Andrea Shacklock and her mom and dad celebrate her award from the DPS Board of Education. photo courtesy Lani Nobles

Andrea Shacklock is one of TJ’s most gifted athletes, and students. Andrea has been an integral part of three different teams: track, volleyball and swimming. Andrea also stands out academically from the rest of the class with her excellent work ethic, and it shows with her outstanding grades. Andrea was not only a state qualifier, but she was also honored with the TJ Outstanding Student Athlete award and was recognized with a proclamation from Board Member Bruce Hoyt and the DPS Board. This is a major honor because only one student from each DPS school is chosen.

Andrea shines the most when competing in the pool. She spends hours every single day perfecting her technique, which has been the case for the past thirteen years. Shacklock’s mom, TJ counselor’s secretary Julie Shacklock, began teaching her how to swim at the young age of four, and she joined her first competitive team at nine. “ I was ready to compete. I knew I had what it took to win,” said Andrea. She joined the local team at Eastmoor swim club, just a few streets down from TJ. Andrea made a great teammate, and also helped her team win three championships. At the age of twelve she received her first state honor, and has been a state qualifier every year since. Still to this day Shacklock swims meets with the Eastmoor club.

Andrea’s swimming career extended into high school, where she was a key part of the varsity swim team her freshman year. She has been on varsity, and lettered and had state qualifying times every season since. This season Andrea has already earned two state qualifying times, an astounding 26.3 second time in the 50 free, and later on a 26.1 second time in the 50 free as well.

With these fantastic times Andrea earned herself a trip to state last Saturday, the 13th of February. Andrea was the only representative from TJ, as she faced off against the best of the best of Colorado’s woman swimmers. She competed in her favorite event, the 50 meter freestyle and ended taking a respectable 35th overall with a time of 26.69.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

Shacklock’s state performance was a great showing of her athletic talent, but that is just one of the many things Andrea excels in at TJ. She is also a very dedicated student who participates in many strenuous honors, X and advanced placement classes. She spends nearly two to three hours per night on homework, which has given her the right to claim herself at the top of the senior class. “It definitely is a lot of work, but in the end I feel so accomplished,” she exclaimed. Her coach agrees, as Cindy Allen states, “ It’s great how she can focus her time on her studies and swimming alike.”

Being the valedictorian is an award given to the senior who finishes at the top of the class, and is an honor for which Andrea is in close contention. Fellow Senior and valedictorian candidate Tommy Moelman said, “She is just so smart. She is one of my close friends and whoever wins, wins!” Shacklock and her 4.67 grade point average plan to attend the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California.

Andrea also competes in track where she has been a varsity leader every season since her freshman year. Also, she is a very talented volleyball player, and has played varsity her entire high school career. This year Shacklock lead TJ to a 3rd place finish in districts, and was even named to the All-state team, where she will be competing against other states in June. “I have watched almost all of her matches,” exclaims her good friend Lauren Kelch.”She is just an amazing athlete.”

Andrea is a three-sport athlete, and one of TJ’s brightest students. There is certainly a bright future ahead for her, and she has set very high expectations for herself. If she is not in the classroom, you can find her out in the pool, in the gym, or on the court, so make sure to attend every sporting event you can and prepare to be entertained by her great skill.

Girls swimming celebrates placing 3rd at city. Photo by Rebecca Holt

On Wednesday February 3rd girls’ swimming squared off against the lady Cowboys of West and took it to them, with a dominating score of 123-53.

Some individual results include Colette Hernandez taking 1st in the 200 Free, Kiera Classen taking 1st in the 200 IM, Andrea Shacklock taking 1st in 50 Free, Jamie Gray took first in the 100 Free, Alex Palmer took first in the 100 Back, and finally Chelsea Skubal placed first in the 100 Breast. “Every one of these girls swam their hearts out, it’s great seeing this team come together,” said Senior Jamie Gray.

The Spartans also performed great in the team competition, with a 1st place placing in the 200 Medley Relay, the 200 Free relay, and the 400 Free Relay.

Head Coach Cindy Allen stated, “ I am looking forward to the league meet this weekend. The team has worked really hard to reach this point in the season,” she went on to say. “ I just want to let them know how proud Coach [Aimee] Witulski and I are of their hard work and dedication to reach their personal goals.”

TJ girls swim their way to victory. Photo by Rebecca Holt

The girls swim team kicked off Friday’s triple play extravaganza with a victory, giving South High School an absolute beat-down, 114 to 47. Due to a great combination of independent and group performances, the meet ended up as a great victory on senior day, in which the squad individually recognized each senior for their great efforts throughout the season.

The whole team came together and pulled out a victory in each of the three relays, including the 200 m freestyle relay, the 200 m medley relay and the 400 m freestyle.

The team received first place finishes from nearly every member of the team, including Senior Jamie Gray in the 200 Freestyle, Senior Andrea Shacklock in the 200 IM, Junior Sarah Southard in the 500 freestyle, and Senior Morgan Bertram in the 100 fly.

“ I’m very proud of all us seniors,” said Senior Morgan Bertram. “ It’s great to come out on top on our day.”

Come cheer on the girls February 3rd against West high school, the estimated start time is 4:15 and let’s hope the win streak continues.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

The girls swim team was very strong right out of the gate, and kept the momentum throughout the rest of the meet, winning easily with a total of 93 points to East’s 83. The squad took first in the 200 free style relay, and the 200-medley relay, with valiant team efforts from everybody. “A great team effort,” exclaimed head coach Cindy Allen, “East is one of our toughest meets and our team was focused and ready to go!”

The girls also had excellent individual results, including first place finishes by four different swimmers: Junior Sarah Southard in the 500 freestyle, Junior Kiera Classen in the 100 freestyle, Senior Chelsea Skubal in the 100 breast, and finally Senior Andrea Shacklock taking first in both the 100 backstroke and the 50 freestyle. Diving also had a first place finish by Senior Alex Gustafson.

“We really did nothing wrong.  We played to our full potential and beat our biggest competition. It was great,” said Shacklock.

Make sure to attend the girls’ next meet this Friday the 22nd against DPL rival South High School at TJ at 4:15.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

The swimmers faced off against the Vikings of North on Wednesday December 16th and demolished their competition 122-22. Every single varsity swimmer took first in her event, even sweeping the medley relay taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Head coach Cindy Allen is becoming more and more impressed with her squad as the season progresses. “Team growth is very ahead of schedule,” she said. “ We have a very committed returning class and a strong freshman class, as well.”

Freshman Rachel Uyemera is also very pleased with the team’s progress. “We have been working so hard, I think we are going to be winning a lot this year,” she exclaimed.

The Spartans now have a long break in the action to not only rest, but also prepare for the challenge ahead: the Valor Invite, which will take place at the Colorado School of mines January 8th at 4:00 pm, and also January 9th at 10:00am. This is probably their biggest challenge of the season, so try to make the long trip and support the girls.

In their previous event, the Spartan swim team gave a great effort, finishing 3^rd out of 6.  On Wednesday, December 9th the Lady Spartans competed in the always-challenging DPS relay meet. They had great input from every player, including Senior Chelsea Skubal. “I had a lot of fun. It’s great to see that we are in the top three in our league.”

The Spartans managed to score a total of 240 points, falling short to the heavily talented rivals George Washington and East. The Patriots came in second place with a total of 438 points, and East narrowly came out on top with 484 points. The Rebels of South took 4th with 172 points, with Montbello and West finishing last.

Fri 1/8/10 Valor Invite @ Colorado School of Mines 4:00PM

Sat 1/9/10 Valor Invite @ Colorado School of Mines 10:00AM

Wed 1/13/10 Dive Meet 5:00PM

Fri 1/15/10 TJ vs. Denver East High School 4:15PM

Fri 1/22/10 TJ vs. Denver South High School @ Thomas Jefferson High School 4:15PM

Sat 1/30/10 “B” League Diving @ Manual 9:00AM

Sat 1/30/10 “B” League Swimming @ Manual 11:00AM

Wed 2/3/10 TJ vs. Denver West High School @ Denver West High School 4:15PM

Fri 2/5/10 City Swim Meet @ Manual 4:15PM

Sat 2/6/10 City Swim Meet Finals @ Manual TBA

Fri 2/12/10 Girls Swim and Dive State Meet 4:00PM

Sat 2/13/10 Girls Swim and Dive State Meet 5:00PM

photo by Rebecca Holt

This weekend the Spartan Swim team took on the Montbello Warriors and easily came out on top winning 121-20. “ We mixed it up for this meet,” exclaimed Head Coach Cindy Allen. “The ladies swam events they might not normally swim and gave great efforts.” Allen also gave the Warriors respect for they’re strong will to win.

The Spartans also took on Harrison High School and came out on the losing end, 94-85. “We were leading for most of the match,” said Senior Jamie Gray, “We just could not keep the momentum to win this match.” The squad received strong efforts from every player, including a first place finish in the 100 fly from Senior Morgan Bertram, with a time of 1:18.70. Senior Andrea Shacklock took first in the 200 IM with a great time of 2:40.2, and fellow Senior Chelsea Skubal attained first in the 100 breast with a time of 1:26. In diving competition, Freshman Staci Gentala came in first place with 139 points. “ I feel like we were the better team,” said Junior Melissa Acker. “We can definitely build off of this defeat.”

The Spartans are looking forward to their next meet, the DPS Relay on Wednesday December 9th, at Manual high school at 4:15.

Day Date Place Opponent Facility Time

Fri 12/04 Home Montbello TJ 4:15

Sat 12/05 Home Harrison Harrison 10 am

Wed 12/09 Away DPS Relay meet Manual 4:15

Wed 12/16 Home Denver North TJ 4:15

Photo by Rebecca Holt

On Tuesday night the lady Spartan swim team opened up their long awaited season against DPL rival George Washington Patriots. The Patriots, coming off a very successful campaign the previous year, was assured to give the Spartans one of their biggest challenges of the year. “Our ladies did a great job against a large GW team. Despite the loss we have great senior leadership and a strong underclass,” Head coach Cindy Allen said.

The Patriots had control of the meet for most of the way, but there is a lot to build on. “Everyone tried their hardest. I know that this team has a lot of potential,” said Senior Jamie Gray.

In the 50 free, Senior Andrea Shacklock placed 1st with a state qualifying time of 26.43 seconds. She also took first place in the 100 backstroke, with a time of 1:12.15, also a state-qualifying time. Other results include Junior Kiera Claussen took 3rd in the 200 IM, and Senior Chelsea Skubal took 2nd in the 100 breast, with a time of 1:26.96.

“ We knew this would be a challenge, and we have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming meets,” exclaimed Senior Andrea Shacklock. The Spartans indeed can look forward to the next meet against the struggling Montbello Warriors this Friday, 4:15 at TJ.

Day Date Place Opponent Facility Time

Tue 12/01 Home George TJ 4:15

Washington

Fri 12/04 Home Montbello TJ 4:15

Sat 12/05 Home Harrison Harrison 10 am

Wed 12/09 Away DPS Relay meet Manual 4:15

Wed 12/16 Home Denver North TJ 4:15

Wed     12/16/09    TJ vs. Denver North High School   @  Thomas Jefferson High School     4:15PM

Fri     1/8/10      Valor Invite   @  Colorado School of Mines     4:00PM

Sat     1/9/10     Valor Invite   @  Colorado School of Mines     10:00AM

Wed     1/13/10    Dive Meet        5:00PM

Fri     1/15/10    TJ vs. Denver East High School     4:15PM

Fri     1/22/10    TJ vs. Denver South High School   @  Thomas Jefferson High School     4:15PM

Sat     1/30/10      “B” League Diving  @   Manual     9:00AM

Sat     1/30/10     “B” League Swimming   @  Manual     11:00AM

Wed     2/3/10    TJ vs. Denver West High School   @  Denver West High School     4:15PM

Fri     2/5/10     City Swim Meet   @  Manual     4:15PM

Sat     2/6/10    City Swim Meet Finals  @   Manual     TBA

Fri     2/12/10     Girls Swim and Dive State Meet         4:00PM

Sat     2/13/10     Girls Swim and Dive State Meet         5:00PM

Andrea Shacklock finished in 30th place at the State Swimming Meet on February 13th. photo by Kevin Fleming

After a long, strenuous season filled with ups, downs, and everything in between, the Thomas Jefferson Ladys’ Swim Team said goodbye to the pool until next season.

That is for everyone except Andrea Shacklock, TJ’s lone competitor in the State Swim Meet this year, which took place at Mountain View High School on February 13th.

Shacklock, who stole 1st place in her event at the City Swim Meet, was nervous competing at the state level. “I was really nervous and really excited at the same time,” commented Shacklock. This was the first time that Shacklock has swam at state for any individual event, and against such high caliber teams.

“State was at a great venue this year and the other teams looked loaded [with good swimmers], and were intimidated at first glance,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

Shacklock performed justifiably well, placing 30th out of 37 girls in the Women’s 50 Meter Freestyle Event. “It was a tough race for Andrea,” said Allen. “It appeared she had some trouble overcoming her nerves, but I am ecstatic that she made it this far and swam as well as she did.”

Even with the end of this season, the work never seems to stop. Allen now must begin the never-ending task that is recruiting girls for next season. The job seems to get harder and harder every year. “Maybe it is a sign of the times, but fewer kids, not only in swimming, seem to be coming out for sports,” says Allen.

As of right now, the team appears a little unbalanced with the number of swimmers from each grade class. This year, there was a small turnout from seniors, but a large number of junior girls. “We seem to be on an every two year schedule where we get a large group of girls. It is in those off years that we seem to struggle with recruiting,” said Allen.

Next year, the team will be anchored by a senior class of about 12 girls, and now it is Allen’s mission to bring in a larger number of younger swimmers. “It is my job to travel to 8th graders and tell them that TJ is a fun school to come to, especially if they are interested in swimming in high school,” Allen stated.

The process of working towards better results next year has also already begun. “This was a building year. We have a strong junior and sophomore class, and as those girls continue to improve, they will be a dominating force in the near future,” said Allen. “Next year we need to continue to work on our speed and self confidence. All of the girls have the skills to be the best, but they need to know that themselves. Swimming is a sport where if you don’t think ‘I’m the best,’ you won’t perform at your highest level,” commented Allen.

This year, the junior girls are already anticipating the idea of being team leaders for next season. “With 12 seniors next year, I am hoping we will be able to dominate,” said Junior Colette Hernandez. “It means a lot to me that I will be in a leadership position for the younger girls on the team,” she added.

Allen has worked hard all year with the girls, and one area the team is commended on frequently is their sportsmanship. “Many teams, especially the suburban teams, compliment us on how well behaved our team is. Just simple things such as picking up our trash and showing courtesy towards other teams gains us respect,” stated Allen. The ability to have courtesy and manners when not swimming is something the team has pushed for all season.

“We work as a team in practice on our sportsmanship and respect towards other teams, because that is just as important as swimming itself,” said Senior Hall Hupperts.

In the off-season, the girls will have the opportunity to continue to swim during the spring boys’ swimming season. Allen also recommends joining a recreation league to stay in swimming shape. “Swimming is a great sport promoting discipline and hard-work, and can be done almost anywhere there is water,” said Allen. “Joining a rec. league would be a great way for the girls to continue to improve when not at TJ. Rec. leagues are great because the girls can work at their own pace and the pressure during a season is lifted.”

Taking a look back on the season Allen could not be happier with her ladies. “We had a great season,” Allen said. “When it came time to step up to the challenge, the girls that needed to, did. I could not be any more proud of how hard they worked all year. I know why I love coaching this sport. It is because of the girls who go out there and give it their all every day.”

As for Allen, she is already hard at work herself as head coach for the boys’ swimming team, whose season starts in early March.

Andrea Shacklock will be the Spartans lone representative when she competes at the State Meet on February 13. photo by Kevin Fleming

It all comes down to this. The two-a-days and early morning practices, the extra effort, the extended season, all in preparation for the City Meet at the end of the season.

This past weekend, The Lady Spartan Swimming Squad traveled to Manual High School to face off against the rest of the ferocious Denver Prep League. The Spartans, under guidance from Head Coach Cindy Allen and Diving Coach Aimee Witulski, would have to compete against powerhouses George Washington and Denver East, along with worthy opponents Denver South, Montbello, and Denver West.

The results are as follows:

1st     Denver East                       –                 479
2nd   George Washington         –                 358
3rd    Thomas Jefferson            –                 173
4th    Denver West                      -                  77
5th    Denver South                     -                 59
6th    Montbello                            –                 58

TJ fared well against the Denver teams, and managed to come out in third place with a score of 173, behind the East Angels and George Washington Patriots. “I know the team was tired after a very long season, but they came here and swam really well. I am really proud,” said Allen.

There were some highlights in performance for the team as a whole, impressing everyone with their relay skills, which the team has worked on all season. In the 200 Meter Freestyle Relay the four woman team posted a third place time of 1:55.79, as well as a time of 4:36.54 in the 400 Meter Freestyle Relay.

State qualifier Andrea Shacklock wowed the crowd with her individual performances. Shacklock stole first place from all competitors in the 50 Meter Freestyle, with an impressive time of 0:26.45, as well as second place in the 100 Meter Backstroke, with a 1:10.14 time. “No one was expecting a 2nd place in the 100 [Meter Backstroke], but Andrea swam at her best and stole the limelight,” stated Allen.

Shacklock is the lone competitor from TJ who managed to achieve a state qualifying time throughout the regular season, and is ranked 26th in the state. “I have worked hard all year and I am excited that I could qualify for state, especially for my first time in an individual event,” exclaimed Shacklock. “Mrs. Allen has done a great job coaching this year, in her first year by herself, and has pushed me to do the best I can,” Shacklock added.

This Friday, February 3rd, Shacklock will compete in the State Swim Meet at Mountain View High School at 5 pm. “Andrea has pushed herself very hard this year,” stated Allen. “She has worked hard by herself and is very dedicated, and should perform well at State.”