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The Foothills Focus
theFoothillsfocus.com
Anthem Dolphins Hire new swim coach STAFF REPORT
The Anthem Community Council has hired Helen Casseday as the new coach of the Anthem Dolphins Swim Team. Casseday will be responsible for teaching, training, and motivating all swimmers at all skill levels. “I am thrilled and honored to be the head swimming coach of the Anthem Dolphins,” Casseday said. “I’d like to thank Coach Axel {Birnbrich}, who has built one of the best competitive swim programs in the state. I am excited to build on the past success of the Anthem Dolphins and look forward to continuing to build a swim program everyone can be proud of.” Casseday becomes the head coach of the Dolphins after spending the past six years as
an assistant coach with the team. She was responsible for training the 12 and under team members on all four strokes, developing them into well rounded swimmers. Casseday began swimming competitively at an early age for the South Plainfield Swim Club in South Plainfield, New Jersey. She was a four-year swimmer on the Skidmore College swimming team and was captain her senior year. She swam individual medley (IM), backstroke and freestyle, and graduated with a B.A. in mathematics. Casseday has received the following accreditations: WSI Certification, Level 1 and Level 2 Coaching, Lifeguarding, Water Safety and First Aid. Casseday and her husband, Paul, reside in Anthem with their two children Ryan and Emily, who are both state qualifiers on the Anthem
Dolphins Swim Team. Casseday will work with assistant coaches Karen Foley and Jason Schmeltzer to make the program successful and give the simmers the support and training they need to meet their goals. “Anthem is a wonderful community and the Anthem Dolphin swimmers and their families are exceptional,” Casseday said. The Anthem Dolphins Swim Team is a competitive, yearround, USA swim team that was started in July, 2000. The swim program has continued to grow over the years to a team that is 140 swimmers strong. Swimmers range in age from 5 years old to senior level swimmers (high school age group).
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Anthem group seeks host families for exchange students STAFF REPORT
Erin Ruecklies of Anthem invites local families to celebrate the Fourth of July in a new way by agreeing to share “their America” with a young person from another country during the 2011-2012 school year. Students are sponsored by PAX – Program of Academic Exchange, a non-profit educational foundation. They will come to the U.S. in August. Ruecklies serves as Community Coordinator for PAX, and is currently interviewing area families interested in hosting Santika from India and Bruno from Brazil or another PAX student from one of over 40 different countries including Germany,
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Venezuela, Norway, Bulgaria, Russia, Ghana and Thailand. Students are between 15 and 18, have basic English skills, full medical insurance and their own spending money. Santika and Bruno are eager to live like American teens for one school year: joining sports teams, studying for exams and participating fully in American family life. PAX families provide students with meals, a place to sleep and study, and a warm supportive environment. Private rooms are not required and all types of families are welcome to apply, including single parents, young couples and retirees. For information call Ruecklies 602320-9611 or Luis Fuentes at the PAX national office at 800-555-6211.
Pair of teens earn spot in National Rodeo Competition STAFF REPORT
Arizona’s Indoor/Outdoor Gardening Supply Center
June 22, 2011
Sonoran Trails Middle School’s Aspyn Dent and Gavilan Peak’s Savana Egge have earned spots on the Arizona National Junior High rodeo team. Earlier this month the North Valley residents competed in a regional competition for the opportunity to travel to the 7th annual National Junior High Finals Rodeo Sunday – July 2 in Gallup, New Mexico. The two eight graders will be among 1,000 contestantsfrom 47 states, Canadian provinces and Australia competing in the world’s largest junior high rodeo. Egge will compete in pole bending after finishing second in
the qualifier. Dent will compete in three events after finishing first in both Goat tying, Ribbon Roper and took fourth as a breakaway roper. In addition to competing for more than $75,000 in prizes, NJHFR contestants will also be vying for more than $100,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named the National Junior High Finals Rodeo National Champion. To earn the title, contestants must finish in the top 20 after two rounds of competition in order to advance to Saturday’s final championship performance. The NJHFR will be televised nationally as part of the “Cinch Town Tour.” Go to nhsra.org for the broadcast schedule.