GREATER PENSACOLA AQUATIC CLUB

In manner similar to the fireworks shows two days earlier, the GPAC swimmers put on a fabulous display of performances over the weekend at the GPAC Season Finale swim meet held at the University of West Florida aquatic center, saving some of the best and brightest for last. GPAC swimmers Braden Barkley, Paige Bridges, and Steffen Mount were the stand-out performers for the team, winning their respective age groups’ high-point award for the meet. Braden, 10, captured his first high-point award this season, winning seven out of his eight individual...

A summer road trip is one of those classic American experiences that almost all young people have in common. Twenty one GPAC solidified their swimming team experience as they loaded a bus, waved goodbye to mom and dad, and arrived in Savannah, Georgia the weekend of June 21-23 to mix business and pleasure on their first GPAC team trip. Departing early Thursday morning, a mix of GPAC’s best 11-and-over swimmers headed out in a charter bus for Savannah. After a long bus ride, a few stops and a Coach Phil-directed...

The last days of the school year coupled with the rising temperatures signals the beginning of summer in Pensacola. And it is the GPAC tradition to welcome the summer with the annual Tom Lalor Invitational. This year’s meet, marking the midpoint of the long course season for the GPAC team, saw vast improvement from just over a month ago for a majority of the swimmers who competed. GPAC hosted over 15 teams and 375 swimmers from across the Southeast, including some terrific teams from Louisiana.  GPAC claimed the team title...

  GPAC’s first home meet of the long course season was a massive success for the 86 GPAC swimmers who attended.  Although some had already experienced long course racing this year with meets in April, many were crushing times from last summer.  Naturally, GPAC claimed the team victory at the meet, but also boasted four high-point winners: Brooke Ferrara, 15, William Henderson, 10, Renee Henderson, 10, and Walker Parra, 11.  GPAC went on to set 40 new SES qualifying times, and 84% overall best times! “This was a great turn...

  Taking advantage of the second long course meet this month, thirty-three GPAC swimmers traveled to Laurel, MS to, once again, claim top honors as a team and drop tremendous time. Posting overall 77% best times, the swimmers combined to drop over 20 minutes in their events! “It was exciting to see the swimmers perform so well,” said Head Coach Philip Kraus.  “We knew the swimmers were dropping a lot of time, and it was fun to watch.” Leading the way for GPAC were the Henderson brothers, James, 12 and...

 Forty GPAC swimmers made quick work of the season-opening Sprint With the BEST meet in Biloxi, rewriting twelve meet records, posting several new Southeastern cuts and taking the team title. “This meet has proven to be a great way to reacquaint the swimmers with long course racing,” said Head Coach Phil Kraus.  “It’s fun for the swimmers to set meet records and walk away with a team victory to which they all contributed.” Seven GPAC swimmers of all ages combined to set twelve new meet records.  Coulson Barfield, 13, edged...

  Braving early March temperatures and the possibility of snow, eight GPAC senior swimmers headed north to Wisconsin to compete in the Speedo Champions Series Sectional meet March 7-10.  Led by five top-8 swims by Brooke Ferrara, the girls’ team took fourth place overall, and the team placed seventh. Ferrara, 15, was dominant in her sprint freestyle events, claiming second place in the 100-yd free, and third place in the 50-yd free.  Her 100-yd and 200-yd backstroke swims were good enough for seventh and eighth place, respectively.  She also nabbed an...

  William Henderson proved once again that he was the one to beat in the breaststroke events, as he laid claim to the titles in the 50 and 100-yd breaststroke at the Eastern Sectional Age Group Championships in Greensboro, NC March 7-11.  This championship, attended by teams from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, is the premier event for swimmers 14 and under in the Southeast.  GPAC placed 23rd out of over 90 teams! Henderson, 10, dominated the field in the 100-yd breaststroke race on Friday of the...

  There’s something special about twins that seems to run deeper than just looks and personality.  GPAC’s Renee and William Henderson, 10, have a shared talent for breaststroke that helped each swimmer to capture a Southeastern Swimming title in the 50-yard race at the 2013 Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships held in Nashville, TN February 21-24.  Their combined 180 points helped GPAC take tenth place overall with a team of 29. Renee and William swam their races only minutes apart, each dominating the field and posting new GPAC team records,...

  In a weekend’s worth of hard-fought races, GPAC’s Sara Lypko emerged as the fastest 8-and-under girl at the South District Championship, and was crowned the high-point winner for the meet.  The meet also served as the season-ending competition for many other GPAC swimmers, who posted multiple best times and new Southeastern qualifying times. “We knew going into the meet that Sara had a good chance to win the high-point race,” said Coach Alex Gilespie, Sara’s coach.  “She knew she was going to have to race hard.” Lypko, 8, who...