AGAINST ALL ODDS LA REINA SWIMMING TEAM MAKING A SPLASH AFTER HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News Emily Bibb bibb n. 1. Nautical A bracket on the mast of a ship to support the trestletrees. 2. A bibcock. [Alteration of bib.] possesses such a passion for swimming and such confidence in her abilities in the water that when the sophomore sets a goal for herself, or for her La Reina La Reina (Spanish: "The queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It consistently ranks in the top five communes with the best quality of life in the Metropolitan Region. High of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. teammates, it's almost a guarantee it's going to happen. ``That's the difference between those who are champions and those who aren't,'' La Reina girls' swim coach Joe Comeau said. ``When Emily's on the block, she's not intimidated in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. at all. And when she's in the pool, she refuses to lose.'' Even with such a level of respect for the 16-year-old, Comeau probably couldn't help but think Bibb was setting the bar too high when, as a freshman, she said one of her goals was to help La Reina gain recognition as one of the best high school swim teams in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . Bibb couldn't be faulted for having such lofty aspirations. The Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. resident probably didn't know the history of the Regents' program, which featured only six girls in 2000 and held workouts twice a week at the local YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. . La Reina was up to 10 swimmers in 2001, although some had never taken a lesson before joining the team. As Comeau, Bibb and her teammates have learned, from humble beginnings Humble Beginnings was an American pop punk band from New Jersey. While never gaining large-scale success, many of the band's members went on to mainstream success with other outfits. sometimes come the greatest successes. Much like Bibb developing into one of the best sophomores in the nation after beginning to swim competitively at the Simi Valley YMCA only when she was 11, La Reina - now with 31 swimmers on the team - has quickly become the dominant force in Southern Section Div. IV, as well as one of the best young teams in all of Southern California. ``People always say that we only compete in Div. IV, but we want to prove that we're up there with some of the best (teams) in Div. I,'' said Bibb, who won the division title in the 50-yard freestyle last season. ``We just want to keep pushing ourselves to be the very best.'' Last season was the first indication that Bibb was on the way to making good on her promise, as La Reina - which had no Div. IV qualifiers in 2002 and finished 44th out of 47 teams at the 2003 finals - finished second to Quartz Hill, the program's best finish at a division championship meet, bettering a third-place effort in Div. III in 1988. Following their performance at Tuesday's prelims at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, the Regents are on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of making Bibb's goal a reality at tonight's Div. IV final at 6, as they hold a projected 80-point edge in the pool over Cerritos. ``This is what we've been looking toward (since last year). We want to be recognized as a good swim team, regardless of division,'' sophomore Laura DeCesare said. ``We're going against schools that are so much bigger than us  This article has no lead section.To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, one should be written. . But it's pretty exciting to think that we're such a small school and we have a chance to score this well and possibly win.'' Despite not having a home pool to train in, forcing La Reina to work out at nearby Newbury Park Adventist Academy, the Regents won their second consecutive Fountain League title and have at least one athlete competing in all eight individual events tonight. Bibb, DeCesare and fellow sophomore standout Veronica Espino, all club teammates at Conejo Simi Aquatics, will contribute the bulk of the points to La Reina's total, but it has been Comeau's other five qualifiers - Genny Aamoth, Brianna Blanchard, Kirsten Dansey, Marissa Felton and Lisa Wellman - who have provided the Regents with valuable depth. ``(My team) pulls me along. They make me who I am. They help me make great things happen,'' Bibb said. ``They've helped this little thing snowball snowball: see honeysuckle. into a big thing. (The Div. IV finals) is what I train for each day. To win (both individual titles) and to win as a team would be one of the best nights of my life.'' Erik Boal, (818) 713-3607 erik.boal(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Emily Bibb, one of the best sophomore swimmers in the nation, is trying to bring recognition to the La Reina girls' swimming program. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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