Lara’s Blog

Ooh, what a relay!  Friday ended up with a bang and quite the exciting 400 medley relay!  Backstroker, Ana Agy, just off her 100 back win, came on strong with a fast backstroke lead off. Then our breaststroker, Annie Chandler gave it all she had in 1:00.51, but up against Olympian world record holder, Rebecca Soni of USC, she got behind with Rebecca’s leg of 57.76.   Lara dove in like a bat out of hell making up some ground in the butterfly leg in 51.51.  Only Cal’s Elaine Breeden’s leg of the fly was faster with 50.66.  Justine Schluntz anchored in the free with a 47.78 compared to USC’s leg of 49.50.  The result was very close with USC winning in 3:31.75 and Arizona at second with 3:31.78.  It was fun to watch.
In individual events, Ana Agy won her first individual PAC-10 championship in the 100 back and Andrea Boritzke finished 4th.  Arizona had five swimmers in top ten slots in the 400 IM including Stupp (4th place), Forster and Beaudreau.  Ana Agy and Lara Jackson finished top eight in the 100 fly.  Then we had the “killer” 200 freestyle.  Schluntz finished eighth for Arizona, but Cal had two point scorers in “B” final and FIVE in “A” final!   By the end of the evening, Cal pulled ahead in the team scores to lead by 53 points.  Arizona moved down to second.  It will be a close one today to see if Arizona can pull off a four-peat PAC-10 win.  We look towards the 100 free event and the 400 free relay to see what happens.  Go Cats! Go!

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You have the record time and we all know you are the best! My family and I will be watching you swim tomorrow… you are FAST! I love reading about you in my swim magazines and try to save all the articles. I will be at the NBAC summer camp again with Katie Hoff and Michael Phelps…just working hard to get on that 2016 relay team with you. ( I may be too young in 2012 ) Eat…swim…sleep…repeat….

Your #1 fan ( that’s not related!!!) Anja Benson (11)

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Do all swimmers look alike?  Carly wrote on her blog that it is often difficult to tell the swimmers apart in their goggles and caps.  And it might be the same issue when the swimmers are out of the pool in their warm up suits and their hair knotted up on top of their heads.  Well, last evening after finals, we were waiting in the lobby for Lara to come upstairs from deck.  Her very proud grandmother, Rosie, went up to a swimmer and started to hug her thinking that it was Lara, and it was not.  So Rosie apparently made some comment that hopefully this swimmer would one day be as fast as Lara.   When Rosie rejoined our group, we informed her that she had been speaking with Rebecca Soni, an Olympian with one individual gold and one individual silver from Beijing.  So sorry Rebecca!

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After the shock of watching it snow as we ate breakfast yesterday morning, we finally saw some sunshine.  And the view of Mt Rainer with it’s snow top, was magnificent!  We had a lovely time viewing the Seattle area from the Space Needle.  Thanks Sean for your hospitality.  By the afternoon there were no remnants of snow.  According to Craig, snow here in Seattle is “snow and go”.  Then onto concentrating on swimming.
Thursday was the first full day of competition with prelims in the morning and finals in the evening.  Lara had a good prelim time in the 50 free setting a new PAC-10 meet record with a 21.98.  In finals, Arizona progressed a good number of women to finals, setting us up to add some major points to the score.  The 500 free was a delight.  Junior Joni Keith won the consolation final after coming through a tough year of not seeing any desired results.  But she hung in there and I was so happy for her!  And amazing freshman Alyssa Anderson won the 500 free in 4:38.71.  Freshman don’t usually do that.
Then Lara came up for the 50 free, cool as a cucumber, calmly sipping on a glass of water.  She nails the win in a 21.36, barely off her own American record of 21.33, setting a new PAC-10 Champioship record!  Afterward Lara stated that she didn’t think that she would go that fast here at PAC-10’s.  Lara is just beginning to taper to get ready for NC’s in 3 weeks. 
After the women’s 1 meter diving, the women were up for the 200 free relay.  Cal gave Arizona a run for their money, but Jackson, Turner, Schluntz and Baughman were the victors.  Yay Cats!  Head Coach Frank Busch was quoted, “I think we’re strong enough to have a run” (at the NCAA title).  By the end of the evening, Arizona was ahead with 510.5 points, Cal 448.5 and Stanford 430.

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Be careful for what you wish, it may not be what you expect.  Rain, rain and more rain!  When was it going to end?  Well last evening the rain did let up and then it began to snow!  As I gaze out of my hotel window this Thursday morning, the cars have a distinct white dusting upon them.  Go figure.  Our first “white” PAC-10’s!
Speaking of PAC-10’s, the Arizona women got off to a roaring start in a close finish in the 200 medley relay team of DeGolia, Chandler, Jackson and Kelly.  Stanford was fighting to take the lead and for a bit it looked as if they were going to do it.  But the Arizona women held on and won with a time of 1:36.53 taking 64 points.  Stanford was then disqualified (DQ’d) for early take off during one of the exchanges. 
The 800 free relay was a bit tougher with Schluntz, Vorster, Anderson and Baughman swimming the “A” relay for Arizona.  Cal made a statement with Dana Vollmer leading them off and setting a new American and NCAA record.  Arizona finished fourth.  So at the end of the first evening, Cal leads with 120 points, Arizona is second with 116 points and USC third with 106 points.  Now we are ready for the first full day of competion.  Lara has the 50 free and the 200 free relay at finals.  You can also check out the PAC-10 page under swimming for live results.

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Did everyone know that it rains alot here in Seattle?  Being a desert rat from El Paso, Texas, this is starting to wear on me.  But this evening the PAC-10 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships start so perhaps that will distract me.  Afterall there is alot of water involved at a swim meet.
We drove the 11 miles from our friend’s house down to Federal Way to check out locations of the team’s hotel, our hotel and the pool.  While we were there we were able to get Lara set up with a cooler full of cold water and sports drinks.  Ah, the life of a swim parent, always at the beck and call of our swimmer, and very happy to do it.  Even if it means driving around in the dark rainy night trying to locate all of this stuff.  And thanks Craig for loaning us your cooler.
I just want to mention our other smart and talented daughter, Carly Rose Jackson, otherwise known as our “unswum” daughter.  Carly Rose is in her second semester of grad school at Emerson College in Boston.  And she has an assignment to write a blog.  And I am thrilled that she chose her sister, Lara to write about.  Check out the site at blog.emerson.edu.  She is able to get very creative with pictures and links in her postings.  And Carly has quite the sense of humor.  You’ll be LOL.
I will continue to do my postings as the meet progresses and the fast swimming continues.  I am excited for this amazing Arizona team.  They are the defending PAC-10 champions and are looking for a four-peat.  Go Wildcats!

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This is early Tuesday morning, the day before the PAC-10 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships begins.  And Lara Jackson is one of the key swimmers to watch this meet.  The senior from Arizona is having an amazing year following a disappointing result at the Olympic Trials.  But those Trials are now behind us and Lara has moved on.  She is on a mission.  Both fired up and driven, after all, according to her sister, Carly Rose, Lara is one bad-ass competitor.  And the Arizona Women are “on”!  When Lara was a freshman, Arizona was known as a sprint team.  Always about half the team swimming the 50 and 100 free in prelims and placing 3-4 women in each of the heats at finals.  Well watch out!  This team has some depth with the distance swimmers as well.
Newcomers, Julie Stupp (transfer from Auburn) and freshman Alyssa Anderson are a welcome addition.  Then we have Jenny Forster, Susana Helms and Joni Keith stepping it up.  We have amazing juniors in Ana Agy, Annie Chandler, Carley Beaudreau, Andrea Bortzke, Caitlin Iverson, Leone Vorster and red-shirted junior, Justine Schlntz.  And the sophomores are also coming along nicely including Katherine Raatz, Emma Darlington and Dana Christ.  Genny Konicke is a cutie from Texas and adjusting to the rigors of being a freshman on the team.  Watch for her in the future.
And of course our seniors will say farewell to the PAC-10 this meet.  What a long way they have come.  The freshman class of 2005 include Taylor Baughman, Hailey DeGolia, Jessica Embick, Lindsey Kelly, Katherine Thompson, Anna Turner and Lara Jackson.
So let the “games” begin and time for the Arizona women to kick some glut!  Go Cats!

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The last dual meet of the season is also senior day at Arizona.  Arizona was able to easily win both the women’s and men’s meet against the Arizona State Sun Devils.  And our freshman class of 2005, now seniors, said farewell to college swimming on their home turf.  This truly has been an amazing class.  First of all, all original freshman girls have made it through all four years swimming for U of A.  One classmate, Justine, did redshirt her freshman year due to injuries, but she’s going strong now as a redshirted junior.  Justine was also Lara’s freshman roommate in the dorms.  All of the 2005 freshman qualified for NCAA’s in 2006.  In 2007, the sophomores assisted the team to almost win the NCAA championship with the 200 free relay and the 200 medley relay setting new NCAA, American and US Open records.  During 2008, Arizona won the NCAA championship and Lara won her first individual championship in the 50 free, the only individual winner of the juniors, but Arizona did win all five relays!  Only the second time in NCAA history that it was accomplished.  And now we look forward to PAC-10 championships in Federal Way, Washington, February 25-28th.  Lara’s final college meet will be the NCAA championships in her home state of Texas, in College Station, March 19-21, 2009.
And then Lara will begin the next phase of her swimming career.  She is on the National team and will be working towards making the USA Team for World Championships in Rome on July 26-August 2, 2009.  Another beginning for Lara.

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Has anyone seen the latest news about Michael Phelps?  On November 6, 2008, while visiting the University of South Carolina in Columbia, Michael attended a house party.  While there, someone offered him a bong and someone photographed him inhaling from the bong.  The deluge in comments on Swimming World Magazine.com web page is already at over 50 count!  This is a big story for several reasons.
First of all, last time I checked, smoking marijuana is illegal in this country.  Anybody caught with evidence of illicit behavior, will and should be punished.  Now my thinking is, “The mightier they are, the harder they fall”.  Michael Phelps is a role model to millions of kids.  He has millions of dollars in endorsements.  Yes it’s true, anyone who accomplishes what Michael Phelps has accomplished in swimming, deserves to have a little fun.  But a line must be drawn somewhere.  And illegal behavior is a no-brainer.  Hopefully, Michael will learn a tough lesson from this experience and can turn it around.  To help himself as well as to help the image of the sport of swimming.

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