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Highlands Today

Aquatics Defend Home Water

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: June 22, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Summer is when rivalries are born in the pool.

For 12-year old Emily Helterhoff of the Highlands Hurricanes and 11-year old Maggie Brumfield of the Hardee Swim Team, Saturday's Lake Placid Aquatic Invitational gave everyone a glimpse of the future of girls swimming in the Heartland.

Helterhoff and Brumfield competed in six events in the girls 11-12 category during the event at the Green Dragon pool, with the Hurricane swimmer getting the best of the Wildcat in five events –– with just two weeks of work before the event.

"Emily has been just short of amazing," said Hurricanes coach Marvin Wolfe. "She showed a lot of promise last season, which was her first with the Hurricanes, and is picking up right where she left off."

Helterhoff placed first in five events –– 50-yard freestyle (31.87), 50-yard breaststroke (42.27), 100-yard individual medley (1:29.62), 50-yard butterfly (39.94), and the 200-yard medley relay (3.16.50).

All were personal best times for Helterhoff, who also placed third as a member of the 200-yard freestyle relay (2:55.87), with Brumfield and her team taking the silver with a time of 2:40.40.

"Emily has a lot of room to grow as a swimmer," Wolfe said. "If they both keep improving, they'll both be girls we'll be talking about once they hit high school."

Lake Placid Aquatics (LPA) took first place in both the boys (378.50) and girls (316) team results with Hardee placing second and the Hurricanes placing third.

LPA's Logan Million cleaned up at the event by posting six first place finishes, as the seven-year old Lake Placid native is already making a name for himself at his young age.

Million started the day by winning the 25-yard freestyle (21.85), the 25-yard breaststroke (32.75) and the 100-yard individual medley (2:09.58) before placing first as a member of the 100-yard freestyle (1:56.86) and 100-yard medley (2:24.81) relay teams before taking the gold in the 50-yard freestyle (48.15) by edging teammate Phillip Sapp, who posted a time of 49.95.

Green Dragon varsity swimmers Tammi Beach and Michael Wilkes have joined the Hurricanes and have shown major improvement in a short time under Wolfe's tutelage.

The 15-year old Beach placed first in four events and is close to breaking a swimming threshold in the process.

Beach took first in the 50 free (29.20), 200 free relay (2:10.99), 100 back (1:15.57) and 100 free (1:03.60). The 100 free time isn't her best time so far this season, as the Hurricane swimmer has knocked on the door of the one minute 100 free time that every swimmer covets.

"For a swimmer to break one minute in the 100 is a major accomplishment," Wolfe said. "Breaking one minute means that you've just catapulted from an average swimmer into the elite class."

Wilkes, who was honored with Highlands Today All-Heartland Swimmer of the Year in '07 and '08, took first in the 50 free (23.67), 100 fly (1:01.18) and the 100 free (56.98), while placing second as a member of the 200 free relay team (1:51.71).

"Michael said he saw what I was doing with Sean (Spiegel) and Megan (Wolfe)," Wolfe said. "He decided to join the team to get a little extra work in before starting college.

"Tammi's performance is only going to get better. Her technique is really solid and she just needs to keep up the hard work and she'll be one of the top swimmers in the county next year."

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