in this part of Indiana.

Here are the 2011 Hall of Fame inductees:

Swimmers

Michelle McKeehan, Center Grove High School, 2004-08
Jenny Connolly, West Lafayette Harrison High School, 2004-08
Trish Regan, Carmel High School, 2006-10
Brook Monroe, Floyd Central High School, 1993-97
Susan Hentschel, Indianapolis North Central High School, 1999-2003
Lacey Boutwell, Noblesville High School, 1997-2001
Jayne Kremer, West Lafayette High School, 1974-76

Kyle Whitaker, Chesterton High School, 2006-10
Michael Christy, Indianapolis North Central High School, 2003-07
Ben Wachtel, Westfield High School, 2004-08
Mike Slowey, South Bend Adams High School, 1972-76
Mark Mamula, South Bend Clay High School, 1970-74
Robert Beck, Merrillville High School, 1979-82
Jack Deppe, Bloomington High School, 1967-71
David Buchanan, South Bend Riley High School, 1957-61
John Buchanan, South Bend Riley High School, 1956-60

Divers

Sara Gonso, Indianapolis North Central High School, 1997-2001
Kari Retrum, Hamilton Southeastern High School, 1998-2002

Caleb Dunnichay, Elwood High School, 2002-06

Coaches

Chris Plumb, Carmel High School
Andy Pedersen, Hamilton Southeastern High School
Richard Fetters, South Bend Riley High School
Kurt Haas (Diving), Franklin Community High School
Chuck Chelich (Diving), Munster High School

Special Contributor

Nancy Gulliver, Official

Boutwell still holds the IHSAA State Meet records in both the 50-yard freestyle (:22.90 as a freshman in 1998) and 100-yard freestyle (a sizzling :49.77 as a senior in 2001). In fact, Boutwell is the only competitor in the history of the girls' State Meet ever to break :50 in the 100.

It should also be pointed out that former Yorktown High School star and current Miami Hurricane Kelsi Hall bettered Boutwell's record time in the 50-yard freestyle during her prep career. Hall blistered the water at the 2007 Hamilton Southeastern Sectional, throwing down a jaw-dropping :22.85 in the preliminaries on her way to one of three-consecutive state championships in the 50. But the IHSAA only allows times recorded at the State Meet to be considered state records, so Kelsi has to settle for the personal satisfaction of being the fastest girl in the history of the sport at the high school level in Indiana.

Hopefully, Kelsi's accomplishments will someday qualify her for induction into the Hall of Fame. She certainly deserves it.

GO TIGERS!

2010-11 HIGH SCHOOL SWIM RANKINGS RELEASED

The Yorktown Swim Club's high school-age athletes return to the pool today to start training for the winter season. And they'll hit the water with the Indiana High School Swim Coaches Association pre-season rankings hot off the presses.

The IHSSCA rankings are based on the points each school would earn in a theoretical State Meet, based on last year's top times among returning competitors (relays aren't ranked until the season starts). So the numbers can be skewed by several factors, not the least of which is off-season transfers by athletes.

The 2010-11 pre-season poll is a prime example. Head Coach Brad Grieshop's YHS boys start the season ranked #20 in Indiana, with 28 rating points. But that total is inflated by the inclusion of former Tiger Austin Dunn, who is among the swimmers ranked in the 50-yard free; Dunn moved away over the summer, and is now competing for Center Grove High School.

Even so, the Tiger boys are still making some noise little more than two months before the start of the high school season. Senior Adam Voss (can he really be a senior already?) is among Indiana's best in two individual events, grabbing the #4 ranking in the 100-yard fly and #8 in the 200-yard free. Look for senior Michael Heavilon to also jump into the individual rankings as the upcoming season unfolds, with the relays knocking on the door, too.

The YHS girls are also getting some pre-season attention, holding down the state's #22 spot. Two-time NISCA All-American Larah Beaver leads the lady Tigers into the fray, ranking #7 in the 100-yard back and #12 in the 100-yard free to start the season. Don't be surprised to see sophomore Jessica Extine and sophomore Caroline Grasso also swim their way into individual rankings this winter--Extine in the fly and free, Grasso in the free and back--as Yorktown tries to win the first sectional championship in school history.

Two YHS relay teams are also likely to end up among Indiana's best this winter--Beaver, Extine, Grasso and sophomore Kersea Gable have enough talent to shatter the school record in the 200-yard medley relay. And Beaver, Extine, Grasso and senior Gabby LaVoie could be formidable in the 200-yard free relay by February.

The Yorktown girls open their 2010-11 season at home against Lawrence North on November 18th, with the boys lifting the lid on their season when they join the girls for a dual meet with Westfield at home on November 27th (the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend).

GO TIGERS!

PARKS VS POOLS, PUBLIC VS PRIVATE

Earlier this the week, The Star Press published a front page story about one group's proposal for reviving Tuhey Pool. The currently-closed pool's future was also the feature topic of Thursday night's "Chat with the Mayor" session at Carnegie Library in Muncie. I attended the session to hear first-hand what the city's position is.

For those who missed the newspaper story, a private group has drafted a plan, complete with a professionally produced conceptual illustration of a renovated Tuhey Pool, surrounded by a water park called Tuhey Commons. The consortium includes members of a group called UNISON, the Muncie Family YMCA, and the city park board. They're way ahead of other groups and individuals interested in Tuhey Pool's future--they've already acquired a $50,000 planning grant from American Electric Power, and more importantly, they've received a commitment from Mayor Sharon McShurley to support a bond issue of up to $2,000,000 for repairs at Tuhey. According to The Star Press, re-opening the current pool AND developing the adjacent water park could cost as much as $7,500,000.

On Thursday, Mayor McShurley publicly stated her support for the $2,000,000 bond issue. But she also later told the audience she wouldn't spend any more than $500,000 on repairs to re-open Tuhey Pool for 2011. That begs the question--why do we need a bond issue that is four times the amount needed to re-open Tuhey? I'm still waiting to hear a good answer.

There is at least one other group organizing in Muncie, one with a different view of what to do with Tuhey Pool, and more broadly, Tuhey Park. In the interests of full disclosure, I attended one of that group's meetings last week as a swim parent, and plan to continue being involved in its efforts. I speak only for me in this blog, though, not the group as a whole.

Our group's approach differs from the Tuhey Commons concept in a major way--we believe that repairing or building ANYTHING for strictly outdoor use would be a waste of money. Whether it's a competition pool, a wading pool, or a "sprinkle park" (Mayor McShurley's term), Indiana's climate will limit their usefulness. If the entire Tuhey Commons concept had already been built, had opened today and stayed open through Labor Day 2010, it would operate for a maximum of 101 days this year. When you consider the unavoidable bad weather days of summer (too cool to swim, or too rainy), and the fact that most school systems resume classes in mid-August, your realistic operations calendar is much shorter.

But let's assume we have great weather all summer and never miss a day. Tuhey Commons, as it's being proposed now, wouldn't generate a DIME in swimming or water park revenues on the remaining 264 days of the year. That's an awfully long time to sit dormant.

What would be better? Again, speaking strictly for me, a facility that could operate, be on the property tax rolls, and generate revenue 365 days a year. We're talking about an indoor-outdoor natatorium or aquatic center, complete with a water park under the roof. Take a look at the privately owned and operated Splash Universe in Shipshewana, Indiana. It's a combination indoor water park/hotel/restaurant. Now add a competition pool on the other side of it. We'd have exactly what the people of Muncie deserve, a first-rate facility that covers the needs of everyone, from casual swimmers and vacationers to high-level competitive swimmers.

That will likely cost millions of dollars, and I am far from naive about who will have to pick up the lion's share of the tab. It will have to be, and should be, the private sector, perhaps with leverage from the public sector.

Key members of the McShurley administration seem content to put a band-aid on Tuhey Pool, re-open it next summer, and operate it at a loss. So if you love the sport of swimming, or love someone else who does, and you want to see a better POOL for Muncie, NOW is the time to get involved, speak up, and DEMAND it.

If we wait any longer, a great opportunity will have been squandered, and it will be too late.

A NEW POOL FOR MUNCIE

Muncie and Delaware County have a rich tradition of excellence in the sport of swimming. Numerous athletes who got started here as recreational swimmers or club swimmers have gone on to accomplish great things at the high school, college, and even Olympic levels of the sport. We've produced world record holders, college champions, high school state champions, All-Americans, and Academic All-Americans. It's a proud legacy.

Many of those swimmers and their friends spent their summers training and competing in Tuhey Pool, a facility that opened during the Great Depression in 1934. But for the second-straight summer, Tuhey Pool sits idle, closed by the city over a combination of concerns--the pool's drains no longer meet federal safety standards; the pool has an underground leak of undetermined size; and most importantly, the city's budget crisis makes finding financial solutions difficult, if not impossible.

Some in the community have suggested that repairs be done to Tuhey so it can re-open for the summer of 2011. At lease one city official has estimated that could cost as much as $2 million. And even if we found the money to pay for those repairs, all we would be left with is an outdoor, summer-only facility that would be closed nine months a year. I believe such a move would be penny wise but pound foolish.

I take no pleasure in writing it--Tuhey Pool is no longer viable. It is an outdated facility built on an obsolete business model. But that does NOT mean this community has to accept the demise of Tuhey Pool. On the contrary, the people in this community who care about swimming, whether competitive or just dipping your toes into a clean body of water on a hot summer day, CAN create a different outcome.

Here's my dream for Muncie and Delaware County where swimming is concerned--that ALL of the swimming programs in this community, intercollegiate, high school and club, team up with other stakeholders (learn-to-swim and wellness programs and recreational swimmers) to build a NEW TUHEY POOL WITH A RETRACTABLE ROOF. Before you scoff, check out what similar pools at Colgate University, Hendrix College, and at a city park in Biloxi, Mississippi have done for their communities.

Ours would be a 50-meter by 25-yard pool with moveable bulkheads, which would allow for everything from the highest level competitions to casual cooling off on hot summer days. Ball State's teams could train and host their dual meets in what I'll call the New Tuhey and perhaps even host the Mid-American Conference championship meet. The county's four high school swimming programs (Muncie Central, Muncie South, Delta and Yorktown) could train and hold meets there, and possibly host a high school sectional or diving regional. Swim clubs (CARD, DAC and Yorktown) could practice and compete there, holding large invitationals and divisional meets that attract hundreds of participants. And such a facility would give learn-to-swim and wellness programs a centrally located place where they could operate.

The New Tuhey that I envision would use solar panels in the retractable roof and geothermal wells drilled into the ground to provide the power needed to operate the structure. The retractable roof would allow us to be in business 365 days a year, a critical factor for the financial side of the proposal. Such a facility would generate revenues EVERY DAY. We'd never lose a day to cool, wet summer weather. We'd simply close the roof and keep going. And when we get to Labor Day, we'd stay open instead of shutting down operations until the next Memorial Day.

My dream calls for the New Tuhey to be built right where the current Tuhey Pool is. The location is one of the major gateways to downtown Muncie, it's adjacent to linear parks, and its presence could trigger other economic development activity in the area, especially if we get creative with a TIF district or similar funding designation.

Perhaps best of all, developing such a project would show the rest of the world that Muncie and Delaware County are progressive, creative, cooperative, and a bold community that dares to aim high instead of accepting the status quo.

This problem is ours, but so are the opportunities for finding solutions. We are limited only by our ability to be creative, our willingness to persevere, and our determination to do what is best for the people of Muncie and Delaware County.

Let's do something people will be proud of for the next 50 years!