Paul Cate Invitational and Sedona Splash swimmers couldn’t have picked a better weekend to spend in the Sedona Community Pool.
“It’s Arizona, so every team should pretty much know what they’re going into,” said Benny Guadarrama, Sedona Swim Team coach and also the youngest Sedona Masters swimmer at the Invitational, which begins at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 19. “They’re going to be by a pool, so it should be a fun time for every team coming over.”
Even higher than the anticipated triple-digit temperatures for the Sedona Splash, which begins the same time the day before, are the expected number of youth club swimmers at the two-day meet — at least 186.
“I’m probably missing someone,” said Guadarrama, who will be coaching at least eight Swordfish, including Sedona Red Rock High School junior Skylar Lee-Eason, who will be making his summer debut. “I expect them all to do really well.”
The next-youngest Masters swimmer June 19 will be 20-year-old Haley Holverson, who coaches less-experienced swimmers such as Dezra Dana and Jaxon Oles on the Silver team for the Swordfish.
“For some, it will be their first meet,” Guadarrama said. “It’ll be a new experience — a chance to get their first times in their events and make new friends from other teams.”
Guadarrama and Holverson will join Swordfish head coach A. Jay Bronson as one of the more than 30 Masters swimmers in the Paul Cate field, which goes from as young as 18 years old to as old as 79.
The Swordfish will be up against around 100 swimmers alone from the Clippers, Cottonwood’s recreational swim team, in the 27th year of the Splash.
“This summer, we don’t have enough kids to really compete as a team against Cottonwood, so I would really like the to see the swimmers keep improving their times and technique,” Bronson said. “I’m looking at a few kids to go for the high point awards in their age groups though.”
Cate transitioned from the Swordfish to an assistant coach with the Sedona Red Rock High School swimming teams when they started up 15 years ago.
“The Masters team has really blossomed and grown,” Bronson said, “and we as a team felt we should try and push for a local swim meet. We have the facility; we should make it work.”
Cate, who still coaches privately in Sedona, founded the local U.S. Masters division of the Sedona Swim Team as well as what is now the Sedona Swordfish in 1987.
“Paul grew the program from nothing to its peak of 80 kids,” Bronson said. “It was my idea to name it after him. He deserves it.”
Heading into the Splash, the Swordfish will be led by 13-year-old Andrew Tate, coming off four wins June 11 at the Bullhead City Invitational, beating the Kingman boys by himself.
“I thought he did really well,” said Guadarrama, who will also coach the only other Bullhead swimmer, Zach Dana, in the Splash. “They both swam diligently — really good times. They gave it their all.”
Soleil Metcalf, 12, a former Prescott swimmer, rounds out Guadarrama’s Gold team with 9-year-old Sarina McCullough, SRRHS senior Austin Cottle and 11-year-old Carlos Lattanzi.
“It’s good to know who is out there,” Lattanzi said. “Where they’re from, how fast they can swim, and who I need to catch up to and beat.”
Lattanzi is less than a second from qualifying for the age group state championships in July in the 200-meter IM as well as the 100-meter butterfly and freestyle events.
“I’m hoping, for Splash, that they drop times,” Guadarrama said. “They dropped time at Bullhead, but I’d like to see more, and for them to just have fun at this meet.”
While the Splash may not count as a State qualifier, Guadarrama still hopes to see times low enough to be worthy perhaps for regionals.
“Austin, he’s going to go fast in all his races,” Guadarrama said. “Sarina’s improving a lot: She’s seconds away from State times in most of her events.”
For more photos, Andrew Tate’s winning Bullhead City Invitational times and more information about the Paul Cate Masters meet, please see the Friday, June 17, issue of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
