photo by Rebecca Holt

Wednesday night the boys put on a great show with many first place finishes.  Frank Huppurts won the 200 Free, Marcus Allen 200M, Tim Mahoney 50 Free, Mike Mahoney 100 Fly, Daniel Smith 500 Free, Jackson Epstein 100 Back, and Demetrius Allen won the 100 Breast and took first in diving.

The relay teams did amazing with the 200 Medley and the 400 Free, both taking first place.  One of the biggest highlights of the night came from Griffin Black, who took third place in the 100 Back.  This is Black’s first season competing for the swim team and he has done a great job this season.  “It felt really good to win third.  Throughout this season I have accomplished a lot.  I was never really good at competitive swimming, but I have worked hard everyday, and I am glad that all the hard work is paying off,” said Black.

“We went with a different style with people swimming different events that they wouldn’t normally compete in.  We have city coming up and our goal is to be ranked in the top three.  George and East have great experienced teams, but I know we are capable of competing well against them,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The next swim meet will be at Manual High School next weekend against all city teams for the final DPS and regular season meet of the year.

photo by Rebecca Holt

The George Washington Patriots are a talented team that swims year round and has many swimmers ranked in the top ten in the 5a district.  The Spartan boys still competed well against the Patriots with a great performances from Tim Mahoney, who won the 50M free style with a time of: 24.89, Demetrius Allen, who took second place in diving with a score of 132.2, and Jackson Epstein, who took second in the 100 back stroke with a time of 1:10.83.

Other top performances came from Daniel Smith, Frank Huppert, and Mike Mahoney.  The two teams were caught on tape by Channel 9 news, which recorded the meet.  “We competed to the best of our abilities, and they were a great team.  We were a little bit intimidated because of their reputation of being a great team, and that bothered us a little.  We aren’t used to being on camera either, so maybe that distracted us, as well.  But once we were comfortable, we were fine,” said Thomas Currington.

“Considering the fact that GW swims year around, and some of our swimmers play three different sports, we competed very well.  I think that during the beginning of the race we were a little nervous because of how good George is.  But I am proud of how the boys competed, and we did very well,” stated Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The boys’ next and finial home meet will be next Wednesday on the 28th against the Montbello Warriors.  This meet will be senior night for seniors Demetrius Allen, Daniel Smith, Thomas Currington, and Eldar Ayutov.

Photo by Kevin Fleming

Demetrius Allen is a well known TJ Spartan who maintains a high GPA, participates in four sports, and was recently crowned King at the Eros dance.  Demetrius is currently on the boys’ swim team at TJ, and has participated all four years at TJ.  He is well known on the swim team and made his first appearance at state last year as a junior, and looks to go back to state and represent TJ well again this year.  Demetrius wasn’t always interested in swimming though, and if not for his mother, Cindy Allen, he might not have ever gotten into the sport.

Demetrius first began swimming competitively during his freshman year at TJ.  His mom Cindy, who is TJ’s swim coach and athletic secretary, asked him to come out to just try it.  Before that, Demetrius enjoyed swimming in local pools during the summer just for fun.  “When my mom had first asked me to try out I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be good at it or not.  But it turned out that I was, and now I appreciate the sport more,” said Demetrius, who is recognized as one of the top swimmers in the state in the backstroke.  Along with swimming, Demetrius competes in football, where he played right guard, in wrestling, where he wrestled at 189 lbs, and in track running the 4-1 relay and throwing the shot put and the discus.

With all the sports activities in which Demetrius competes, it’s amazing that he is able to maintain a 3.7 GPA.  Demetrius is a terrific student who is always challenging himself with classes like AP Literature with Susan Stokely.  However, Demetrius’s favorite class at TJ is Drawing and Painting with Brooke Stoyer.  “Ms. Stoyer is a teacher who is specific with the things she wants, but when it comes to class work, she is lenient and allows us a lot of freedom. In that class I get to express my creativity and that makes the class a lot of fun,” said Demetrius.

After high school, Demetrius will be attending Metro State College, majoring in Criminal Justice.  “I’ve always been passionate about doing the right things in life, which is why I want to get a degree in criminal justice and pursue a career in law enforcement,” said Demetrius, who is entering the Police Cadet Program, which is sponsored through Metro, this upcoming fall.  Being in the Cadet program will give Demetrius the opportunity to experience police work so that he may decide what type of Law Enforcement he will do after college.  “I am excited about the Cadet program because I will have the experience of being a police officer while in college.  What makes the program great is that it will pay my way through college,” said Demetrius, who added that he wanted to become a police officer and hopefully patrol the Denver Metro area.  “There are a lot of people in Denver, and I would like to experience it and see the type of activities that go on downtown,” said Demetrius.

Demetrius is not the only one in his family to have attend TJ, nor is he the only Allen present at TJ today.  Before Demetrius arrived at TJ, his older cousin Pierre Allen, who was a part of the back-to-back state champion basketball team in the years 04-05 and 05-06, along with his older sister, Ivory Allen, who was an amazing softball player at TJ, attended TJ.  The two of them helped make TJ what it is today in athletics, and have represented the Allen family very well.  Demetrius has done an excellent job of doing the same.  At TJ, Demetrius’ younger brother Marcus Allen accompanies him.  Marcus, who is a freshman, participated in wrestling and varsity football team, and is currently participating in both swimming and track.  “It’s fun having my younger brother at the same school as me.  We have a lot of fun together, and I help him with any problems that he has.  In the class that we do have together, we have a lot of fun, but can sometimes mess around too much,” said Demetrius.

Marcus and Demetrius have a close brotherly relationship, and with the two of them attending the same high school, their relationship is even stronger.  “I like having my older brother at TJ with me.  He has set a great example for me by giving 100% at everything he does, never acting up, and treating everybody with respect.  Demetrius is a role model to this school, and this year has taught me how to stay on track by balancing my schoolwork and athletics the right way.  I’m going to miss him a lot when he leaves TJ, but I want to continue the legacy that he is leaving behind.  I want to show him that I can do everything he has done, and possibly be better than him.  One thing I appreciate Demetrius doing is teaching me from his mistakes, so that I don’t make bad decisions, and that I stay on the right path with my life,” said Marcus, who recalls his favorite memory of he and his brother in gym class with teacher William Burns.  “Everyday in weight lifting class we always compete to see who is better, whether it’s foot racing or bench press.  It’s just a lot of fun, and I’m going to miss him next year when he’s in college.  I’m just glad that he had the chance to show me the ropes of high school,” said Marcus.

Out of all the things that inspire people in their lives, Demetrius is inspired by his mom.  “My mom is a strong person who has been through a lot.  She has never let anything pull her back and she does anything she desires, and I respect that about her,” said Demetrius.

With the swim team going further into its season, Demetrius is looking forward to the upcoming DPS swim meet.  “I’m excited about the DPS meet because it is our chance to show off what we’ve got against the rest of the Denver schools.  The meet will also show us how much we have improved since our first meet,” said Demetrius, who also said that he believes that he has a great shot to participate at state again.  As for the swim team, Demetrius believes that they are going to have an outstanding season.  “We have a lot of talent and kids are eager and energetic, and they are ready compete and demonstrate how good they are.  I believe that all of the hard work that we have been doing this season will pay off for us in the end,” said Demetrius.

photo by Rebecca Holt

It was a great weekend for the swim team in the tournament, with a lot of first place finishes.  Before the meet, the team had a meeting that focused the goal of competing strong for the entire competition.  It paid off for them with six first place finishes, including three relays.

Tim Mahoney had a great day, winning the 50M freestyle, the 100M and the 200M.   The relay team with Jackson Epstein, Demetrius Allen, Daniel Smith and Tim Mahoney, won the 200M relay, Tim and Mike Mahoney, Demetrius Allen and Jackson Epstein also won the 200 freestyle relay.  Marcus Allen, Mark May, Mike Mahoney and Mitch Moore took first place in the 400 freestyle relay race.  Overall it was an amazing weekend for the boys’ swim team.  “This was an exciting meet for us and we demonstrated great teamwork.  This win for us definitely gave us confidence in our team’s abilities, and we just want to carry the momentum we have into upcoming meets,” said Epstein.

“We have never been to this tournament, and nobody knew what to expect.  None of the other teams really expected us to win the race.  I am very proud of the fact that these boys achieved their goals of competing strong until the end, and this was just an amazing win for us,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The boys hope to carry their momentum into their next meet against the George Washington Patriots on Wednesday the 21st at 4:15.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

The swimmers swam as well as they could, but it wasn’t enough to beat the East Angels.  Tim Mahoney was the only first place finisher for TJ, winning the 50M race.  The swim team was low in the number of swimmers, so some of them had to swim multiple races, including back to back, which is difficult to do.

However, the boys kept the race close through five events before the Angels took control of the competition.  “We competed well for the first part of the competition.  We were even winning at one point.  We just need to work on the second half of the races more.  Once we finish better we will be an amazing team to watch,” said Thomas Currington.

“We just needed more first and second place finishes.  It is tough for these boys to have to swim back to back.  But we are continuing to develop our speed and technique so that we will be more prepared for the all-city meet.  Even though this is the second consecutive loss for us, we continue to work hard, and we are not comparing ourselves to other teams.  We are focused on us right now, and that is what’s going to get us through this,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The boys’ next meet will be at Englewood High School as they compete in the Englewood Intra State 8 Tournament this weekend.  The next league meet will be on Wednesday at TJ.

photo by Rebecca Holt

The boys’ swim team is hoping to bounce back against the Denver East Angles today at Manuel High School at 4:15 in their first DPL meet.

On Saturday the 10th, the Spartan divers of the TJ Swim Team competed at Manuel High School in the DPL dive meet with some stand-out performances. During the dive meet, an excellent performance came from Senior Demetrius Allen, who took first place with a score of 127.3 and performed a front dive and an excellent inward flip. “It was a great meet for us and I felt comfortable with my diving ability. As a team we did a great job, and we hope that this performance will continue throughout the rest of the season,” said Allen. Other great performances came from Sophomores Luke Fabian and Mateo Rocha, along with Freshman Daniel Webster.

The head coach of the dive team, Amiee Witulski was pleased with the performance from the boys. “It was a good meet, and everybody did well. We even tried new dives like reverses, back flips, and a back dive with a twist. What made the meet even better was having the great support from the swimmers on the swim team,” said Witulski, who is also the assistant coach for the swimming team.

On Tuesday the 13th, the boys swim team took on Arvada West High School, losing the tight competition with a score of 101-81.  All the races were intense, with a five-point difference through the first eight events.  The boys put on a great show with a lot of first place finishes, including back to back to back brother wins from Mike Mahoney, who won the 100M and 100 fly, and Tim Mahoney winning the 50M free style and the 100M free style.  Other first place finishes came from Jackson Epstein, who competed in the 100M back stroke, and the sophomore/freshman 400M relay team taking first in the last event.  That team includes Marcus Allen, Daniel Wakefield, and Mike Mahoney.   Daniel Smith competed in a great race in the 500M free style, but unfortunately came in second place.  “As a team we did great.  The relay teams did great and everybody gave it their all and even though individuals won, as a team we still lost,” said Tim

“Even though we lost the meet, it was still an exciting event with all the highlights.  Unfortunately Arvada was able to pull away in the eighth event.  What made the event really exciting was that Arvada’s head coach used to teach at TJ.  So it was good to see him,” said head coach Cindy Allen.

The boys next swim meet will be today against the Denver East Angles at Manuel High School at 4:15.  This meet will be the boys’ first DPS meet.

photo by Rebecca Holt

Thursday night boys’ swimming competed at Manual High School in the first DPL meet of the season, taking third place overall with a final score of 262.  The boys competed well, with stand-out performances from Demetrius Allen, Daniel Smith, Tim Mahoney, and Mike Mahoney who had a great performance in his race against a swimmer from George Washington High School.  But a real top-notch performance came from Freshman Daniel Webster, who never swam in a competitive race in his life before this meet.  “Everybody swam great and from this meet we all set high goals and expectations for us for the rest of the season,” said Senior Smith.

The coaching staff had higher expectations coming in.  “It’s not what I expected from us, but the good thing is that we got the opportunity see what the other DPS schools have.  So now we can strategize better to be more prepared for our opponents,” said head coach Cindy Allen.  The boy’s next meet will be on Wednesday the 24th against the Montbello Warriors, which will be held at TJ at 4:15.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

Over the weekend the boys’ swim team competed in a co-op meet between Harrison and Sierra High School, coming out on top with a score of 112-63.  Daniel Smith, Demetrius Allen, Tim Mahoney, Mike Mahoney, and Jackson Epstein represented well for TJ, standing out from the rest of the competition.   “We came out ready and excited.  As a team I think we are going to have a great season with a lot of people qualifying for state,” said Senior Thomas Currington.

The swim team had a very successful season last year as they took 12 players to state, where a senior from last year finished in the top ten.   This year the boys are looking to have another great season with three returning seniors: Daniel Smith, Demetrius Allen, and Thomas Currington,  not to mention the returning sophomore class, and an outstanding freshman class.  “I believe that these boys are going to do great this year.  I’m excited for these guys, especially the seniors.  Our team has experience and they are more than capable of being ranked as one of the top teams in the state,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The boy’s next meet will be an intense DPL relay meet at Manual High School at 4:15 pm on Thursday, March 11th.

photo by Kevin Fleming

The TJ boys’ swim team represented TJ well in the 4A State competition, sending seven kids to state including Seth Perry, Jake Salazar, Tim Mahoney, Ryan Diaz, and Ivan Comodore. Demetrius Allen and Kyle Martinez were also in attendance as alternates on the relay team.

The Spartans’ own Seth Perry finished 9th overall in the 50 freestyle as well as 11th place in the 100 fly. Senior Jacob Salazar finished in 16th place in the 100 breast. And the Spartan 200 free relay team represented by Tim Mahoney, Ryan Diaz, Ivan Comodore, and Seth Perry finished in 25th place overall.

“We had a very awesome season.  The boys competed hard, and all but two kids finished the season,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen. However, the Spartan team will take a hit next year as they will be losing six seniors in Jacob Salazar, Ivan Komodo, Mason Swedhin, Kyle Martinez, Dylan Boxer and Ryan Diaz.

“It was an impressive season for having only six seniors. I’m very optimistic about next year since it will be my senior campaign. I think our team next year has a lot of potential,” said Junior Thomas Currington.

After a sucessful season, some Spartans are headed off to the State Meet. photo by Kevin Fleming

Sophomore Tim Mahoney is competing in State this following week in the 200 Free Relay with his partner Ivan Komodore, and is hoping to take the number one spot.

On April 27, the Thomas Jefferson Swim Team welcomed the Denver West Cowboys with open arms, and they were ready for competition.  The first event that took place was a Medley Relay, which TJ dominated. Senior Ryan Diaz, Junior Seth Perry, and Mahoney took first in the relay. The second event held was the 200-Meter Freestyle Swim, and freshman competitor Frank Hupperts took first with an outstanding time of 2:22.06.

With winning in the air, Perry jumped on the starting block and got a fantastic start to the 100-meter fly and swam his way to first with a time of 1:00.28. Mahoney followed in Perry’s footsteps and finished with an exceptional time of 57.31.  “The West meet was great. West has a good combined team and it is awesome that they got a few more swimmers from Denver North High School. They were all great sportsmen and it was an overall high intensity meet,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

Along with other wins, TJ took first in the majority of the events and won, beating Denver West High School 112 – 43.

After a confidence boost from the Denver West meet, TJ hosted a meet against Arvada West. “We have been looking forward to this match all year. TJ’s old swim coach, Coach Cook, is now the coach for Arvada West, so we wanted to show them we meant business,” said Allen. Even though Sophomore Daniel Smith, Perry, Mahoney, and Diaz took first in multiple events, Arvada West proved to be superior to TJ on that day, and won 98 – 87.  “Arvada picked up some really great swimmers and we held them strong until the last meet which was a 400-meter relay that we lost by a small margin,” said Allen.

The boy’s next meet is May 8, for the City Meet at Manual at 4:15pm, and May 9th at 12:00pm. This meet could lock in some state qualifiers that takes place Saturday, May 16, 2009 at Mountain View High School.