Long time coaching duo brings home medals from Games of Texas

Submitted photo. Used with permission.

By Chris Price
Copyright 2016 Texas Aquatics News

EDINBURG, TEXAS (July 30, 2016) It is one thing to coach swimmers and expect them to follow said coach's instructions. It is quite another to coach swimmers and be able compete right along side of them. It goes to show that the phrase "do as I say and also as I do" has meaning well beyond the standard definition for the swimmers from Pasadena, Texas. The long-time coaching duo of Robert and Darla Kelly, who have been involved in swimming not just in Texas, but nationally and internationally for well over 35 years, joined their South Belt Area "All Stars" Swimming Team (SBAS) swimmers in competing at the Texas Amateuar Atheltic Federation (TAAF) Games of Texas on July 30, 2016 in Edinburg Texas. Between the two coaches, they competed in eight events, winning a total of three gold and five silver medals.

Darla, who is the co-head coach of SBAS and the head swimming and diving coach at Pasadena (Texas) High School, won silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle, 50-meter backstroke, and 50-meter breaststroke in the 55-59 year old division. Her times also established new SBAS team records in the events. Robert, who is also the co-head coach of SBAS won gold medals in the 60-64 year old division in the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter freestyle, and 50-meter backstroke. He also took silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter breaststroke. Kelly, who is the long time swimming and diving coach at both Sam Rayburn High School and Pasadena Memorial High School, also served as the aquatic facilities manager for the Pasadena (Texas) Independent School District.

Both Kelly's have now qualified for the 2017 State Games of America National Championships to be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 3-6, 2017. They will be joined by the SBAS relay team of Landon Howard, Devin Graham, Clayton Melo, and Tristan Morgan, who also qualified for the national games. Howard is a previous competitor at the national event, having led a contingent of South Belt swimmers to the event in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2015. In addition to the relay swimmers and the Kellys, former Pasadena High School All-American swimmer and Houston Cougar letterman Kristine Kelly will be making the trip north in 2017. The daugher of the coaching duo, who just graduated from South Texas College of Law in May, has been on a three-year hiatus from swimming competition due to her law school studies. The former state and national champion won six gold medals in the 2003 State Games of America and has been invited to compete in the 2017 games as a former champion.

The Kelly, along with all their SBAS swimmers will now have a few weeks off prior to starting the upcoming high swimming season, in addition to preparing for the 2017 Winter Games of Texas swimming competition in Frisco, Texas in January, 2017.

SBAS foursome win bronze medals in relays at Games of Texas; punch tickets to 2017 State Games of America

The SBAS foursome of (L to R) Landon Howard, Devin Graham, Clayton Melo, and Tristan Morgan won bronze medals in the 200-meter medley relay and 200-meter freestyle relay at the TAAF Games of Texas in Edinburg, Texas.
Submitted photo. Used with permission.

By Chris Price
Copyright 2016 Texas Aquatics News

EDINBURG, TEXAS (July 30, 2016) Four members of the South Belt Area "All Stars" Swimming Team (SBAS) swam to bronze medals in two relays at the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Games of Texas on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at Edinburg Water Park. The foursome of Landon Howard, Devin Graham, Tristan Morgan and Clayton Melo combined to take the bronze medal in both the 18-years old and over 200-meter medley relay and 200-meter freestyle relay and as a result, qualified for the State Games of America National Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan in August 3-6, 2017.

Their times of 2:16.76 in the medley relay and 2:03.46 in the freestyle relay earned them the bronze medals and established new SBAS team records in the events and punched their tickets to the national championships, which will be contested with athletes from all over the United States and Canada. 

Howard, who was a medalist at the 2015 State Games of America, competed in the 25-29 year old division, in two individual events in Edinburg; the 50-meter backstroke (34.20)  and the 100-meter individual medley (1:12.50). The Sugar Land native took the gold medal in both events and established state records in both events. Graham, a 2015 graduate of Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena, Texas, competing in the 18-24 year old division, placed ninth in the 100-meter freestyle and 16th in the 50-meter butterfly. Morgan, a senior at Pasadena Memorial High School, also competed in the 18-24 year old division placed 11th in the 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter breaststroke, 12th in the 50-meter butterfly, and 13th in the 50-meter freestyle. Melo, also competing in the 18-25 division, placed 12th in the 100-meter individual medley and 13th in the 50-meter breaststroke.

SBAS foursome places 4th in 200-meter medley relay at Games of Texas; miss out on national berth

The SBAS Mixed 200-meter medley relay placed fourth at the
TAAF Games of Texas State Championships in Edinburg, Texas.
Shown (L to R) Coach Darla Kelly, Alfredo Vasquez, Gabriella Escobar,
Alex Perez, Brian Perez, Coach Robert Kelly. 

By Chris Price
Copyright 2016 Texas Aquatics News

EDINBURG, TEXAS (July 29, 2016 ) On the second day of competition, July 29, 2016 at the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Games of Texas State Championships, in Edinburg, Texas, four South Belt Area “All Star” Swimming Team (SBAS) swimmers left their mark on the games. The foursome of Gabriella Escobar, Alexa Perez, Alfredo Vasquez, and Brian Perez combined to take fourth place in the mixed 15-17-year old 200-meter medley relay. Their time of 2:13.10 established a SBAS team record and was less than two second from third place and a trip to the State Games of America National Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan in August, 2017.

All four swimmers are swimmers are students at Pasadena High School in Pasadena, Texas and swim for NFHS National Coach of the Year, Darla Kelly. Kelly received the award in 2012 as the top girls swimming coach in the United States and the top female high school coach in the United States.

Individually, Escobar, who will be a senior in high school in August, placed 43^rd in the 50-meter freestyle while Alexa Perez, who will be a junior this coming year, placed 15^th in the 200-meter freestyle and 31^st in the 50-meter breaststroke .

Brian Perez placed 15^th in the 200-meter freestyle and 35^th in the 100-meter individual medley . Vasquez placed 31^st in the 100-meter individual medley , 44^th in the 50-meter butterfly, and 50^th in the 100-meter freestyle . Both Brian Perez and Vasquez will be juniors Pasadena High School. Competition continues on Saturday, July 30 with the 18 and over and eight and under divisions.

Local swimmer establishes three team records at 2016 TAAF Games of Texas

Michael Vargas established three SBAS
team reacords at the TAAF Games of Texas
in Edinburg. Texas.
Submitted photo, Used with permission.

By Chris Price
Copyright 2016 Texas Aquatics News

EDINBURG, TEXAS (July 29, 2016) In the first day of competition at the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Games of Texas State Championships in Edinburg, Texas on Thursday, July 28, 2016, two local youths showcased their skills against the top swimmers from around the state. Pasadena's Michael Vargas and Deer Park’s Harrison Brown competed in session one of the annual state games in the boys 11-14 and 13-14 years old age group.

Vargas, who will be a sophomore at Sam Rayburn High School this fall, competed in the 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter individual medley, and the 50-meter backstroke in the boys 13-14 division. Brown competed in the 100-meter freestyle in the boys 11-12 division.

Harrison, who swims for the Deer Park Seals in summer competition placed 19^th in the 100-meter freestyle with the time of 1:23.75. Vargas, who swims for the SouthBelt Area "All Stars" Swimming Team, placed 25^th in the 100-meter freestyle with the time of 1:20.30. In the 50-meter backstroke, his time of 40.51 seconds was good enough for 24^th place in the field. His final event of the day, the 1oo-yard individual medley, he placed 24^th with the time of 1:39.96. All three of Vargas’ performances established new team records for South Belt.

After his record setting performance, Vargas stated “I thought my stroke rate in backstroke was pretty good. I needed to kick more on freestyle and backstroke, but my turns in all my races were better than when I competed in the regionals two weeks ago.”

The Games of Texas continue on Friday morning with the boys 9-10 and 15-17 age groups and the afternoon with the girls 9-10 and 15-17 age groups. The championships are being contested at the Edinburg Water Park Pool.

LINK: Team USA's Newest Swimming Champions Who Are Besting the Veterans at the Olympic Trials

Story via People Magazine OnLine

Former Texas A&M swimmer Cammile Adams qualifies for Rio Olympic Games in 200-meter butterfly

Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University
Sports Information Department
Used with Permission

By Robert H Kelly
Special Contributor to Texas Aquatics News
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

OMAHA, NEBRASKA  (July 1, 2016) Coming back from a preliminary disqualification that was later overturned, Cammile Adams punched her ticket to Rio de Janeiro and the Games of the 31st Olympiad by winning the 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska on Thursday, June 30, 2016. The 24-year old Houston area native battled back from seventh place after the first 50 meters to third place at the halfway point in the race. She powered a 32.48 second, third leg of the race to take the lead of which she did not yield and as a result, won the event and a trip to Brazil.

Adams, who swam collegiately for Texas A&M University, posted the time of 2:06.80 to earn her second trip to the Olympic Games. At the 2012 London Olympics, she placed fifth in the event with the time of 2:06.76. In her preliminary heat in Omaha, Adams swam a comfortable 2:08.29 to lead the field after her reinstatement from the previous disqualification on Wednesday morning. In the semifinal later that evening, she improved her time to 2:07.31 to again lead the field.

 Her time of 2:06.80 in the finals on Thursday ranks seventh in the world in the event in 2016, behind top ranked Madeline Groves. Groves time of 2:05.47, which came at the 2016 Australian Championship, currently leads the world in 2016. The current world record is held by China’s Zige Liu with the time of 2:01.81 set on October 21, 2009.

Also earning a berth to the Rio Olympics in the 200-meter butterfly was Hali Flickinger. The 21-year old made her first Olympic team with the time of 2:07.50 and a second place finish. The Olympic Games in Rio begin on August 5 with the women’s 200-meter butterfly preliminary and semi-final heats on Tuesday, August 9. The final is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, August 10.

South Belt Area "All Stars" Prepare for 2016 Summer Season

The South Belt Area "All Stars' Swimming Team
finished in third place at the 2015 TAAF
Region 14 Championships.
Submitted Photo, Used with Permission.

By Chris Price
Copyright 2016 Texas Aquatics News

TEXAS GULF COAST (July 1, 2016) The Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF) Region 14 Swimming Championship is scheduled for Saturday, July 16, 2016 in the Houston suburb of Katy, Texas. The South Belt Area “All Stars” Swimming Team will again be competing in the meet for gold, silver, and bronze medals; and a trip to the TAAF Games of Texas Summer State Championships on July 28-31 in McAllen, Texas.

South Belt will be sending a large contingent of swimmers, between the ages of seven and 62 years old. The team, which is made up of swimmers from the greater Houston area, will be looking to match their third place in the team standings from 2015. SBAS placed 19^th in the team standings at the 2015 Games of Texas held at Texas A&M University.

The “All Stars” have a long history in TAAF swimming, going back to 2004. They are one of the few teams from the Houston area that have qualified swimmers for the Games of Texas every year since their inception. In addition to finding success at the state level, they have sent swimmers to multi-state and national level competitions, along with bringing back medals to the Houston area and establishing and setting records at every level.

The team is led by the coaching duo of Darla and Robert Kelly. The husband and wife team have been a major fixture in the local, state, and national swimming scene for over 40 years. Robert is the aquatic facilities manager for the Pasadena Independent School District while Darla serves as the head swimming and diving coach at Pasadena High School. In addition to being the aquatic facilities manager for PISD, Robert is also the head swimming and diving coach for both Sam Rayburn High School and Pasadena Memorial High School.  Their involvement in the sport of swimming is not limited to just themselves. The couple will be joined by daughter  Kristine, who swam in college for the University of Houston and seven-year-old granddaughter Kirstin, who is in her second year of competition.

At the 2015 Games of Texas, the Kelly females became the first in TAAF history to see three generations from one family compete at the state level competition. In fact, a member of the Kelly family has competed and medaled in every Games of Texas Summer State Championship since 1997.

Welcome to Texas Aquatics News

GOOD EVENING

I would like to welcome everyone to the kickoff of Texas Aquatics News. In this new venture, we will attempt to bring breaking news from the world of competitive aquatics in the Lone Star State. Too many times in this day and age, coverage is given by the major media outlets to aquatics competiton during the few weeks leading up to the Olympic Games.

There is so much more that goes on in th sports that make up aquatics; swimming diving, water polo, syncronized swimminmg, finswimming, open water swimming and other water-related sports. We will attempt to be a forum for those stories that are ignored by other media outlets.

Please feel free to offer suggestions, story ideas, and even submissions to be posted on this site. We look forward to hearing from everyone.

Chris Price
Editor and Webmaster
Texas Aquatics News