Category Archives: Girls Swimming
Girls swim shines in state competition
By Taylor Hourigan
After competing in C and B Leagues the weekend before, members of Legend’s Girls Swim and Dive team took to the pool on Friday, Feb. 7 with hopes of making their times for state. Among the swimmers were Lauren Moden, Shilo Syddall, Allyson Malik, Hayley Stauber, Kendra Gardner, Abby Feeder, Chelsea Linton, Alexis Nygaard, Lauren Rogers, and Ryan Sotebeer.
At A Leagues, the Titans shined, with Moden placing 1st in the 200 IM, as well as 4th in the 100 Backstroke. Legend’s 200 Medley Relay, made up of Syddall, Malik, Stauber and Moden, dropped 1.5 seconds off their time to place 6th and qualify for state.
Also, Legend’s 400 Freestyle Relay, made up of Syddall, Gardner, Malik and Moden, dropped two seconds off their time to make 5th place and qualified for state. Swimmers Feeder, Linton, Nygaard, Rogers, and Sotebeer also qualified for state with their respective times.
Over the long weekend of Feb. 14-17, these girls geared up for state competition on Feb. 15 at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton. Thirty-four different schools were in attendance that Saturday.
Moden placed 2nd overall in both the 50 and 100 Freestyle, and also made her All-American cuts in both events. Stauber placed 53rd in the 200 Free and 52nd in the 100 Butterfly. Malik placed 38th in the 500 Free and 45th in the 100 Breaststroke, and Syddall placed 37th in the 100 Backstroke and 58th in the 50 Free. Legend’s 100 Medley Relay placed 18th overall, while the 200 Freestyle relay placed 39th and the 400 Freestyle relay placed 17th.
As a team, Legend ranked 18 out of 34 schools in attendance.
Girls’ Swim celebrates their Seniors
Friday’s Pride of Parker meet for Girls’ swim against Ponderosa ended in a loss for Legend Varsity, but the night was not one to forget. Legend’s girls took home 1st place in 5 events: McKenna Moede in the One-Meter, Shilo Syddall in the 100 Free and 10 Back, Hayley Stauber in the 200 Free, and Ryan Sotebeer in the 500 Free. Overall, now, the team is 4-2 overall and 3-0 in league competition.
Friday’s meet was also Senior night for the team, and six seniors received a bouquet of flowers from Principal Corey Wise and Administrator Jason Jacob while Coach Karen Johnson announced their colleges and majors. The team lined up by the pool and cheered for their teammates as they passed.
Duel meets are now over for the team, and they are gearing up for league meets that start this weekend with C Leagues on the 31st. B leagues will be held on the 1st, and A Leagues are held over two days, the 7th and the 8th. Varsity swimmers who make certain times will then be qualified to compete in State competition, held on the 14th and 15th.
Slide Show: Swim team competes against Ponderosa at Parker Rec Center
The Fantastic Four
This year Legend’s girls swim team has not one, but four fantastic captains.
Shilo Syddall: Tried out for captain because she was a captain last year, and really enjoyed getting to know all the girls and helping out with the team.
Grade: Senior
Started swimming: When she was eight in summer league, started club at 12.
Began swimming for Legend: Sophomore year
Favorite event: 100 Backstroke
Best time: 1.02.06
Meet she’s excited for: State
How she prepares for a meet: Eats good food, gets lots of sleep, and tries to get stress levels down.
What she does outside of swimming: NHS, Link Crew, and she loves spending time with friends.
Lauren Moden: Tried out for captain because she wanted to bring a positive atmosphere to the team and help them learn to be successful this season.
Grade: Junior
Started swimming: At age eight, she started on Phenomenon and them moved to TOPS, both competitive teams.
Began swimming for Legend: Freshman year
Favorite event: 50 freestyle
Best time: 24.27
Meet she’s excited for: The Chaparral meet
How she prepares for a meet: Talks to her friends a lot before races, and also drinks a lot of water.
What she does outside of swimming: She’s always swimming!
Lauren Rogers: Tried out for captain because she wanted to help make the team the best it can be. Team bonding, meet prep, and just working with this group of girls is what makes being captain special to her.
Grade: Senior
Started Swimming: Has been competitive swimming for seven years.
Began swimming for Legend: Sophomore year
Favorite event: 100 breast
Best time: 1:17.00
Meet she’s excited for: The Chaparral meet
How she prepares for a meet: She likes to pump up the music! Stretching and drinking lots of water are also very important steps.
What she does outside of swimming: She’s a lifeguard and a nanny, and also enjoys running when she gets the chance. Lauren lives to volunteer.
Peyton Cottingham: Tried out for captain because she was a captain last year and loved planning fun team bonding activities for the girls. She also enjoys being someone the girls can look up to and come to for help. For her senior year, she wants to be able to impact the swimmers and make sure they enjoy every moment of the season.
Grade: Senior
Started swimming: Swam for six years, moving between competitive and summer league teams.
Began swimming for Legend: Freshman year
Favorite event: 500 freestyle, 200 IM
Best time: 6:32 for 500 free, 2:44 for IM
Meet she’s excited for: The Ponderosa and Chaparral meets
How she prepares for a meet: She works hard at all her practices and hopes that it will pay off in her meets.
What she does outside of swim team: Cross country, track, NHS, Link Crew, and she is the Senior Class president.
Meet Mrs. Johnson
Many new teachers joined the Legend family this year, including Karen Johnson. She teaches U.S History in room F109 and is the head coach for girls’ swimming. The Forum sat down with Johnson to find out a bit about this new faculty member.
Forum: Why did you become a teacher?
Johnson: I was good at [teaching] and I’ve always like history.
Forum: Why did you decide to teach US History?
Johnson: We kind of get a sign of what we’re going to teach, so we don’t really get a choice. I liked social studies, but my wheelhouse is actually economics and government. [Legend] had an opening here for U.S History and I’ve done it before.
Forum: How long have you been teaching?
Johnson: Seven years.
Forum:Where were you before you came to Legend?
Johnson: I was at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia before I came to Legend.
Forum: Why did you choose Legend?
Johnson: I was offered a job at Ponderosa and Chaparral, but I chose here because I was really impressed with the school and because they had a swim team.
Forum: What were your initial thoughts on Legend?
Johnson: It’s very different. I taught in a very urban environment in Atlanta. I thought, “Wow there are a bunch of very well adjusted children here.” [Students] weren’t very well adjusted where I came from. And I was really impressed with the leadership here; the administrators and staff are awesome. And I’m very excited to have my own room.
Forum: How is it different from your other school?
Johnson: It’s less diverse. Let’s put it that way. It’s definitely not nearly as diverse as where I came from. It’s a big difference. Also academically, you guys are more advanced.
Forum: Is it hard to keep up with grading with other responsibilities?
Johnson: Yes, definitely. You manage and you figure it. But it can be kind of hard.
Forum: You’re going to be the new swim coach this year. What is your interest and experience with that?
Johnson: I’ve actually been swimming since I was 10. And I’ve been coaching for about 15 years. It’s one of those things that I loved doing and was kind of meant to do. It’s a little nerve wracking, but I’m very excited about it.
Forum: Who’s in your family?
Johnson: I’m married. Two little girls, seven and four. We just moved to Colorado from Georgia.
Forum: What do you like best about Colorado?
Johnson: [I love] how active everyone is. I love having the opportunity to hike a fourteener in the summer because I can. That’s a huge part. It’s just gorgeous here, that’s why we moved here.
Forum: Favorite movie?
Johnson: I love The Big Lebowski and Lost in Translation.
Forum: If you had a day to do anything, what would you do?
Johnson: I would probably be on Broadway. I was a musical theatre nerd in high school, and if I could [do anything] that would be it.
Forum: Favorite food?
Johnson: Malaysian and Thai.
Forum: What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Johnson: I like all music in general, except country. I love rap. I’m from Atlanta, so I love Jay-Z. I love dirty south rap. I have a very bizarre taste in music.