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Future champions make waves

With the 2008 Olympics in Beijing just kicking off, swimming is about to be placed front and center on the worldwide stage. For the swimmers on the Hampden-Wilbraham Falcons Swim Club, with aspirations to become great swimmers and whose role models include names like Michael Phelps, Dara Tores and Natalie Coughlin, their stage was set on July 26 at the Western Mass. Summer Swim League Championships at Tantasqua High School in Fiskdale, Mass.
With the 2008 Olympics in Beijing just kicking off, swimming is about to be placed front and center on the worldwide stage. For the swimmers on the Hampden-Wilbraham Falcons Swim Club, with aspirations to become great swimmers and whose role models include names like Michael Phelps, Dara Tores and Natalie Coughlin, their stage was set on July 26 at the Western Mass. Summer Swim League Championships at Tantasqua High School in Fiskdale, Mass.

With 80 swimmers competing from Wilbraham and Hampden the Falcons took second place overall, with 18 first place individual medals and six first place relay teams and 134 best times. Just as in the upcoming Beijing events, there were many exciting and close races, with some Falcon swimmers surging in the last lap to capture the first place medal, while others were obvious winners from the moment they entered the water.

First place winners included triple first place winners in individual events: Sydney Peters in the Girls 9-10 50 Yard Backstroke (35.48), the 100 Individual Medley (1:18.43) and the 50 Yard Breaststroke (40.25); and Joseph Salomone in the Boys 15-18 100 Yard Backstroke with a time of 58.31 (a new team record), 200 Yard Individual Medley (2:10.31) and 100 Yard Freestyle (51.30),

Double first place winners included: Elizabeth Avery in the Girls 13-14 50 Yard Freestyle (26.41) and 100 Yard Freestyle (1:00.32); and Laura Webber in the Girls 15-18 100 Yard Freestyle (57.10) and the 100 Yard Breaststroke (1:15.80).

Other first place medalists for the Falcons included Mia Konstantakos in the Girls 13-14 200 Yard Freestyle (2:11.24), Joseph Knight in the Boys 13-14 200 Yard Freestyle (2:27.53), Gavin Easton in the Boys 15-18 50 Yard Freestyle (24.89), Nicholas Rhodes in the Boys 15-18 100 Yard Butterfly (1:01.54), David Adamski in the Boys 9-10 50 Yard Backstroke (41.45), Casey Tarpey in the Girls 13-14 100 Yard Backstroke (1:09.11), Angela Berthaume in the Girls 15-18 200 Yard Individual Medley (2:36.19) and Kristen Webber in the Girls 13-14 100 Yard Breaststroke (1:20.13).

Relay teams taking first place included: the Girls 10 and Under 200 Yard Medley Relay Team with a time of 2:38.90 and included Sydney Peters, Gillian Butler, Catherine Avery and Kaitlyn Kelly; the girls 13-14 200 Yard Medley Relay Team with a time of 2:05.63 and included Mia Konstantakos, Kristen Webber, Casey Tarpey and Elizabeth Avery; Boys 15-18 200 Yard Medley Relay Team with a time of 1:51.41 and included Corey Lomas, Nicholas Rhodes, Aidan Burke, and Colton Allen; Girls 13-14 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Team with a time of 1:52.16 and included Kristen Webber, Casey Tarpey, Mia Konstantakos and Elizabeth Avery; Girls 15-18 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Team with a time of 1:53.97 and included Christine Murphy, Angela Berthaume, Katie Metayer and Laura Webber; and Boys 15-18 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Team with a time of 1.37.07 and included Corey Lomas, Aidan Burke, Nicholas Rhodes and Joseph Salomone.

Second place medalists in individual events included Katie Metayer, Christine Murphy, Corey Lomas (two), David Adamski, Laura Webber, Colton Allen, Thomas Peltier, Mia Konstantakos, Daniel Dupuis and Kristen Webber.

This was the final event of the summer swim season. The Hampden-Wilbraham Falcons Swim Club will begin the winter season with a stroke and turn clinic on Oct. 6 at the Minnechaug Pool, and all swimmers are welcome. For more information see www.geocities.com/hwfalconswimclub/index.html.