DIVING RIGHT IN LOCAL KIDS IN THE SWIM FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS.Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, -- Doing the backstroke, breast stroke, freestyle The code name for the MCE version of Windows. See Media Center Edition. and the fly, young competitors on Friday swam fast and furiously for a shot at the gold in the 2006 Junior Olympics. About 1,200 participants from 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, swim clubs, with marine-like names such as the Orcas, Piranhas
Most train for months to qualify to compete in the major swim tournament. For many, it's the one and only competition of the summer. ``This is the big meet of the summer. It's the end of the summer championships,'' said Ron Mita, president of Canyons Aquatic Club, which is playing host. Days at the pool follow a tight schedule. Mornings bring preliminary races, and the top 16 to finish return at night for finals. Then the top eight compete for championship finals. With speed being the name of the game, one national record was broken by .14 of a second. Ten-year-old Zachary Stevens set a new mark for the 50-meter breast stroke with a 36.16 score. Stevens hails from the South County Aquatic Waves in south San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. County. Underneath floppy sun hats and sunglasses sunglasses A tinted pair of glasses used to ↓ light arriving at the eye, which are labeled according to the amount of UV light blocked; nonprescription glasses are classified according to use and amount of UV radiation blocked Sunglasses , white-knuckled parents shouted encouragement to their children as they dove into the water for their heats. ``It's very nerve-racking,'' said Irvine's Barbara Sprosty, watching 14-year-old daughter Morgan glide through the pool. ``As a mother, there's nothing I can do to help her. It's frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: .'' To be in top form for her races, Canyons Aquatic Club member Milena Lopez eats pasta for the carbohydrates, which give her energy. So each night this week, she's had the same dinner: spaghetti spaghetti: see pasta. , spaghetti, spaghetti. For 17-year-old Brian Leung Biography Brian Leung Siu Fai (Chinese name: 梁兆輝) (born April 7, 1964) is a radio DJ/presenter in Hong Kong. He hosts "We Are Family" (Chinese name: 自己人) and "Go West" (Chinese name: 輝遊記) on RTHK Radio 2. of Torrance, the key to success is in practicing less right before important competitions. Often the Swim Torrance member trains nearly four hours a day: two hours in the morning and evening. But right before this week's event, the South Bay swim club member cut back on pool time. ``Before this break, you feel like you're burning out,'' he said. ``But then you are recovering and getting your energy back.'' sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5254 CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Girls 13 and older compete in the 400-meter freestyle during the Junior Olympics on Friday at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center. (2 -- color) Stephanie Rodriguez, 16, reacts after finishing the girls 13 and over 400-meter freestyle race. (3) Maddy Meiser, 10, competes in the girls 10-and-under 200 IM at the Junior Olympics on Friday at the Aquatic Center. (4) Kevin Ho, 10, gets ready for the boys 10 and under 200-meter competition for the Junior Olympics at the Aquatic Center in Santa Clarita. The Junior Olympics was hosted by Canyons Aquatic Club and the city of Santa Clarita. Ana P. Gutierrez/Special to the Daily News |
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