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Newsome, Sickles Serve Notice

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By MATTHEW POSTINS, Tribune correspondent

Published: September 12, 2007

Does Newsome High's swimming sweep at the City Relays on Saturday represent a changing of the guard in Tampa area swimming?

Naturally, the teams' leaders - boys coach Elizabeth Schwieterman and girls coach Joanne Grogan - hope so.

'Hopefully,' Schwieterman said. 'I guess it looks that way, at least for a little while.'

The fifth-year high school's teams defeated more established programs such as Jesuit, Academy of Holy Names, Berkeley Prep and Plant.

The top two schools in both categories were Newsome and Sickles. Sickles, barely a decade old, already has a girls City Relays title.

'Everybody has some good swimmers, so no one is going to be truly dominant,' Hillsborough coach Tom Paloumpis said about this season. 'But Newsome and Sickles will come close this year.'

Sickles boys coach Scott Parlett wasn't signaling a changing of the guard just yet. He said schools such as his and Newsome are benefiting from a deeper talent pool.

'It's different,' Parlett said. 'I don't know if it's a changing of the guard. I think the talent is getting stronger and stronger throughout the area and it's spreading out to more teams.'

ONE CHANCE, STRAIGHT UP: Newsome was certainly happy to sweep the City Relays. But the Wolves also had hoped to measure themselves against Sickles.

You see, the two are in different classes, so Saturday's event was their only head-to-head meeting this year, making the victory doubly sweet for Newsome.

'That was one reason we wanted this,' Schwieterman said. 'They've Sickles always been competitive against us.'

LOOKING FOR MORE: Bloomingdale is out to defend its girls district championship and move up from third on the boys side.

The Bulls just finished competing at the City Relays this past weekend.

Boys coach Tom Beard said he believes his boys can move up in a district that includes Chamberlain, Durant and Wharton.

'I sense that the boys will move up because of our depth,' Beard said.

Brian Woodcock leads the boys. Beard is also high on freshman Constantine Tedrick, a distance swimmer.

Deanna Almanza and Alex Glover lead the Bloomingdale girls.
Bloomingdale faced district rival Riverview on Tuesday.

LAST-MINUTE CHANGES: Plant girls coach Gil Gonzalez said that, at the last minute, he decided to shuffle his swimmers for the City Relays.

Gonzalez did not have some key swimmers for the event, prompting the change.

'It actually worked out,' Gonzalez said. 'It made things easier.

'We could spread out the positions and get everyone in there to swim.'

Plant's boys finished in a tie for fifth, while the girls tied for third.

NEW COACH FOR PLANT PAIR: Plant's defending state champion sprinter Meg Anderson and teammate Hillary Hahmann started training this week with Blue Wave club coach Pete Banks at Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, Anderson said Saturday during the City Relays.

Banks, who also attended the relays, confirmed the move.

Anderson and Hahmann are switching coaches after their coach at Tampa Bay Aquatics, Rich Rodgers, left to take a job in New Orleans.

Banks also added Jesuit distance swimmer Vinny Donnelly, though Donnelly's move came before Rodgers left.

Banks coaches most of Newsome's top swimmers.

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