2008 Activities and News

ADOPT-A-FAMILY FUN

Posted Nov. 26, 2008:  We would like to thank everyone who helped with Saturday's Car Wash, Bake Sale, and Hot Dog Roast - from John Haney's hot dogs, to Mildred Berniard's ticket sales, to Janice Whittington's super signs - it was great!!

Each year at Christmas time, the swim team adopts a family who needs our help. The sales from Saturday will help purchase our Adopt-A-Family some much needed items. "The kids were absolutely terrific. They were having lots of fun but working hard for a good cause. I am very proud of them," said Coach John. Katie Johnson, D.J. Tarazona, Tyler Chick, Aaron Woods, Karla Fuertez, Jade Berniard, Michael Haney, David Collins, Jacob Moncrief, Heidi Zuniga, Hunter Sa-Nguansap, Tana Wilson, Melina Joseph, Tom Harper, Nicole Nazari, Dylan Tarazona, Christen Harper, Zeph Handley Ben Jardine, William Granberry, Crystal Antuna, Winner Sa-Nguansap, Noelle Tarazona, Tara Bletcher, Monique Haney, New Sa-Nguansap, Keonni Obert and, of course, Jason Haney and Sam Jardine in those special speedos - you all were incredible!!

Thanks again to all who gave of their time for a wonderful cause.

John and Tressa

TCC SCORES IN U.S.A. NATIONAL RANKINGS
SONIA AND NOELLE ARE NUMBER #1!

Posted Oct. 25, 2008:  TCC swimmers Sonia Wang and Noelle Tarazona placed NUMBER ONE in the final U.S.A. National Age Group Swim Rankings for the year 2007-2008.

Sonia is NUMBER ONE in the 11 year old girls's 200 meter I.M. with a time of 2:29.04.

Noelle finished NUMBER ONE in the 14 year old girl's 200 yard butterfly with a time of 2:01.95.

This is the first time TCC has had two number one swimmers in the entire country. Great job Sonia and Noelle!!

Sonia also placed TOP TEN in the following events:

Noelle finished TOP TEN in the following:

TCC swimmers Oriana Wang and Samantha Keehn were also Top 10 Finalists.

Samantha Keehn finished 8th in the 12 year old girls 200 meter butterfly while Oriana Wang was 8th in the 500 free for 12 year old girls and 8th in both the 200 free and 200 I.M. for 13 year old girls.

U.S.A. Swimming recognizes the TOP TEN fastest swims in the country for each event by single age from 11 to 17 during both the short and long course seasons. Swimmers often age during the year which is why swimmers final in different age groups. This is a HUGE accomplishment and we are very proud of Sonia, Oriana, Samantha, and Noelle. All four will attend a banquet next May honoring their achievements.

TCC FALL FESTIVAL

Posted Oct. 19, 2008:   Thanks to Valerie Carazo for another fun fall festival night. Once again, the evening was a smashing success. Congrats to Dylan Tarazona for winning the grand prize (Play Station 3) - Dylan, you did a fantastic job!! His sister, Noelle, was runner-up winning a Target gift card.

Age Group Winners included:

• Jasmin Antuna & Dalia Auerbach
• Eric Bletecher & Kyle Gribble
• Arianna Vermillion & Jessica Gribble
• Carlos Franco & James Hull
• Mad Dog Budds & Karissa Vermillion
• Brandon Gribble & Brandon Whittington
• Heidi Zuniga & Tana WIlson
• Dylan Tarazona & Zeph Handley
• Noelle Tarazona & Tink Gibb
• D.J. Tarazona & Jon Appleberry

Thanks to everyone who helped with the food and games. Happy Fall to all!

NOELLE NAMED TO USA NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM

Posted Oct. 1, 2008:   Congratulations to Noelle Tarazona who has been named to the U.S.A. Swimming National Junior Team. This team's selection was based on Noelle's performance at the 2008 U.S.A. Olympic Swimming Trials, held in Omaha, and the 2008 U.S.A. Junior Nationals, held in Minneapolis. Noelle's 200 meter butterfly time of 2:13.84 qualified her for this prestigious swimming honor. Noelle will attend a camp with her fellow U.S.A. teammates at the U.S.A. Olympic Training Center in Colorado before competing in Canada later this year. This is the second time Noelle will compete internationally for the U.S.A., the first time was in Australia this past January. The U.S. A. National Junior team will compete against other all-star squads from around the world including Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico. Way to go Noelle!!

TCC FALL FESTIVAL

Posted Sept. 27, 2008:   Friday, October 17th - fun games, costume contest and prizes! Lap swim will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m.

Swimmers, please be on time. Potluck will follow. Please sign up in the swim office and bring something yummy.

Don't miss the thrills and chills!!

IMPORTANT DATES

Posted Aug. 27, 2008:   

SEPTEMBER 19 - TCC annual booster fee is due along with the order form for your mandatory TCC team shirt. All swimmers must now purchase a team suit, team cap and team shirt. Forms will be handed out September 2nd.

SEPTEMBER 23 - TCC Parent Meeting - it is important that all parents attend this annual meeting. New policies and team information will be discussed. Please make every effort to attend. Meetings will be offered at 4:00 and 5:00 p.m.

TCC ANNUAL BEACH PARTY

Posted Aug. 27, 2008:   Join us at Corona Del Mar on September 6th for the annual TCC Beach Party.  The "fun in the sun" will begin at 11:00 a.m. and last until the last marshmallow is roasted!!

Bring your own tasty stuff to eat and drink- s'mores will be provided.

Maps will be available in the swim office.

TCC SWIMMERS SELECTED TO NACC

Posted July 8, 2008: Congrats to six of our TCC swimmers - Sonia Wang (11-12 girls), Samantha Keehn (13-14 girls), Oriana Wang (13-14 girls), Jason Haney (13-14 boys), Madeline Harbach (15-16 girls) and Aaron Woods (17-18 boys) - who will compete as part of the Southern California Swimming All-Star Squad at the North American Challenge Cup Meet August 7-9. These six youngsters will compete against
all-star teams from Mexico, Canada, and Pacific Swimming.

The meet will be held in Edmonton, Canada and selection was based on fast swimming during the months of April through June. WAY TO GO TCC!!

A HUGE THANK YOU!

Posted June 15, 2008: Thanks to all of you that worked the TCC AB/C long course meet on May 31 - June 1. We received lots of compliments and it ran as smooth as possible. It is impossible to thank everyone for all of their efforts and hard work. A huge thanks to the Gribble family for supporting the team with their generous snack bar donations. We heard that the breakfast burritos were the best in the eastern section.

TARAZONA TEAM "CRUSHES" GREEN & WHITE

Posted June 15, 2008: In an unexplainable turn of events, the BLUE CRUSH won the first-ever TCC BLUE, GREEN & WHITE Intra-Squad Meet. Led by Coach Jennifer Tarazona, the BLUE CRUSH outscored the GREEN GATORS by over 20 points and the GREAT WHITE SHARKS by over 50 points. "It was a fun night for the kids, and I hope this continues as an annual event," said winning coach Jennifer. Congrats to the BLUE CRUSH!

TARAZONA AND EADS FINAL AT MEET OF CHAMPIONS

Posted May 6, 2008: "I am extremely pleased with some of our swims," reported Head Coach John Ries, after the conclusion of the 2008 Swim Meet Of Champions held at Mission Viejo. "Noelle Tarazona had a sensational meet. Her swims in the evening finals were super. Even at her young age, she performs like a pro," said Coach John. Noelle finished 2nd in the 200 meter butterfly with a sizzling 2:14.25. She won the consolation heat in the 200 back (2:22.66), 200 I.M. (2:20.73) and the 400 I.M. (4:54.96). Noelle also had her lifetime best in the 100 butterfly with a quick 1:02.83.

Courtney Eads, took a break from school, and placed in the top 8 in the 200 fly (4th), 100 fly (4th), and the 400 free (8th). "I think Courtney swam better than I expected. She is just getting back into fighting shape, " stated John. Courtney also finished 10th in the 400 I.M. and 12th in the 200 I.M.

Winner Sa-Nguansap scored in the top 24 in the 200 I.M. (10th), 400 I.M. (21st) and the 100 fly (20th). "Winner's 200 I.M. was impressive and I hope this will encourage him to keep training," said Coach John. Eric Hauck returned for finals, placing 16th, in both the 200 and 400 I.M. "I think this is a great way to lead into CIF for Eric. He should be ready to swim fast ," stated a hopeful head coach.

Others that competed at SMOC were:

TCC OLYMPIC TRIAL PARTY

Posted May 2, 2008: TCC is extremely fortunate to be sending two athletes to compete at the 2008 U.S.A Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Courtney Eads and Noelle Tarazona will compete from June 29 through July 5 against our country's best young swimmers. We are honoring their achievements at a dinner on June 17th at Bucca di Beppo in Claremont.

Please come and help celebrate their accomplishments and share in their excitement. Pick up an RSVP form in the swim office. The deadline is June 1st - space is limited.

CONGRATS TO SAMANTHA KEEHN

Posted May 2, 2008: Samantha Keehn, 12, has been added to the USA Western Zone Select Camp to be held at SOKA University on June 5-8, 2008. Sam's selection was based on her fast swimming this past summer. She will join her teammate, Oriana Wang, for a fun and exciting experience.

Way to go Samantha!!

SUMMER JUNIOR OLYMPICS

Posted May 2, 2008: TCC has been assigned to the Summer Junior Olympics at Mission Viejo. The meet date is July 30 through August 3, 2008. Mark your calendar.

TCC MEET - May 31 - June 1

Posted Apr. 24, 2008:  We are asking every family to donate $10.00 for the snack bar.  Please turn in your donation to Valerie or Tressa by Monday, May 27th in the swim office.

ATTENTION PARENTS!!

Posted Apr. 16, 2008:  All swimmers have been assigned to a GREEN, WHITE or BLUE team for an super exciting TEAM event on MAY 16th!! The team lists are posted in the swim office. Each team coach is counting on your swimmer (s) to be there. Please notify your swimmer's coach if they can't attend (asap). A Yummy Team Potluck will follow this SUPER FUN event. We are asking the parents to bring the following:

If you have more than one swimmer on different teams, bring the food item (from the color team) for the eldest child. Please bring your item the night of May 16 between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. Please make every effort to participate in this TEAM activity.

THANK YOU!

Posted Mar. 25, 2008: Thanks to everyone who helped run the TCC "RW" Championship meet on March 15-16. It is great to see our parents support our terrific young swimmers. Super thank yous to our department heads and to Doug Broyles who filled in for John. We hope everyone had fun and we will see you again for our upcoming May 31-June 1 meet.

John and Tressa

AND: MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR FRIDAY, MAY 16TH - WE HAVE A SUPER FUN EVENT PLANNED!! MORE INFORMATION WILL FOLLOW.

SENIOR SECTIONAL WRAP-UP

Posted Mar. 13, 2008: Several TCC swimmers started off the long course season in fine fashion by placing in the Top 24 at the California/Nevada Senior Sectionals held at the Mission Viejo Swim Complex. Winner Sa-Nguansap, 18, and Eric Hauck had fast 400 I.M. swims (lifetime best times), placing 9th and 23rd respectively. Winner also placed 19th in the 200 I.M. and 11th in the 100 butterfly. Noelle Tarazona, 15, finished 4th in the 200 fly, 10th in the 400 I.M., 17th in the 200 I.M., 12th in the 200 back, 18th in the 400 free and 19th in the 100 fly. Oriana Wang, 13, had lifetime bests in the 200 back (22nd), 100 free (20th) and 400 free (20th). Aaron Woods was 9th in the 100 back with a lifetime best. Others TCC swimmers with impressive time drops were:

Way to go TCC!!

ORIANA WANG SELECTED TO USA ZONE CAMP

Posted Feb. 26, 2008: TCC swimmer Oriana Wang has been selected as a member of the USA Western Zone Select Camp to be held June 5-8, 2008. Oriana was selected as the top 12-year-old IMX swimmer in the Western half of the USA. The IMX ranking is based on her times achieved during the 2007 long course season. In order to be selected, Oriana had to compete in all the IMX required events. The Zone Camp will be held at SOKA University in Aliso Viejo, California. Congratulations Oriana!!

CONGRATS TO JO SWIMMERS

Posted Feb. 26, 2008: Congratulations to all our Junior Olympic swimmers who did a great job at both the younger and older JO weekends. The youngers finished an impressive 7th overall in the team standings (girls were 5th, boys were 12th) while the olders placed 12th in the women's division and 9th in the men's. Overall, TCC finished both weekends in an awesome 10th place. TCC was the only team from the Eastern Section to place in the top 10.

Older swimmers who scored in the top eight were:

Great job to all who competed and thanks to those who helped with relays!

TUESDAY, APRIL 22
IMPORTANT PARENT'S MEETING

Posted Apr. 14, 2008: Discussion will include summer changes, meet information and upcoming summer schedule. Parents with swimmers at 4:00 - meeting will be at 4:00 p.m. in the TCC clubhouse. Parents with swimmers at 5:00 - meeting will be at 5:00 p.m. in the TCC clubhouse.

Please make every effort to attend - it is helpful to be involved in your swimmer's upcoming activities.

DON'T FORGET TCC "FARMER BOYS NIGHT OUT"

Posted Feb. 19, 2008: Friday - February 22, 2008. Join the fun right after swim practice!! Maps are in the swim office.

SAMANTHA KEEHN AND SONIA WANG JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS

Posted Feb. 6, 2008: TCC swimmers Samantha Keehn and Sonia Wang were crowned Junior Olympic Champions at the 2008 Southern California Swimming Junior Olympics held at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. Samantha, 12, won three individual 11-12 titles in the 50 butterfly (27.33), 100 butterfly (1:00.47) and 100 backstroke (1:01.92), all in personal best times. Sam also placed 3rd in the 500 free (5:17.48) and 200 I.M. (2:14.00), and 4th in the 200 free (1:59.94), again achieving lifetime best times in those events.

Sonia, 11, won the 11-12 50 backstroke in a new team record time of 29.04. Sonia finished 2nd in both the 100 back (1:02.54) and 100 butterfly (1:01.88), 4th in the 200 I.M. (2:16.80), 10th in the 50 butterfly (28.68) and 11th in the 100 I.M. (1:05.53). Sonia also had lifetime best times in all six of her events.

“This was a great meet for both these girls. Winning Junior Olympics is pretty impressive and Sam swam away with three titles. She should be very proud of her accomplishment.

Sonia is only 11 and to win J.O.’s, so young in her age group, says a lot about her. I am so happy for both of them,” said their coach Tressa Ries. Both girls were also members of two TCC 2nd place 11-12 medley relays and two 4th place free relays.

Another outstanding performance was turned in by 12-year-old Dylan Tarazona. “Dylan was the surprise of the meet. It was the best meet he has had in his young career,” said a happy coach Tressa. Dylan finished in the top eight in all six of his events as well as achieving lifetime best times. Dylan placed 4th in the 50 butterfly (27.44, a new team record), 200 free (1:59.40) and 500 free (5:21.68), 5th in the 100 fly (1:00.69), 7th in the 100 free (55.65) and 8th in the 50 free (25.99).

Other highlights included:

• Madeline Budds, 10 – finished 13th in the 100 back, 200 I.M. and 50 butterfly, 15th in the 100 I.M. and 16th in the 100 breast
• Rachel Forbes, 9 – had fast fly in the 9-10 200 medley relay
• Ana Yakovlev, 10 – lifetime best times in the 200 free and 100 back
• Katie Yakovlev, 9 – was member of 9-10 200 medley and free relays
• Maryzyl Garcera, 11 – had super breaststroke swims in the 11-12 200 and 400 medley relays
• Mari Johnson, 11 – contributed to the 11-12 200 and 400 free relays
• Sydney Escalante, 12 – had her personal best in the 200 I.M.
• Heidi Zuniga, 12 – placed 11th in the 500 free (5:31.23) and had best times in the 50 free and 50 butterfly
• Bryan Dao, 10 – had his best time in the 100 back
• Ethan Trieu, 8 – helped the 9-10 relays score in the top 16
• Julian Verdon, 10 – lifetime best times in the 50 butterfly and 100 breast
• Brian Whittington, 10 – personal bests in the 200 I.M. and 100 butterfly
• Zeph Handley, 12 – had some fast free splits on the 11-12 relays
• Jared Strong, 12 – swam the 500 free and contributed to 11-12 boys relays
• Hunter Sa-Nguansap, 11 – had lifetime best times in the 200 I.M., 50 and 100 breast

Congrats to all our younger Junior Olympic swimmers!

THANK YOU!

Posted Jan 29, 2008: Thanks to Janice Whittington, Valerie Carazo, Carlos Carazo and D.J. Tarazona for the extra efforts with this year's banquet.  It was a great night and we couldn't have done it without you!

TCC CLASSIFIEDS

Posted Jan 30, 2008: If you are looking to help our awesome swim team, please contact the swim office and apply for one of these needed positions:

1.  Publications Director - will assist coaches in putting the monthly newsletter together.  Will also coordinate our swim meet program (once or twice a year).

2.  Advertising Chairman - will assist in soliciting ads for our meet programs.

3.  Snack Bar Assistant Coordinator - will learn swim meet snack bar procedures and will assist snack bar chairman when necessary.

4.  Tarp Managers - two people (Senior and Age Group) to work together in coordinating team tarps for both the swimmers and coaches.

Please help!!  The pay isn't great but you get a 3 week vacation in August every year!!

TCC SCORES AT PACIFIC QUAD

Posted Jan 19, 2008: Coach John and his four traveling all-stars scored "big" at the recent Pacific Quad All-Star Meet held in Carson City, Nevada. TCC swimmers Sonia Wang, Samantha Keehn, Oriana Wang and Madeline Harbach all helped Southern California Swimming win the women's competition against all-stars from Pacific Swimming, British Columbia, Oregon and Washington.

Highlights included:

"I thought they all did a super job. It is always a great experience to travel and compete against other sections of the country." said Coach John.

Congrats to Sonia, Samantha, Oriana and Madeline!

SWIM FESTIVAL RESULTS

Posted Jan 18, 2008: Four TCC swimmers competed at the Southern California Swimming (SCS) All-Star Swim Festival, held in El Monte, and helped their respective teams score lots of points. Dylan Tarazona (blue team), 12, finished an impressive 2nd place in both the 50 free (26.16) and 100 butterfly (1:02.57). Dylan had lifetime best times in both those events. Jason Haney (red team), 13, placed third in the 50 free (23.63) and was 8th in the 100 free (52.63). Brian Whittington (red team) had his best 50 breast time with a 39.76, placing 7th overall. Madeline Budds competed for the red team in the 50 breast, 50 fly, and 100 free. All four were members of both the 200 free and 200 medely relays. "This is such a fun meet," said Coach Jennifer, "it always seems to come down to the last relay and is always exciting for the swimmers." Great job to Mad Dog, Brian, Dylan and Jason!

KAYLA CLARK IS "QUEEN" AT "Q"

Posted Jan 15, 2008: TCC swimmer Kayla Clark, 15, scored an "A+" at the Senior "Q" meet held at Belmont Plaza on January 12-13, 2008. Kayla won both the 400 I.M. (4:38.54) and the 200 butterfly (2:12.79) and finished 3rd in the 200 free. She also placed 3rd in the 200 breast, qualifying for the upcoming Grand Prix meet, with a 2:30.05. "It was probably the best meet Kayla has had this season," said Coach Tressa, "and it was impressive because she had 3 finals within 45 minutes and had lifetime bests in all of them."

Dylan Gabel was also "Q' Champion in the 1650 free with a lifetime best of 16:38.20.

Other TCC swimming highlights included:

Great job to Nicole Blum, Tara Bletcher, Katie Johnson and Laura Shipman who also competed at the meet.

NOELLE TARAZONA FINALS DOWN UNDER

Posted Jan 6, 2008: TCC swimmer, Noelle Tarazona, 14, left on December 28, 2007 to compete at the Victorian Pacific Age Group Championships held in Melbourne, Australia. The five-day competition began on January 4th and runs through January 8th, 2008. Noelle placed 8th in the 200 meter butterfly (2:16.02) and paraded to the finals in her USA sweats. Noelle is the first TCC swimmer to compete at the international level.

She has also competed in the 100 fly ( 1:04.18), 200 back (2:24.85) and 200 I.M. (2:23.42). Both the 200 back and 200 I.M. times are lifetime bests.

Noelle is competing against some of the best from Australia, China, Great Britain, and New Zealand. She will end the competition with the 400 I.M. and 50 butterfly.

CONGRATS TO TCC ALL-STARS

Posted Jan 10, 2008: Congratulations to Samantha Keen, 12, Sonia Wang, 11, Madeline Harbach,and  14, Oriana Wang, 13, for their selection to the Southern California Swimming Pacific Quad All-Star Team.  These four youngsters will compete January 12-13 in Carson CIty, Nevada against all-star teams from British Columbia, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.  Coach John will also travel to Carson City as the 13-14 boy al-star coach.

A big "Way to Go" to  Madeline Budds, 10, Brian Whittington, 10, Dylan Tarazona, 12, and Jason Haney,13, for their all-star selection to the Southern California All-Star Swim Festival Team.  These four swimmers will compete at the swim festival on January 12 at the new El Monte facility. Great job to all of you!

THANK YOU!

Posted Jan 6, 2008: Thanks to Janice Whittington and her infamous Christmas cooks for the yummy pancakes and sausage. We only wish that they could cook for us every morning. Awesome job to all that helped.

Also, we really want to thank all that participated in helping with the Adopt-A-Family program this year. Our family was extremely excited and grateful and we wish everyone could see their smiles at delivery time. Thanks to Kelley Clark, Valerie Carazo and Janice Whittington for the expert wrapping (and there was lots of stuff to wrap) and the experience is truly a reminder of the magic of the season.