Take a dip, give a dime
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| Freezing in 50 degree temperatures after their participation in the swim-a-thon were Makayln Bottge and Soriyah Amali. |
Swim-a-thon raises $20K for high school aquatics
By Citizen staff
Taking the $61 million school district budget shortfall in their own hands, supporters of the aquatic programs for Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) raised nearly $20,000 to help keep the district’s swimming program intact for the 2010-11 school year.
Hundreds of swimmers, coaches, parents and supporters converged on the Laguna Creek Racquet Club on Saturday April 10 for the first Sunrise to Sunset Swim-a-thon. Swimmers from eight Elk Grove high schools, several area masters swim programs, the Laguna Creek Gators, the Elk Grove Piranhas and the Cosumnes River Aquatics swim teams participated in the first major fundraiser put on by the Elk Grove Area Aquatic Sports Foundation or EGAAS.
EGAAS Treasurer Dave Pringle estimated the event raised $20,000, which will go to support the continuation of high school aquatics programs in the Elk Grove Unified School District.
Not only high school students swam but also elementary school students, middle school students, parents, coaches, master swimmers, triathletes and others.
Notable participants included: 1984 Olympic gold medalist Jeff Float, who coached swimming for a decade in Elk Grove and whose 50th birthday it was that day; Leon Tuttle, age 75, who swam to support his grandson Nick Tuttle; a high school swimmer and water polo player, head coach of the Laguna Creek Gators; the Cosumnes Oaks High School swim team Sara Ruddell; head coach of the Elk Grove Piranhas and assistant coach of the Laguna Creek High School team Brenda Smart; head coach of the Franklin Wildcats Stuart Jackson; assistant
Hundreds of swimmers, coaches, parents and supporters converged on the Laguna Creek Racquet Club on Saturday April 10 for the first Sunrise to Sunset Swim-a-thon. Swimmers from eight Elk Grove high schools, several area masters swim programs, the Laguna Creek Gators, the Elk Grove Piranhas and the Cosumnes River Aquatics swim teams participated in the first major fundraiser put on by the Elk Grove Area Aquatic Sports Foundation or EGAAS.
EGAAS Treasurer Dave Pringle estimated the event raised $20,000, which will go to support the continuation of high school aquatics programs in the Elk Grove Unified School District.
Not only high school students swam but also elementary school students, middle school students, parents, coaches, master swimmers, triathletes and others.
Notable participants included: 1984 Olympic gold medalist Jeff Float, who coached swimming for a decade in Elk Grove and whose 50th birthday it was that day; Leon Tuttle, age 75, who swam to support his grandson Nick Tuttle; a high school swimmer and water polo player, head coach of the Laguna Creek Gators; the Cosumnes Oaks High School swim team Sara Ruddell; head coach of the Elk Grove Piranhas and assistant coach of the Laguna Creek High School team Brenda Smart; head coach of the Franklin Wildcats Stuart Jackson; assistant
Council members heading to D.C. to ask for funds
By Cody Kitaura - Citizen Staff Writer
This weekend, four Elk Grove City Council members will be among 300 delegates headed to Washington, D.C., to request federal funding for local projects.
The Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce is organizing this annual trip for the Capitol-to-Capitol program.
Cap-to-Cap vice chair Tim Murphy said while many other groups descend on the U.S. Capitol at the same time to ask for funding, the Sacramento group is the largest and will include elected officials and business leaders from across the six-county region.
That group will include every member of Elk Grove’s city council except Council Member Gary Davis, who said he won’t be able to attend because of work.
Elk Grove Mayor Sophia Scherman took the trip several times including last year’s visit. She said the sheer number of officials lobbying on Capitol Hill makes for long security lines and crowded elevators.
She recalled having meetings scheduled every 15 or 20 minutes, and sometimes only having five minutes to make her pitch.
“You’re always talking to somebody all day,” Scherman said in a phone interview. “There’s absolutely no downtime at all.”
The Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce is organizing this annual trip for the Capitol-to-Capitol program.
Cap-to-Cap vice chair Tim Murphy said while many other groups descend on the U.S. Capitol at the same time to ask for funding, the Sacramento group is the largest and will include elected officials and business leaders from across the six-county region.
That group will include every member of Elk Grove’s city council except Council Member Gary Davis, who said he won’t be able to attend because of work.
Elk Grove Mayor Sophia Scherman took the trip several times including last year’s visit. She said the sheer number of officials lobbying on Capitol Hill makes for long security lines and crowded elevators.
She recalled having meetings scheduled every 15 or 20 minutes, and sometimes only having five minutes to make her pitch.
“You’re always talking to somebody all day,” Scherman said in a phone interview. “There’s absolutely no downtime at all.”