Insights and Details for the Swim & Water Polo efforts (and more) at Summer Dreamers Academy, 2015

Three pages.

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Obama Academy results from the WPIAL Class AA Championships

WPIAL Swimming Results: Pittsburgh's Obama Academy finished the 2015 Class AA Championships as a top 20 team.

Medley Relay = 15th place.
15 OBAMA 'A' seed time = 1:56.00 final time = 1:49.97 4
1) Niksic, Sead D 09 2) r:NRT Kovalik-Haas, Joseph 12
3) r:NRT Rauterkus, Grant 11 4) r:NRT Opalko, Zack 09
25.68 58.08 (32.40)
1:24.48 (26.40) 1:49.97 (25.49)

In 2014, Obama results:
9th place, Obama Academy-AM 'A' Seed time= 1:51.27 final time: 1:47.49
1) Friedman, Benjamin A SR 2) Rooney, Yoka A SR
3) Rauterkus, Grant P SO 4) Brewton, Thomas S SR
28.50 56.93 (28.43) 1:23.98 (27.05) 1:47.49 (23.51)

200 Free Relay = 12th place
12 OBAMA 'A' seed time = 1:39.10  final time = 1:36.75 10
1) Niksic, Sead D 09 2) r:NRT Opalko, Zack 09
3) r:NRT Rauterkus, Grant 11 4) r:NRT Kovalik-Haas, Joseph 12
23.23 48.55 (25.32)
1:12.22 (23.67) 1:36.75 (24.53)

2014 results: 9th place Obama Academy-AM 'A' seed time = 1:40.22 final time = 1:34.10
1) Brewton, Thomas S SR 2) Friedman, Benjamin A SR
3) Rauterkus, Grant P SO 4) Rooney, Yoka A SR
23.55 47.10 (23.55) 1:11.26 (24.16) 1:34.10 (22.84)

400 Free Relay = 19th place
19 OBAMA 'A' seed time = 3:38.45 final time = 3:46.04
1) Rabinovich, Eitan 10 2) r:NRT Donehue, David 09
3) r:NRT Opalko, Zack 09 4) r:NRT Kovalik-Haas, Joseph 12
26.33 55.43 (55.43)
1:22.52 (27.09) 1:54.49 (59.06)
2:21.10 (26.61) 2:51.36 (56.87)
3:17.68 (26.32) 3:46.04 (54.68)

Sead Niksic
100 fly = 7th = 54.31
split = 24.73 54.31 (29.58)

100 back = 6th = 53.99
split = 26.00 53.99 (27.99)

Grant Rauterkus
200 Free = 22nd = 1:59.61
splits = 26.12 55.91 (29.79) 1:28.15 (32.24) 1:59.61 (31.46)

100 free = 24th = 53.13
25.34 53.13 (27.79)

Eitan Rabinovich
200 IM = 2:12.65 = 16th place
Splits 28.64 1:02.94 (34.30)
1:42.50 (39.56) 2:12.65 (30.15)

500 free = 15th place = 5:15.25
splits: 28.40 1:00.05 (31.65)
1:31.43 (31.38) 2:02.89 (31.46)
2:34.52 (31.63) 3:06.49 (31.97)
3:38.83 (32.34) 4:11.25 (32.42)
4:43.92 (32.67) 5:15.25 (31.33)

Team scores:
1. Quaker Valley 274
2. West Allegheny High School 215.5
3. Hampton 205.5
4. Mars High School 163
5. Indiana High School 160
6. Laurel Highlands High School 155
7. Knoch High School 152
8. Hopewell High School 124
9. Cornell 94
10. Shady Side Academy 90
11. Derry Area High School 66
12. South Park High School Varsity 63
13. Riverside Swimming & Diving 59.5
14. Mt. Pleasant High School 50
14. Springdale High School 50
16. Highlands High School 43
*
17. Obama High School 42
*
18. Elizabeth Forward 41
19. Ambridge High School Swimming 33
20. South Fayette Varsity 32
21. Uniontown High School 31
22. Burrell High School 27
23. Brentwood High School 26
23. Winchester Thurston 26
25. Greensburg Central Catholic 25
26. Belle Vernon Area High School 24
27. Ringgold High School 11
28. Northgate High School 8
29. Thomas Jefferson High School 7
30. Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh 6
31. Keystone Oaks High School 5
32. Freeport Area High School 4.5
33. East Allegheny High School 4
34. Blackhawk High School 3
35. Deer Lakes 2
35. West Mifflin Titan Swimming 2
37. Carlynton High School 1

In 2014, Obama finished in 16th place with Obama Academy earning 53 points.

WPIAL Swimming Action with Obama Academy

Day One of the WPIAL Swim Championships is in the books and Obama Academy did well in some places and okay in others. At least one new school record was obtained.

Medley Relay before the race.

Back, Sead; Breast, Joe; Fly, Grant; Free, Zack. In the photo they are in the purple caps and standing in order of left to right as Sead, Zack, Joe and Grant.



100 fly:


On Day 2 of the WPIAL meet, with a 10 am start, brings Grant in the 100 free, Sead in the 100 back, Eitan in the 500 free, and a 400 free relay that will have Eitan, David, Zack and Joe.

After the meet, I expect to walk down to Pitt's Pete, the event center, and watch some city-championship basketball games. The boys and girls both have their games starting at noon and 2 pm.

Carnegie Mellon University Water Polo Team at Penn State in first CWPA action of 2015

CMU Water Polo Team in 2015 at Penn State. This weekend we had four games. We won 2 and lost 2. Wins over UPenn and Ohio University. Defeats to Pitt and Penn State.

Proposal for a new afterschool activity: The GUARD

This proposal was sent in for consideration.

Enrichment Provider Application

Pittsburgh Public Schools is now accepting applications from enrichment providers who are interested in providing services at 21st century funded After-School Academy sites. Special consideration will be given to APOST quality campaign members. Grants for programming will be awarded between $500 and $3500 based on the proposal submitted to APOST. The application is open until all enrichment providers are filled.

Name: Mark Rauterkus

E-mail address: Mark@Bloomfield-Garfield.org

Phone number: 412-298-3432

Organization name: Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation (BGC)

Program name: The GUARD, from BGC's Swim & Water Polo Camp

Program description:

The GUARD is an aquatic fitness and job leadership activity proposed for both Perry High School and Brashear High School.

At basic levels, students get to visit, use, explore and discover at the school's indoor, six-lane, 25-yard, shallow-deep swim pool. Swim pools are powerful learning laboratories. Swim pools are places built for the crafting and study of individual and group excellence. Typical competitions at swim pools are measured in increments of .01 seconds. Swimming is a lifetime, lifesaving sport done all around the world. The oldest team sport in the modern Olympic Games is water polo. Furthermore, diving, synchronized swimming, scuba, fin swimming, underwater hockey, SKWIM, lifeguard competitions, paddle sports, deep water running, and water basketball are a few of the other pursuits that can and should unfold at public school swim pools.

Learning to swim, pool safety, following instructions, personal health, fitness, problem solving and other aspects of playing well with others are some of the elementary elements with The GUARD. Team building, demonstrating, rule following, competitions and matters of effort, energy and efficiency are explored from many perspectives.

The more advanced concepts within The GUARD concern the strengthening of knowledge, skills and confidence of high school participants to become lifeguards, swim instructors, camp aids and counselors. The GUARD is for job training and mentor development. Within The GUARD, the participants stride along a pathway to certifications and meaningful employment in health-related, educational rich, tech-savy, athletic professions. Knowing First Aid, CPR, and responsible behaviors at the age of 16 could lead to medical school one day or even a more knowledgeable and confident Good Samaritan in a city neighborhood in the hours to come. Most of all, participants in The GUARD get the inside track on summer jobs in roles such as Citiparks Lifeguards and Coaches with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation's Swim & Water Polo Camp as part of Pittsburgh Public Schools' Summer Dreamers Academy.

Activities can begin at Perry in Feburary 2015 and at Brashear after the high school swim season ends, in March 2015.

What is the primary focus of your program? (Ranked checks applied below.)

Priorities in ranked order.

1. Recreation, Sports, or Physical Fitness

2. Career or Employment

3. Leadership or Character Development

4. Mentoring

5. Service Learning or Community Service

6. Social, Emotional, or Behavorial

7. Civic Engagement, Activism or Organizing

8. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

9. Academic or Education Enrichment

What grades do you serve? (Please check all that apply)

The GUARD in year one is to serve those in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Furthermore, The GUARD enabled special events throughout the fall, winter and spring can refresh relationships from the ranks of past and future Swim & Water Polo Camps. Therefore, Swim & Water Polo Camp participants from recent summers, from grades 3 and above, get to be involved too. So, in essence, The GUARD can serve students from a wide rage of grades.

What is your staffing model? (Please check all that apply)

The GUARD's staff includes Executive Head Coach, Mark Rauterkus, Varsity Swim Coach at Obama Academy. Another Obama Varsity Swim Coach expected to work with The GUARD is Jacob Boyce, PPS Teacher. Both have been contracted employees with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation.

Most of the other employees in leadership roles are swim coaches in the area. Volunteers are expected as well, but they will have minor roles in operations, helping with certain topic areas as guest presenters and as on-going competitors and mentors. All workers / employees are to be paid as part-time staff with the BGC.

What type of training does your staff receive?

Staff gets ongoing professional development with certifications in Lifesaving, CPR, First Aid. Additional training happens with online lesson plans, technology tools and joint practices where coaches work sessions with students together.

What is your behavior management policy?

Mr. Igims, PPS P.E. Teacher at Langley K-8 and Activity Coordinator for Summer Dreamers in the past years, said, “Kids in Swim & Water Polo can't miss-behave because they are swimming.” At the pool we have a respectful and mindful approach to our bodies and communications among teachers, lifeguards and students. More specific “rules” and “guidelines” can be crafted for these activities with the advice of other staffers and program leaders.

Of course pool rules and safety first policies must be followed.

What is the standard ratio of students to staff in your program?

Ten to one is an average. A good coach and a functional team can operate at 20-1 ratios, but that would not be ideal in these settings with the initial programming seasons.

How do you track attendance?

Our attendance tracking software, TeamUnify, is fantastic. It matches photos, emergency contact info, and other results to every trusted teacher via smart phones.

How much experience do you have working with PPS students and communities?

Extensive.

Sessions are generally 90 minutes each. How many days a week do you need to operate?

Seems as if PPS and APOST seek to have ONE session per site per week at this time. That is fine.

Extra swim sessions every week are going to be made available to the students in that every FRIDAY is COMMUNITY WATER POLO at the Thelma Lovette YMCA on Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh's Hill District. That program is open to high school students and adults, free of charge. Our students are strongly encouraged to attend those sessions on Fridays from 5 to 8 pm. Saturday sessions and sessions at other city facilities are hoped for as well.

What do students accomplish by the end of a semester?

By May 2015, students can accomplish steady improvements in swim fitness, stroke technique and understanding of various water games including SKWIM and Water Polo. Students get a framework for progression from newbie to varsity competitive swimmer speed. Finally, an awareness of Lifeguarding, CPR and First Aid is shared with the students. Those seeking those certifications would be better prepared and need to take additional classes, perhaps with Citiparks on nights and weekends. Also, The GUARD could be made to expand to 3 or more days per week and the CERTIFICATIONS can be delivered then.

How do you motivate and engage the students?

Pay checks and employment contracts help motivate students. Being hired as a staff member is valued come June, July and August. Seeing improvement in abilities is always rewarding. Doing things never done before, such as swimming in the deep end or swimming a non-stop for 500 yards are big milestones.

Our technology tools that use photos, apps and wiki pages can be important to show progress and to make the work documents that are repeatable and reviewable for others in the years to come.

How do you engage parents/guardians?

We have robot auto calling capabilities. We use wiki pages, blog postings and Facebook often. We could establish our own web pages for each site. We expect to offer open-house visits at the schools too.

How do you incorporate 21st century skills?

See other artice on 21^st Century skills.

How do you incorporate high-school and/or college-readiness? *This question applies to middle school and high school programs only.

There are college scholarships for LIFEGUARDS. Every college campus hires lifeguards for hourly work too.

Most colleges have swim teams, water polo teams and other happenings in aquatics that our students could join when they get to campus for fun, personal recreation, new friends and support.

Some colleges REQUIRE students pass a swimming proficiency test to graduate.

To certification process for lifeguards, for example, covers content similar to a low-level college course. Independent study and following established, standardized course curriculum with multimedia part of the process.  

TED Talk: Sports are great.

Polar Bear Swimmers, join us on Fridays at 5 pm

Foxcatcher movie gets a primer from the swimming perspective

Going to or have been to the movie, Foxcatcher. Here is some historical context. 

http://swimswam.com/foxcatcher-story-swimming-hall-fame-john-du-pont-not-depicted-foxcatcher-movie/

I'll try to see the movie in the next week or so. 

Obama Acedemy Varsity Swimming Calendar

Just changed the name to Obama Academy Varsity Swimming calendar from Girls 2014-15 in the name.

Swimmers Rule! Watch this video and see if you can feel the fluid connection too.

"When You Say You're a Swimmer" from Chris Shimojima on Vimeo.

Play Water Polo in Pittsburgh on Friday Evenings at the Thelma Lovette YMCA

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByN94c3Pp4BpX2VsOWZnQ2lyTEdid25idGNWQmFLS1U3cGRj/view?usp=sharing

Click the link above for a one page handout that can be posted elsewhere.

Recent Interview with the BBC. Podcast-like from Pittsburgh, about a swimmer I coached 30+ years ago, Randy Paul

Listen to the 13-minute podcast from across the pond. Be sure to stay tuned all the way to the end as the closing statement come from me too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n23wz

When a college team mails in a "F" -- they get the next year OFF too

California University of PA has a football team with five of its players in jail and in serious trouble due to some late night fight. All the players have been kicked out of school. The team is scratching its next game this weekend. Forfeit. Gannon wins. Cal U sees its home game vanish. And a guy is in critical condition after a life-flight to Allegheny General Hospital. Hope he doesn't die.

This is another football forfeit. Here is another brick in the wall that signals the long, slow departure of that game from society's landscape. Football is well past its peak and is headed to the toilet bowl in the years to come.

In water polo, after a team mails in a "F" -- the next year they are kicked out of the league. A team that forfeits gets the following year without the ability to play in the league.

This would be a great time for those at CalU to look into creating a number of different activities to take the place of football. How about an Ultimate Frisbee House League? What about Rugby 7s and Rugby Union teams? How about water polo? Perhaps they should do a better job at CalU with their Powerlifting matches and Bodybuilding too. And finally, most of all, time to hook up with the Boys to Men program and get those discussions established about accountability of actions, stopping violence, and intervention.

None know what the future holds for these guys and the overall program. But it is a good thing to take a break and think again. Let's establish a different set of norms and get everyone to play nice with others.

Pink in the pool at PSU

This Friday, October 31, at 3 PM, Penn State Swimming & Diving hosts Villanova. We would like to invite the entire Pennsylvania swimming community to check out the Nittany Lions and kick off a big sports weekend at Penn State.

The first 200 fans in attendance this Friday will receive a pink Penn State Swim Cap. Be sure to get there early!

We hope to see you this Friday at 3 o’clock at the McCoy Natatorium on Penn State’s Campus! The McCoy Natatorium is located at the corner of Curtin and Bigler Road.

If you’re unable to attend this Friday, we hope to see you on November 7 and 8 when the Nittany Lions host Virginia and Michigan. The action starts on November 7 at 6 PM, and continues on November 8 at 11 AM.

Mindfullness

Nice into video, 14-minutes long.

One of the top ten high school runners in the country, from NY, doing a 4:07 mile

Post by Bill Bara.

Mike Brannigan is dreaming of the Olympics.

Kate Snow of NBC News, in Northport, New York. http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/how-running-changed-life-boy-autism-n194051

Links:

• http://ny.milesplit.com/athletes/1674760-mike-brannigan#.VAhQvvldWSo
• http://www.runnersworld.com/high-school-profiles/brannigan-is-not-slowed-by-autism

Greatest Article of All Time -- Trib gets it right in coverage of our Summer Dreamers and visits with Elite Runners and the Liberty Mile Efforts

Thank you Karen Price.

By Karen Price
Thursday, July 31, 2014, 10:39 p.m.

Jordan McNamara stood in front of dozens of Summer Dreamers Academy campers at Helen S. Faison Arts Academy in Homewood on Wednesday and asked a question.

“Who likes to run?” he asked, followed by, “Why do you like to run?”
Hands shot in the air.

One boy said because he was the fastest kid in the world. A girl said because it helps her build muscles. Another child said it keeps her energized.

Before long, McNamara and two other professional runners in town for Friday's Liberty Mile race, Heather Kampf and Leo Manzano, were running through the grass with the kids. They jogged around the perimeter of the field, set up mini races and ended with some stretching and strengthening moves.

For the past five weeks, approximately 120 campers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools program have been training with a coach from the Liberty Mile in preparation for the race through the streets of Downtown on Friday. The Liberty Mile, in its third year, is produced by Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon Inc. A total of 1,200 runners competed last year.
McNamara, who has finished second at the Liberty Mile each of the past two years, said Pittsburgh is the only place where race organizers get the elite runners involved in the community at this level. The elite runners also visited campers at Langley K-8 on Thursday.

“There's always some level of involvement with the race but in terms of going to kids' elementary schools and all that, I think that's different. It's cool,” said McNamara, 25, of Eugene, Ore. “Liberty Mile is really the first race that takes the professionals and integrates them directly into the community at ground level, which I think is really special.”
Manzano, a two-time Olympian from Austin, Texas, told the children at Faison that he wasn't the fastest runner when he started in the fifth or sixth grade, but he wanted to be the best. He talked about perseverance, and the importance of never giving up. Then he told them about racing in the 1,500 meters in the London Olympics in 2012.

He was in ninth place early in the race, he told them, and wanted to give up. He started thinking about his family and his community and started to pass other runners. With 100 meters to go he was in sixth place and ultimately won the silver medal with a time of 3:34.79.

“Not giving up is the important message,” Manzano, 29, said. “I feel like it applies a lot to life as well. Sometimes in a race you come across hills or mountains and you have to continue and push past those, but you know that eventually things will be better. You'll be done and you'll be celebrating.”

Kampf, 26, of Minneapolis had a similar message and told the story of when she fell during the Big Ten Indoor Championships in 2008 and went from last place to first in the 600 meters.
“Running is the ultimate blue-collar sport,” she said. “It's just good, pure, hard effort.”
All three hoped to show the kids that while being a top runner takes hard work, running in general can be a sport they can enjoy their entire lives.

“A lot of these kids at this age, you can tell running is awful to them,” McNamara said. “For us to come in and introduce a little bit of seriousness, a little bit of inspiration but also playfulness and silliness, it makes it so they can associate running with fun and it will be something that they'll want to do and enjoy.”

Karen Price is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach her at kprice@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KarenPrice_Trib.


Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/otherlocal/6533055-74/mile-race-liberty#ixzz39HtHBCOu
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Water Polo Highlights from an International Event

Fwd: The Eagle and Battle of the Books

The Eagle

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Battle of the Books Posted: 11 Mar 2014 06:02 PM PDT I hope you all remember Elizabeth Uptegraff, the first school librarian of Obama Academy integrated into Peabody’s building. Without her, it’s likely that our two Battle of the Books groups would never have happened. Last May, Ms. Uptegraff gave me a flier advertising the Battle of the Books. Each school in the Pittsburgh area could submit several groups of four of five members to enter this “reading based” book competition. The book list would be released in November. What a long wait it had been. I was excited, as thrilled as a nerdy bookworm could be. I just needed to find the other four members, something that took longer than expected. I ran through a number of people, some said they’d stay but left due to time restraints. Our very own Sarah Parker, Executive Editor for the Eagle, opted to join. She dropped out because newspaper is life (winks). That left us with five members: Zackry Harrison, Hailey Treloar, Jahlia Finney, Krista Caraway, and myself, Tayde McDonald. Amazingly, Krista joined in the last month and was more prepared than the rest of us. We were effectively known as The League of Literary Legends. The eight books to be studied were as follows: I Am J by Cris Beam Everyday by David Levithan Little Brother by Cory Doctorow Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell Out of Nowhere by Maria Padain Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer This was only for high school. Middle school’s was: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman How they Croaked by Georgia Bragg One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead Inside Out & Back Again by Thanha Lai Sillhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones Poseidon: Earth Shaker by George O’Connor Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein The sixth graders straight up crammed, but they had an amazing time at the event. “They were ecstatic in competing, fist-pumping every time they got something right,” Ms. Sirio says. Their names were: Dominic Victoria, Jaiman White, Jonathon Freeman, and Nathaniel Shuty. Our studying process consisted of reading the books, rereading them, and then asking each other random, obscure questions worthy of a place in Ms. McKrell’s test booklet. At first I thought we’d be getting thematic questions like in a sort of debate club, but our chosen captain, Ms. Sirio, confirmed we’d be facing trivia (the middle school competition was a week before our’s). So we quizzed ourselves: “What kind of paint did Blue say was safe to eat?” “How did Marcus pass through security detectors?” “What was Ben’s last name?” Questions like these were spewed back and forth each lunch period and during after school. Each of us was committed to heavily studying two books, so they’d be easy to rely on. The most impressive trivia wiz by far was Hailey, who was able to write down the full name of Julia in Code Name Verity – all five of her names in correct order. In fact, the success of our group is largely due to Hailey’s impressive feat in sparring with a Shadyside student on Code Name Verity. She had a problem with one of the prompts, saying it was actually a trick question. When another student challenged her on the matter, she responded in a way that silenced the judges. They gave everyone a free point on that one, solely for being impressed by a good debate. Anyone who knows Hailey well will know she’s the queen of debate. That move put us back in the game after worrying about the first round, where we lost 12 points. At the end, it was announced that a tie breaker would be needed, and we held our breaths. “The teams currently tied for first place are, The Fizzing Whizbees, Gone with the Winchester… and… the League of Literary Legends!” At the end of the round, we earned second place out of the six teams present. All hail the Mighty Book Lord, this is how we role! It took months of hard work and passion to earn our certificates, and we made it. I guarantee that we were more than proud to represent Obama Academy in this competition, we were honored. Our feelings? Pride, joy, and relief. At first I thought how relaxing it would be to no longer have ties to these books, but now I’m sad to let them go. It was a wonderful experience to fight in this competition, but looking at the questions that I couldn’t answer made me realize that I have to improve on character and setting comprehension, my memory falters in that department (wow Tayde that’s like an entire book). Above everything is the determination we feel. This is now an annual event. First place for next year is definitely brewing in our minds.

Summer Dreamers 2014, here we come!

Camp Site	Grade Level(s)	Number of Kids Served
Carmalt	4th Grade	30	Hope to go to Carrick, Brashear or PCA
	5th Grade	30
	6th Grade	5
	7th Grade	5
Faison	5th Grade	20	Team 1 - Hope to go to Westinghouse
	6th Grade	20	Team 2 - Hope to go to Highland Park Pool
	7th Grade	20	Team 3 - Hope to go to Obama
Langley	3rd Grade	40	Two teams of 20 each. All can swim in Langley's pool.
Total:		170

This is my puzzle and it is what I'm good at dealing with and love to do.

The best case is we get to use more PPS pools. Want to go to Carrick, Brashear and/or PCA, plus Westinghouse, Obama in addition to Langley. Kids would move to different sites with their coaches as per a schedule.