Piercy Wins Eight Golds at Maccabi Games in Brazil

Swimmer Nicole Piercy, of Hampton Roads Academy and the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins team, took advantage of the opportunity to represent the United States in her first international meet, winning a staggering collection of hardware at the 12^th annual Pan-American Maccabi Games. In all, Piercy earned eight gold and two silver medals over the course of the three-day meet, which was held just after the Christmas holiday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The Maccabi Games is an international competition for Jewish athletes and its purpose is stated in their motto, “Building Jewish Pride through Sports.” In all, 18 countries were represented at the Games, making the nine-day trip even more rewarding.

Although the workload was grueling for Piercy, 14, it was typical of her normal meet routine.

“Usually, for a three-day meet, I’ll compete in eight or nine events,” said the high school freshman. “In fact, I was originally signed up for 15.”

Taking advantage of the long course pool (50 meters), outdoor atmosphere and enhanced competition, the swimmer also registered best times for the 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter breaststroke. “I was very close to best times in every event… maybe a second off,” added Piercy.

There were some unexpected moments during the competition.

“I haven’t had many chances to swim outdoors. The surprising thing is the climate in Brazil. It changes so rapidly. One minute it’s sunny and then in the next minute it may start raining in the middle of your race. It was tough to get used to.”

The organization of the meet caused another bump in her plans. The Games are held in a different country each year and with different coordinators at each event, changes are sometimes made on the fly. A last minute change to the swimming schedule was one example.

“On the first day we swam, we didn’t even know we were even competing. The schedule was suddenly changed.”

Acclimating to her new surroundings included getting used to the pool and the local food, as well as her new teammates and fellow competitors.

“The swim team stayed together (at the hotel which served as the athlete compound). On the first day, it was kind of awkward because we didn’t know each other. But by the second day, everybody was comfortable. We were together every morning, every minute, every day. I got to know everybody very well and met people from all over -- South America, Australia, Israel, Canada.”

Her experiences with the Brazilians during the six non-competition days were also interesting as the swimmer came to the South American country loaded with Team USA and other American collectibles, ready to barter.

“The Brazilian marketplace was fun. It was where the locals go, but there were people from everywhere. We tried hard to bargain with them, but sometimes there was a language barrier where the person didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak… for example, Portugese.”

The learning opportunity will stay with Piercy forever.

“The whole experience was the most amazing thing in the world. There is so much more to this meet than swimming. I learned a lot about myself, because you see people from other cultures and realize that everybody is different and believes in different things.”

Nicole Piercy’s medals at the Pan-American Maccabi Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Gold – 200 backstroke

Gold – 200 individual medley

Gold – 200 freestyle

Gold – 400 freestyle

Gold – 1500 freestyle

Gold – 50 breaststroke

Gold – 100 breaststroke

Gold – 200 freestyle relay

Silver – 50 freestyle

Silver – 100 freestyle

Full results from the Maccabi Games can be found at the Maccabi USA website, which can be found at http://www.maccabiusa.com/2011-pan-american-games-results.html

Body By D Gym - Fitness With A Message

In just a few short years, Body By D Gym in Yorktown, VA has developed a faithful following on the Peninsula. I had an opportunity recently to meet with L. D'Shawn Wright and Peter Castaldo, the driving forces behind the five principles. Some great work being done here!

Based on simple core principles and word of mouth advertising, the Body By D Gym in Yorktown is quickly becoming the go-to spot for young athletes on the Peninsula. Spurned by the success of several of its younger members, the gym has become a supplemental training facility for high schoolers looking for the extra edge needed to compete at the collegiate level. With a growing number of Division I signees in several sports as members and a newly formed Hall of Fame, the buzz surrounding the gym is hard to ignore.

Tucked into the side of a pale non-descript building off Route 17 and Dare Road, there is nothing special about the locale, aside from the block letters of the “BODY BY D” logo which hover above the entrance to the gym. But once inside, it is strictly business. Athletes of all ages are seen working with a variety of free weights, treadmills, medicine balls and other exercise equipment. However, there is more to Body By D, according to gym president and owner, L. D’Shawn Wright.

The 5 Principles of Body By D Gym



“We’re also teaching them life lessons,” says Wright, himself a national champion bodybuilder, youth motivational speaker, radio host (his “Man in the Mirror” radio talk show can be heard on WYRM 1110 AM), and sometimes featured movie extra. “Our program is based on five principles.”

Indeed, the principles are listed on the website (www.bodybydgym.com) as well as on the back of the business cards provided by Wright, vice-president Peter Castaldo, and instructors Brian Hammons and Morgan Cannon. Looking at the testimonials from parents and athletes on the website, these values have been implemented well.

“We want them to understand that it’s not always about making the big play. It’s the play after that matters,” adds Wright. “We want to prepare them for the next level.”

Castaldo reinforces the supplemental aspect of the training program. “We’re not trying to take them away from their coaches,” says the New Jersey native. “We want to provide something extra.”

In the age of specialized training becoming a part of high school sports, sometimes the extra boost is necessary. Ethan Carter was one of their first members. Already a star pitcher as a sophomore at Denbigh HS, Carter could throw a baseball, but lacked other athletic abilities.

Peter Castaldo (L) and L. D'Shawn Wright

“Wow, he could pitch, for sure, but he couldn’t jump rope or do a good push-up,” recalls Wright, half-jokingly. A look at Carter’s testimonial on the website seems to give credence to this reflection as the future University of South Carolina signee writes, “we set and reached many goals including being an Aflac Baseball High School All-American. I could not have done this without training with D’Shawn.”

The list of clients serviced since its 2009 opening reads like a “Who’s Who” of Peninsula athletes. Along with Carter, there are fellow pitchers Cameron Roth (Longwood) and Jared Lyons (Liberty), as well as other local diamond standouts such as Adam McConnell (U. of Richmond – drafted by Dodgers) and Chris McDougal (Liberty). Softball all-stars Jordan Hanna and Maggie Tyler have trained at the gym, alongside soccer prodigals Brittany Hammons and Sydney Omweg. The list of notables is rapidly approaching 30 names and now includes two NASCAR series and one motocross racer. In all, 18 members have earned college athletic scholarships.

Very impressive, considering that the training sessions began with ten kids. The connection with baseball started early.

“This used to be a batting cage and training center,” recalls Wright. “Rusty Ingram (York HS baseball coach) would bring his players here. I used to run the fitness department. Eventually, they closed and the landlord asked me if I was interested in the area.”

At the time, Castaldo was a gym member, but signed on with Wright to “run fitness.” Since the gym appeals to all ages, there is a process that any incoming athlete will go through to determine which trainer is best for his or her needs. “There’s a different type of flavor with each of us,” notes Castaldo. “We have our own style and when it comes to working with athletes, it usually doesn’t take long to make a connection.”

Sporting a 20% growth in revenue over the past year, the future looks bright for “Body By D” gym, a point emphasized by its owner with the following comparison.

“They have always had something like this on the Southside, a place where the young baseball players could go. We (the Peninsula) are like that now. Something’s really happening here.”

Body By D Gym is located in Grafton at 106 North Constitution Drive, at the intersection of Dare Road, one block east of Route 17. The phone number to the gym is 757-369-8479.

Yorktown Skater Sees The Power of Gold

For Olympic hopeful Michael Johnson, it’s hard to find free time.

Skaters Caitlin Pair and Michael Johnson aim to represent the US
at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The pair is coached by
Chris Pottenger.

Sure, he made it home to Yorktown for Christmas on the evening of the 23^rd. After a night of sleep, one of the first orders of business for Christmas Eve Saturday was to meet with a local reporter for an interview. After spending the rest of the day and most of Christmas with family, the 17-year old was on his way back to Delaware, where he has been training and attending boarding school for the past 16 months. When asked how often he does make it home, the initial reply was short. “Not often…“

Such is the life for Johnson, who along with 15-year old partner Caitlin Belt, is preparing to compete for Team USA as our country’s only figure skating pair at the 1^st ever World Youth Olympic Games, which is currently being held in Innsbruck, Austria until January 22. The event, hosted by the International Olympic Committee, is the young skaters’ first foray into international competition, and a sure sign that it is acceptable for the pair to continue working with realistic aspirations of competing for America in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

“If I was a singles skater, 2014 might be more realistic, but it’s harder with pairs,” says Johnson. “You need more time to develop.”

One apparent reason for the prolonged growth and development process comes from the fact that the male skater of a pairs team has to lift and throw his partner on numerous occasions, while skating. Belt is fairly tiny, at 5 feet and 95 pounds, but still, she is a 95-pound person that must be lifted over his head, with one arm.

So how often do you get to practice the lifts? You must get tired after a while?

“We usually have 10 lift reps on the ice per practice. Of course, we also do lift work in the gym.” With the help of a pulley and harness, Johnson is occasionally relieved of his duties. But at 5’10” and 175 pounds, with a firm handshake not expected from a teenager, he is sturdy enough to ably handle the physical aspect of his sport. In fact, the lacrosse coach at West Nottingham has taken notice of Johnson and asked about his availability. Surprisingly, the lifting isn’t considered the hardest part of his sport.

“I think the biggest time commitment is training,” adds the skater, who attended York High School for two years before transferring to West Nottingham Academy in northern Maryland in September of 2010. “I skate about four hours a day and I’m in the gym for about an hour a day as well.” His typical day begins at 6:30 in the morning with breakfast, followed by classes that last until lunchtime, Next is a 30-minute drive to the training center at the University of Delaware in Newark. After five hours of practice, it’s back to West Nottingham for dinner and two hours of study hall before lights out.

So, how did Delaware become a hub for American skating?

“Mr. Ludington,” replies the skater without hesitation, referring to his coach Ronald Ludington, best known for training many American Olympic skating pairs, including 1984 silver medalists Kitty and Peter Carruthers. As a skater, Ludington and then-wife Nancy Rouillard Ludington won the U.S. Figure Skating Pairs title four times, from 1957-1960, and also scored a bronze medal for pairs in the 1960 Winter Olympics. Upon retiring in 1960, Ludington turned to coaching and found success, eventually coaching athletes in nine consecutive Olympics, up to 2010. The University of Delaware took notice early on and built a rink to house its Skating Club, looking for Ludington to stay as its coach. The facility soon turned into an Olympic breeding ground, rivaled by the nearby Skating Club of Wilmington where the coach also works.

“He’s just an excellent coach and he’s really good at what he does,” adds Johnson.

There is another Olympian who helps with the pairs’ training. Irina Romanova, an Olympic ice dancer for Ukraine at the 1994 and 1998 Winter Games, works with Johnson and Belt as their choreographer. Others have helped without even knowing. Asked about his favorite pairs skaters, he recalled recently watching current Japanese pairs champions Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran as they performed and trained at a New York City competition that Johnson and Belt were also competing in. “They’re amazing.” With an eye toward the past, Johnson also admires the style of the pairs from the late 1980’s and early 90’s, most particularly two-time Olympic champions Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov (1988, 1994).

Looking at this winter, Johnson and Belt will be busy through the end of March, competing in regional and sectional events on the way to the Junior Nationals and another international competition in the early spring. Then there will be a two-week break. A well-deserved one.

Menchville HS Swimmer Signs With Tennessee

For Menchville swimmer Amanda Carner, December has been an especially busy month, and not just because it’s the season to be jolly.

Menchville swimmer Amanda Carner recently signed with
the University of Tennessee.

On the first day of the month, the 18-year old had traveled to Atlanta, GA, and was participating in the AT&T Swimming Winter Nationals at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center. In the process, Carner was photographed in the 400-meter freestyle preliminaries for a picture that was broadcast nationwide to many daily newspapers and news outlets. Less than two weeks later, her name was again distributed to news organizations across the Southeastern region, this time in a press release from the University of Tennessee announcing its Class of 2016 female swimmer recruits, of which Carner is one of six.

In the press release, Volunteer women’s coach Matt Kredich noted Carner’s potential because of her proven ability as a high school swimmer in events such as the 200 fly, 200 back, and 500 free. While mentioning that she has the distance versatility to be a top 400 individual medley swimmer (Tennessee lost their best IM'er, Aleksa Akerfelds, to graduation last year), Kredich also commented on the untapped potential that Carner has in the 100 back and fly, events that she doesn’t compete in often, a potential based solely on her rapid 200 times. In fact, the Monarch senior currently holds the Virginia state record in the 200 back with a time of 1:56.72.

So, the 200 back is your best event?

“Actually, it’s probably the 400 medley,” says Carner, a young woman who is easily noticeable with her “light up a room” smile and long red hair. She may have a point. In August, at the Junior Nationals in Palo Alto, CA, Carner qualified for the 2012 Olympic trials in both the 200 back and 400 medley. With this accomplishment, her plans for celebrations after graduating from Menchville next June have been drastically altered. “The Trials are right after graduation.” Asked about her goals for the event, Garner remains realistic. “I’m just looking forward to the experience. It’s going to be strange to see all those people,” While a reporter was thinking that the term “people” referred to stars such as Michael Phelps and Dana Torres, Menchville swim coach Katherine Dowdy provided the proper clarification. “Usually, at a lot of our meets, it’s Mom and Dad and not too many other people.” Indeed, the Olympic Trials will draw several thousand fans on a daily basis to the festivities at the pool.

Fortunately, Carner is getting to know more of her competitors. In September, based on her summer accomplishments, she was selected to a junior national NCSA (National Club Swimming Association) all-star team, one which competed in a dual meet against the countrywide All Itoman Swim School for an event labeled the “Duel in the Pool,” a competition which was held in Osaka, Japan. Carner especially enjoyed traveling in Japan, mentioning visits to the Osaka Castle and Golden Temple.

Several of her current competitors will soon be teammates at Tennessee, and Carner is counting down the days to her arrival at the Knoxville campus. “I’m super excited. I signed my letter-of-intent in November. I took my trip in September. It was great. I knew it was the school.” In fact, The Swimming World Magazine five-star recruit only took two of her five allowed college visits before deciding to become a Volunteer, but it wasn’t for a lack of interest. Coach Dowdy recalls, “since the beginning of high school, Amanda has probably heard from at least 30 schools.” Carner plans of majoring in special education, with a possible second major in math, at Tennessee.

But there is unfinished business in Newport News to tend to first. In 2009-10, the Menchville girls were undefeated Peninsula district champions at 9-0 and Carner is the reigning Daily Press female swimmer of the year. Both are goals worthy of repeating for both coach and swimmer, along with the development of a relay team with the ability to qualify for the Virginia state meet. Concurrently, Carner also swims with the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins, a team which she has now been with for 10 years.

The best is probably yet to come. In a final thought, Dowdy, now in her fifth year as head coach, added that her star’s hard work ethic and ability to accept feedback are notable, but then turned to the topic of peaking. “Some swimmers peak during the season, or over the course of a career. With Amanda, I haven’t seen any sign that she’s close to peaking."

HRA Swimmer to Compete in Brazil

Nicole Piercy of Hampton Roads Academy and the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins swim club was recently selected to represent the United States at the 12^th Pan-American Maccabi Games, which will begin on December 26th in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nicole Piercy (L) with Coast Guard Blue Dolphin teammate Leigh-Ann Clark

The Maccabi Games is an international competition for Jewish athletes and 13 countries will be represented. The purpose of the meet, as stated in the motto, is “Building Jewish Pride through Sports.” Although Piercy, at 14 years of age, did not meet the minimum age requirement for athletes in the junior category, she was selected based on her best event times, which do meet the standards.

Her introduction to the meet came last year when Dolphin coaches, led by Steve Hennessy, mentioned the idea of aiming for qualification in the near future, perhaps as a motivating tool to help the swimmer reach the necessary standards. The plan worked as it took only a year to earn the right to compete at the high-level meet.

For the high school freshman, it will be her first experience of competing outside of the United States. To date, the farthest she has traveled for a meet is Rochester, NY.

Says Piercy, “It will be a weird experience being out of the country.” She does look forward to meeting new people and should have many opportunities to do so, as all of the athletes will be staying together at the same hotel for nine days. In anticipation of bartering opportunities, her mother, Wendy Drucker, has helped the teenager find plenty of Team USA materials along with other tradable knick-knacks. The hope is to come home with a treasure trove of collectibles from other countries.

For the young swimmer, her first opportunity to compete at the international level is the result of years of hard work.

Now beginning her seventh season with the Blue Dolphins, Piercy maintains a grueling training schedule. Her weekly workout regimen consists of nine practices over a six-day period (three two-a-days and Sundays off). A number of the practices occur during the wee hours of the morning before school and even after seven years, she openly admits that “getting up early never gets easier.” Like many elite swimmers, she competes for both her club team year-round and with her school team at HRA during the winter.

The hard work is paying off. On December 1^st, Piercy earned her a major victory, capturing the 14-year old girls 200-yard backstroke at the RSA Reindeer Invitational in Cary, NC.

There is a price to pay for athletic success. Connections with school friends have been lost over the years because of her sport obligations. School games and dances have been missed. Numerous weekends have been spent at swim meets, which have been known to last from early morning to late in the evening for several days in a row.

The "Fab Five" -- Jillian Breeger, Piercy, Peyton Baldwin,
Kate Maw & Katie Brewer

Not to suggest that Piercy is without friends. During an interview, a cry of “I’m her best friend!” erupted from the other side of the pool at the Ft. Eustis Aquatic center, where the Dolphins practice. Eventually, it was learned that there are other best friends; in fact, Piercy and four other teammates have formed a bond, one which has developed into a coalition known in swimming circles as the “Fab Five.” While one of the Fabs is a classmate at HRA, the other three are from Menchville and Kecoughtan.

Her friends have helped to alleviate the stress of training and school. In fact, working through such a demanding schedule has its advantages. “There’s no drama in swimming,” she says, referring to her social life with teammates outside of the pool. “Not like school drama.”

With graduation not arriving until June of 2015, it may be early to start picking colleges. But, Piercy has some ideas in mind for life after high school. She “definitely” wants to swim in college. While undecided on schools, she notes that she is a “huge Duke fan” and that she possibly wants to major in pre-med.