We all know the story about how the folks who work the hardest enjoy the greatest success most of the time. That philosophy applies to almost anything, including summer swim league.
That certain applies to the Ooltewah Tidal Waves, who have quietly built quite a dynasty in recent summers and that success just continued on Monday night in their final home meet, a resounding 462-309 victory over the Fort Oglethorpe Sharks.
With the win, the Tidal Waves clinch first place in the Chattanooga Area Swim League’s Blue division with a perfect record of eight wins against no losses. That also increases the Ooltewah winning streak to an amazing 42 dual meets, their last loss coming against Stuart Heights back in 2017.
And now that the regular season, they get to refocus on the 64th Annual Bill Caulkins City Meet, which will be held at Fort Oglethorpe’s Arlene Crye Municipal Pool at the Gilbert-Stephenson City Park on Friday and Saturday.
The Tidal Waves have won that meet for four straight years and are heavy favorites with Stuart Heights to do the same thing one more time.
But on an evening when seven seniors were recognized on their final meet at home, it was business as usual for the Tidal Waves as they looked like they’re in tip-top shape to defend their title.
Todd Jones is back as Ooltewah’s head coach after his son Stephen took over a year ago and he has been a part of the growth in recent years as he’s been a big part of their success for the past 11 years.
Jones has several really good assistant coaches, a group of parents who are willing to do what’s necessary to provide a winning atmosphere and a whole bunch of kids who really like being with each other and are more than ready to do the hard work that makes all of these wins possible.
Monday was another typical hot and sweltering day on the pool deck, but Jones was totally at ease while sitting in his air-conditioned office and talking about his team while the meet was still in progress.
“These kids have done well this summer as I’ve seen improvement across the board,” he began.
“It can be a hot and tiring process, but they have all had a great attitude and I greatly appreciate all the people behind the scenes who have made this possible. We’ve developed a good system here and all seems to be running strong.
“We just need to execute the plan and do what we’ve been doing. If we’re willing to do that, we don’t have to be concerned with the results as they will take care of themselves. But I can feel the build as we near the city meet. At this point, it’s all about sharpening our skills, doing what we do best and having a lot of fun in the process,” Jones added.
Hannah Valdez is in her second year leading the Sharks and she too is really excited about the upcoming city meet. She’s also been on a pink cloud after marrying her long-time sweetheart Ross on June 30.
“We just want to swim fast and have fun. We didn’t bring as many kids as we normally do today, but we’ve had a bunch who really stepped up and made some positive contributions,” she said during the break following the medley relays.
“Our relays have pulled us together as those kids have a lot of heart, but we’re really excited about the city meet. We know it will be hot as usual, but we anticipate giving our best effort and seeing what happens,” Valdez added with a smile.
Keilah Holliman and Nora Pace led Ooltewah with 19 points apiece while Anna Boyd, Jed Holliman, Makayla McInnes, Dalynn Daniel, Kaci Lambeth and Shiwoo Song all followed with 17 points each. Katelyn Holman and Sully Foster both had 19 points for Fort Oglethorpe while Foster Stevens was right behind with 18.
While Ooltewah won again on Monday, other winners included Stuart Heights, Cleveland, Dalton and Ridgeside.
MONDAY’S HIGH-POINT SCORERS:
FORT OGLETHORPE:
19 – Katelyn Holman, Sully Foster
18 – Foster Stephens
14 – Audrey Chatfield, Colson Chappelear
13 – Yaric Lebed
12 – Wade Christopher, Jett Stevens
11 – Oliver Webb
10.5 – Claudia Weaver
10 – Rowan Hoffman.
OOLTEWAH:
19 – Keilah Holliman, Nora Pace
17 – Anna Boyd, Jed Holliman, Makayla McInnes, Calynn Daniel, Kaci Lambeth, Shiwoo Song
15 – Gunnar Corvin, Zack McInnes, Julia Leite, Carmyn Watkins
13 – Estella Salera
12 – Nolan Holt, Noah Holliman, Ellie Corvin
11 – Daniel Easton, Luke Combs
10 – Declan Harris, Cheyenne Carver, Ella Cooper, Addie Lawrence.
CALHOUN:
19 – Jack Brown, Jonah Ogas
18 – Keegan Carter
17 – Cassidy Gray
16.5 – Jacob Bateman
15 – Madelyn Burch
13 – Landon Travis
12 – Jocelyn Chance, Sam Rice, William Rickett, Grayson Howell, Jasmin Lawson
11 – Hudson Nimon.
STUART HEIGHTS:
19 – Scout Chapin, Sage Sillery, Lily Vicknair
17 – Joseph Myers, June Cleary, Luke Waldrep, Stephen Myers
16 – Max Shaw
15 – Maddie Orth
14 – Margaret Daniel
13 – Blaise Harris, Alice Aupperle
12 – Molly Mae Ransom, Gilly Smith
11 – Ava Shaw, Ridge Folmar, Cooper Lehman
10 – Abigail Keener, Madison Rogers.
CUMBERLAND:
19 – Lydia Mizutani
17 – Lola Phipps, Jillian Schuster, Jude Carpenter, James Chatard
15 – Ingrid Michael, David Davenport, Rosey Honeycutt
14 – Zach Schurr
10.5 – Everett Michael
10 – Ellie Grubbs, Carter Young.
CLEVELAND:
19 – Elias Eldred
18.5 – Reed Blackmon, Joseph Scully
17 – Kevin Curley, Addie Taubert, Teddy Elliott
16 – Caroline Kate Elrod
15 – Sophie Hughes, Maddie Peterson, Nathan Jossart, Jaxon Moseley
12.5 – Lee Elliott, Asher Cory
12 – Abigail Parrish, Santiago Eldred, Carol Lynn Elliott
11.5 – Morgan Jenkins
11 – Abby Anglin, Andrew Rutledge, Seraphim McNeese
10 – Palmer Blackmon, Logan Gregory, Millie Wiseman.
FAIRYLAND:
19 – Frances Bohner
18 – Carson Gaither
17 – Ethan Bond, Adelaide Bond, Ari Bond
15 – Campbell Naggar, Ben Bevill
14 – Millie Elkins
13 – Caroline Cleary, Millie Sharplin
11 – William Gaither, Lily Cole.
RIDGESIDE:
19 – Lucy Hamilton, Charlie Schrader
17 – Jojo Manningm Delsie Shields, Elizabeth Grace Schrader
15 – Weston Hamilton, Jacob Stone, Grace Hamilton, Cora Hamilton, Eli McBryar
13 – Owen Swisher, Lizzie Jane Kinnamon
12 – Benjamin Pipes, Parth Chinnahambi, Adam Crouch
11 – Mari Auilera, Max Schimpf, Kenny Suttles
10 – Annie Davis, Zane Gibbs, Henry Gibbs.
WATERDOGS:
19 – Gracelyn Dauphinais, Christian Chai
17 – Lincoln Eberle
15 – Marit Chapman, Carter Gray
13 – Davis Turner
12 – Laura Ward
11 – Ella Cuison
10 – Elle Richardson, Alaina Chapman, Fiddy Burgueno, Timothy Collier.
DALTON:
19 – Layla Brackett, Vincent Bash, Sophie Martinez, Sebastian Rodriguez
15 – Jazzlyn Watson, Francis Cuaresma, Avery Loftis
14 – Melissa Rios, Laney Fowler, Georgia Brackett
13 – Harper Loftis, Spencer Valencia, Natalie Edds
12 – Eli Mickelson, Cailynn Miller, Joseph Moore
11 – Favio Caceres, Jacob Moore
10 – Aurora Caceres, Connor Loftis, Kiptyn Evans.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)
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