Pinch A Penny Visits Bishop Verot
01/25/08 11:15

Pinch A Penny visited Bishop Verot High school in Ft myers to honor Stephanie Peacock with the all state team poster. Stephanie is the first ever Bishop Verot state champion in swimming. Congratulations Stephanie.

 

Nick Caldwell
01/24/08 08:50

The Pinch A Penny All State Road Show was in the Naples area to present a poster to freshman phenom, Nick Caldwell. There was a great article in the Naples News about the event.

 

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jan/23/more-accolades-gulf-coasts-swim-phenom/ 

On the Road Again...
01/24/08 08:49

Each year, Pinch A Penny hits the road and personally presents posters to members of our All State Swimming and Diving Team. Over the next month or so, swimmers from the Panhandle to Miami will be honored for their spirit, talent and dedication. We'll provide updates as the visits happen. 

Images from the State Finals
11/02/07 20:41

It's been a great couple of days with some tremendous performances. Congratulations not only to the winners, but all that participated. Pinch A Penny salutes those with the courage to take the plunge!!!

 

State Finals Underway in Orlando
10/31/07 19:06

The Pinch A Penny FHSAA Swimming and Diving Finals get underway tomorrow at the YMCA in Orlando. We're proud to be entering our seventh year as a sponsor and are excited to announce that we're now the title sponsor of the event. There are many, many great athletes and performances to watch for this year as we look forward to the Olympics in 2008.

Keep checking The Fast Lane for updates and news about high school swimming and diving. As always, we'd love to hear your stories so keep the submissions coming. 

2007 Swimmer of the Year Watch List
10/12/07 09:50

When Florida’s top swimmers are competing for state championships early next month at the Florida Finals in Orlando, they will also be presenting their case to be the Pinch A Penny Florida Male and Female Swimmers of the Year. This is the eighth year that Pinch A Penny Pool Patio and Spa will sponsor the Swimmer of the Year Awards, part of a series of awards for Florida’s high school swimming achievers, including 12 All-Area teams, the All-State team and the Coach in the Community Award. For the first time since 2004, the Female Swimmer of the Year will not be Chelsea Nauta.  The former Tampa Prep sensation who now competes for the University of Georgia completed an amazing run last year as the only three-time Swimmer of the Year in program history. Her successor is likely to come from one of the seven returning Pinch A Penny All-State swimmers on the girl’s side.  Sarah Bateman, a senior from Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley and Amy Modglin, junior from Ft. Myers, are two-time Pinch A Penny All-State selections but several of the other returnees did not compete in the 2005 state meet due to commitments with Team USA.  Megan Romano of St. Petersburg Northeast, Chelsea Franklin of Ft. Myers Cypress Lake and Corinne Showalter of Sarasota Riverview are in this category. The Male Swimmer of the Year also will be someone new as 2006 winner Tampa Jesuit’s Tommy Wyher has moved on to North Carolina.   Joe Ziegler of Tallahassee Leon is the lone two-time Pinch A Penny All-State selection among the five returnees from the ’06 squad.

Here is a look at some of the swimmers who are likely to contend for the honors:

Austin Detra, Sarasota Christian, Senior          
Placed 2nd in the 1A 200 freestyle (1:38.80) and 3rd in the 1A 500 freestyle (4:26.4).  Those times were the 2nd and 3rd-fastest in the state respectively and only other All-State selections finished ahead of him. He earned All-American status in both events and his time in the 500 was sixth-fastest in the nation. In April, Detra won the 500 and 1000 free events at the YMCA National Championships. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.

Robby Kennedy, Fort Myers, Senior
WON 3A 100 breaststroke (57.65) with the fastest time in the state in all classifications.  Finished 2nd in the 3A 200 IM (1:52.0) with the 2nd-fastest time in the state in all classifications.  Earned All-American status in both events. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.


Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or, Bolles (Jacksonville), Senior          
WON 1A 200 freestyle (1:38.4) and finished 2nd to Joey Pedraza in the 500 freestyle (4:26.2). His time in the 200 free was the fastest in the state for all classifications, fifth fastest in the nation (also fifth in 500) and he earned All-American status in both events. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.

James Turner, Lincoln Park (Ft. Pierce), Senior
Won 1A 100 freestyle (46.74) and placed 6th in the 1A 200 freestyle (1:43.38).  He is the first Pinch A Penny All-State selection ever from Ft. Pierce. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.

Joseph Ziegler, Leon (Tallahassee), Senior          
WON 2A 500 freestyle (4:29.7) for second straight year and finished 3rd in the 2A 200 freestyle (1:41.72).  He earned All-American status in both events.  Returns from 2005 and 2006 Pinch A Penny All-State Team.  Committed verbally to attend Alabama.

Others to watch:  Kelley Wyman, Leon (Tallahassee); Donald Sutton, Cardinal Gibbons (Ft. Lauderdale); Byron Plapp, Bolles (Jacksonville); Ricardo Duran, Winter Park; Jowan Qupty, Bolles (Jacksonville); Derek Siegel, Lake Mary; Trevor Reitz, Gulliver Prep (Coral Gables); Alan Forbes, Lyman (Longwood); David Humphrey, Sebastian River.

Sarah Bateman, Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs), Senior
WON 3A 50 freestyle (23.28) with fastest time in the state in all classifications.  Finished 2nd in 3A 100 freestyle (50.86).  Earned All-American status in both events and her 50 time was the fastest in the nation.  Returns from 2005 and 2006 Pinch A Penny All-State Team.

Jamie Bohunicky, Buchholz (Gainesville), Junior
WON 3A 100 freestyle (50.68) and finished 2nd in 3A 200 freestyle (56.86).  Earned All-American status in both events.  Her 200 time was ninth-fastest in the nation. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.
 
Chelsea Franklin, Cypress Lake (Fort Myers), Junior
WON 2A 500 freestyle (4:47.6) and finished 2nd in 2A 200 freestyle (1:49.9).  Earned All-American status in both events. Her 500 time was fifth-fastest in the nation. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.

Amy Modglin, Fort Myers, Junior
WON 3A 200 individual medley (2:03.40) for the second year in a row.  Her time was the 2nd-fastest in the state for all classifications.  Finished 2nd in 3A 500 freestyle (4:51.9).  Earned All-American status in both events. Holds five Ft. Myers school records. Returns from 2005 and 2006 Pinch A Penny All-State Team.

Megan Romano, Northeast (St. Petersburg), Junior
WON 2A 100 freestyle (49.94) and WON 2A 200 freestyle (1:47.5).  Her time in the 100 free was second in the state in all classifications, trailing two-time Pinch A Penny Female Swimmer of the Year Chelsea Nauta by only .07. Her 100 time was third-fastest in the nation and her 200 time was fifth-best. Although she did not compete in the 100 backstroke at the state meet, she produced the second-fastest time in the nation in that event during the year. Earned All-American status in both events. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.

Corinne Showalter, Riverview (Sarasota), Junior
WON 3A 500 freestyle (4:43.4) in the fastest time in the state in all classifications.  Also WON 3A 200 freestyle (1:47.3) in 2nd-fastest time in the state in all classifications (behind only two-time Pinch A Penny Female Swimmer of the Year Chelsea Nauta).  Her 200 and 500 times were both third-fastest in the nation.  Earned All-American status in both events. She won national titles in the 200 and 1000 free events at the 2007 YMCA Championships. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.

Daniela Victoria, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), Senior
WON 1A 100 breaststroke (1:03.9) in the best time in the state in all classifications and earned All-American status. Competed for Venezuela in the 2007 Pan-American Games. Member of the 2006 Pinch-A-Penny All-State Team.

Others to watch: Ashley Hicks, Coral Springs Charter; Brooke Atkinson, Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale); Stephanie Eisenring, Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale); Jordan Smith, Lake Brantley; Siena DeVenuto, Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale)

Wyher, Nauta & Colwill Re-United at Collegiate Meet
10/12/07 09:30

The Pinch A Penny Male and Female Swimmers of the Year for 2006 were re-united in their first collegiate meet on October 10. Tommy Wyher, formerly of Tampa Jesuit, and Chelsea Nauta, from Tampa Prep, continued their winning ways.

Swimming for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Wyher won the 100-yard backstroke in the dual meet and was second in the 100 butterfly.
 
On the women’s side, Nauta showed her versatility by winning the 1,000-yard freestyle while finishing third in the 100-yard free and 100-yard butterfly for the University of Georgia.
 
Another former Pinch A Penny Swimmer of the Year also competed in the meet. Pinch A Penny’s 2002 Male Swimmer of the Year Chris Colwill, also from Tampa Prep, won the diving competition for the Bulldogs.
 
Georgia won the meet on both the men’s and women’s side.

Wyher and Romano Winners At Local Event
07/11/07 08:42

Pinch A Penny’s 2006-07 Male Swimmer of the Year, Tommy Wyher, placed first in multiple events at the Laser Spine Institute 2007 Summer Invitational swim meet June 29-July 1 at the North Shore Pool in St. Petersburg. Wyher, 18, won the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke in the senior boys division.
 
Additionally, Pinch A Penny All Area Swimmer, Megan Romano, won the senior girls 50 butterfly event.
 
Congratulations Tommy and Megan, we’re proud to have you on our team!