SPORTS
JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT
Swimmer gives back to club that helped him when he was younger Nathan Hesche has established himself as a successful collegiate swimmer, but that doesn’t stop him from returning to where it all began. Hesche, who will enter his sophomore season this fall on the men’s swimming team at Wayne State University, continues to practice with the Jackson County Aquatic Club in the summer to stay in shape during the offseason. Hesche joined JCAC in seventh grade and made huge strides in the water until graduating from Jackson High School in 2009. “It was a pretty big influence on my swimming career,” Hesche said. “It’s good to go back and see my old coaches and kids I used to swim with. It’s fun to see how much the younger kids have progressed.” Hesche collected four first-team All-American honors as a freshman for the Warriors. He finished seventh in the 100 backstroke and 10th in the 200 backstroke at the NCAA Division II Championships in Canton, Ohio. Meghan McDonald, another former member of the JCAC, served as captain of the Hillsdale College women’s swim team before graduating in 2009. “These kids are products of Jackson swimming, and we’re real proud of that,” Briggs said. “They have done real well in representing the club at the collegiate level.”
CITIZEN PATRIOT • NICK DENTAMARO
Jovanka Koprivica, 14, laughs while taking a break at the Ella Sharp Park swimming pool during practice.
Club offers lessons in competition, fun About the club The JCAC, which was formed in 2002 in affiliation with U.S.A. Swimming, is a parent-run, nonprofit organization open to any child in Jackson County. The yearround club caters to swimmers 6 to 19 years old and has practices during the summer at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Ella Sharp Park swimming pool. In colder months, the club shifts practices to Jackson High School. The club has about 40 swimmers in various divisions, depending on age and swimming ability to maximize practice time. The requirements to be in the club are simple: Children younger than 8 must be able to swim 25 yards using any stroke, while older swimmers need to swim two out of the three competitive strokes. Teenagers must also establish goals they want to achieve in competitive swimming. “They start with the basic stuff, and I’ll teach them how to do it competitively,” JCAC swimming coach Pat Briggs said. “I want them there because they want to be there, not because they have to be there.” Fees are approximately $25 to $40 a month per child, depending on age group. In addition to practices, cross-training sessions are open during the summer to anyone, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday at Jackson High School. The program is designed to develop strength and provide a cardiovascular workout that includes lifting weights, running stadium steps and working out on the track. “It’s hard to get up for, but it’s definitely worth it,” Jo-
vanka said of the morning workouts. “The cross-training really helps a lot when you’re in the water.” Jovanka attends regular swim practices, cross-training sessions and is working on becoming a certified lifeguard. She currently teaches swimming lessons and hopes to become a lifeguard by next summer.
PGA TOUR
Pettersson shoots 10-under 60 Round breaks Canadian Open record, builds four-stroke lead TORONTO (AP) — Carl Pettersson shot a 10-under 60 on Saturday to break the Canadian Open record, missing a 59 when his 30-foot birdie putt from the fringe grazed the left edge on St. George’s difficult par-4 closing hole. “I hit a pretty good 6-iron in there, but the wind sort of got it,” Pettersson said. “And you can’t go past the hole because then you got no chance. And it was actually a difficult putt to get to the hole because it was very steep uphill. “I hit a good putt. I told myself, ‘You cannot leave this short. You got to give this a chance.’ And I hit a solid putt and it was just hovering right on the left side. ... With 6 inches less pace it probably would have gone in.” Pettersson was trying to become the second player this month and fifth overall to shoot a 59 on the PGA Tour. Paul Goydos did it July
8 in the John Deere Classic and Al Geiberger (1977 Memphis Classic), Chip Beck (1991 Las Vegas Invitational) and David Duva (1999 Bob Hope Classic) also have accomplished the feat. In May on the Japan Tour, Ryo Ishikawa shot a 58 — the lowest score ever on a major tour — to win The Crowns. “Obviously, I’m happy with the round, but I would have loved to have seen that putt go in,” said Pettersson, a three-time PGA Tour winner. “But that’s the way it goes. ... It was just a thrill to have a chance to shoot a 59. How many more chances do you have to shoot 59? But I’m thrilled to shoot 60.” Playing in the third group of the day after making the cut by a stroke with opening rounds of 71 and 68, Pettersson had two eagles, seven birdies and a bogey. The former 32-year-old North Carolina State player from
Sweden finished the round at 11 under, a stroke ahead of second-round leaders Tim Clark and Dean Wilson. “I thought I was going to miss the cut yesterday,” Pettersson said. “We got finished with the round and it was right on the borderline. Me and Jay Williamson were actually watching the computer to see if we were going to make the cut, and had a few Canadian beers in there. That settled me down, I think. Maybe that’s what did it.” Pettersson broke the tournament record of 62 set by Leonard Thompson in 1981 at Glen Abbey and matched by five others, including Brent Delahoussaye on Thursday and Kevin Sutherland on Friday. Pettersson tied the tournament record for relation to par of 10 under set by Greg Norman in 1986 when Glen Abbey played to a par of 72.
SPOTLIGHT ONSTUARD • Tournament: Canadian Open • Course: St. George’s G&CC, Toronto. Third Round • Score: 3434—68 (-2) • Total: 6571-68—204 (-6) • Place: T-25 • Behind leader: 9 • Today’s tee time: 11:15 a.m. • Summary: Stuard put together what might have been his most consistent round of the tournament. He had birdies on Nos. 10, 11 and 13 with a bogey on par-4 12th. He parred the last five holes to finish at 2 under.
THE NEXT N O I T A R E N E G OF DOES. X. INTRODUCING DROID
The competition The JCAC, also known as the Barracudas, hosted the annual Rose City Invitational on June 25-28 at Ella Sharp Park. The invitational drew 42 teams from as far away as Illinois and Texas. The event also serves as JCAC’s only fundraiser of the year and helps pay for equipment and keeps fees low for kids in the program. The summer event schedule for the Barracudas is winding down. Colin Cogan, Andrew Larson, Hannah Larson, Sydney Bishop and Jovanka Koprivica will all compete in the Long Course State Championship from July 29 to Aug. 1 at the Holland Aquatic Center. Cogan also will compete in the final event of the summer Aug. 6-8 at the Central Zone Championships in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. The JCAC will take August off but will return to the water Sept. 7 for the start of the fall season. The club has been an integral part of the Koprivica family’s lives. Instead of looking at swimming as a hassle, Jovanka, Milena and Angelo embrace the opportunity that awaits them each day in the pool. “I really enjoy it, and it’s a lot of hard work,” Jovanka said. “The best part has really been all the friends I’ve made. All my best friends are swimmers, pretty much.”
Coach eager to come back The Jackson County Aquatic Club has been in full swing this summer but something, or rather someone, has been missing. That someone is Pat Briggs. Briggs, who serves as coach of the JCAC with more than 25 years of experience, suffered a brain aneurysm in late May and spent the next three weeks in Ann Arbor in the intensive care unit. After several months of evaluations and physical therapy, Briggs has been given the green light by doctors to return to his coaching duties Thursday at the Long Course State Championship in Holland. “It’s been a long haul, and my wife has really had a lot of patience,” Briggs said. “It was pretty risky business — I just
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thank the Lord I made it.” Briggs, who also coaches the Middle School at Parkside team and the Jackson High School girls swim team, said he has relied heavily on his three assistant coaches — Joe Zessin, Tom Rasmussen and Lauren Flynn — to keep things rolling. Briggs has stayed in contact with his coaching staff and made an appearance at the Rose City Invitational but has found it difficult to keep his mind off swimming. Briggs has received frequent updates on his swimmers’ progress and has already begun planning for the upcoming swim season. “The assistants have really pitched in,” Briggs said. “It’s working out, but I’ll be glad to be back.”
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