MVP Week 8: Trey Ross, MICDS Swimming

A key participant for the Rams in the state swim meet just concluded this weekend.

The Ladue-Frontenac Patch MVP, "Athlete of the Week" is Trey Ross, one of the most prominent swimmers in the area and key member of the MICDS Rams who swam in the state championships this weekend at the Rec-Plex in St. Peters. Trey is  senior at MICDS. This what she told to Patch.com: Patch.Com: Do you have a college choice yet? Trey Ross: I'm still waiting to hear back from a few more schools, so Ihaven't made my decision quite yet. I will be studying Journalism though. Patch: How is the Season Going? TR: We've had an amazing season this year, we won almost all of our duel meets, got third place at the Lindbergh Invitational even though like half of our team was sick, and we've all become really close. I'm so proud of how hard everybody …

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St. Joe Dominates Neighbor Villa Duchesne in the Pool, 126-49

Junior Grace Steigemeyer wins the 50, 500; Grayson Ram wins in 2 individual events.

St. Joe swimmer Grace Stiegemeyer got to drink from the Holy Grail of the state swim meet last February. She and the other giddy members of the 200 meter freestyle relay got to stand on the top spot of the medal stand, winning gold medals for their stunning first-place performance. Now this junior would like to do it again. Already, she’s a state qualifier in the 50 and 500 meter freestyle events. Thursday, she touched first in four events and St. Joe took down swim rival Villa Duchesne in a duel, 126-49 at Chaminade. Villa is rebuilding. Their coach Corinne Murphy was home, sick in bed with the flu. Gone are their swim stars Morgan Mullnix and Bentley Boldt to graduation. This all means, it might be St. Joe time to shine. Hearing from …

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Saturday: Come Back & Find Out How St. Joe Splashed Past Villa

Grace Steigemeyer, junior first to touch in four events. Qualified already for two state events.

The duel meet between St. Joe and Villa was no match. The Angels in the pool drowned the Saints, 126-49. Grace Steigemeyer won four events and has qualified for two events in the state meet in February. Angels coach Khannie Dastgah was happy with the results. Check out the Ladue-Frontenac Patch Saturday for interviews with coach and star.

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Meet Adam Hotaling & Kevin Steinhouse: 2 Stars on the John Burroughs Swim Team

Both have qualified for the state meet in a variety of different events.

The Burroughs Bombers are enjoying the rarified air of a highly successful swim season to date. There’s two main reasons for this success. That would be senior Adam Hotaling and junior Kevin Steinhouse. Both will swim on the 400 yard relay at state (Second Saturday in November). Hotaling swims the 100 yard back stroke and the 200 yard individual medley while Steinhouse is a sprinter in the 50 and 100 meter events. So far, the Bombers are 8-0-1 in duels, beating MICDS late last week, 103-73. This could wind up being the best Burroughs swim team in school history. Patch caught up with these two swimmers moments before they took to the tank with the rival Rams for a quick interview. Adam Hotaling, senior: Patch.com: Are you a sprinter. …

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Ten Swimming Tips to Keep You Safe This Summer

Follow these guidelines to help keep you and your family safe in and around the water.

Summer wouldn’t be summer without spending time at the pool, lake or your other favorite swimming hole. On sweltering days, little is more refreshing that taking a dip in the water.  Before you dive in, it is important to know water safety and become skilled in life-saving practices. According to Centers for Disease Control, there were an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually 2005-2009 in the United States — about ten deaths per day. Sign up for the Ladue-Frontenac Patch Facebook Page. In the U.S., drowning is the second leading cause of cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes with the majority of those deaths occurring in residential pools and is the seventh leading …

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Five Fun Things to Do With Your Kids This Summer

Summer fun can be affordable and right in your own backyard.

School is officially out and summer is in full swing with plenty of warm sunny days and starlit nights. To help moms and dads fend off the “I’m bored blues,” Patch has put together a great list of ideas for fun things to do with your kids this summer. And, that’s not all; we have included a few of our favorite places to do them. We have also found some unique outdoor toys that will keep the fun going when you finally “get there”. So slather on the sunblock, grab your hat and shades and have a blast this summer! Host a backyard slumber party/sleepover. Pitch a tent right in your own backyard for a night of squeals and fun. Put a few bottles of water and juice in the cooler and spread a few snacks on the outdoor table and the kids are all …

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Rhonda Weiche

1:11 pm on Sunday, June 17, 2012

So true!   more ›

Best Friends Cool Off and Chill Out at Yogurt Shop

Yogurt is cool and refreshing at Chill in Ladue.

Summer days in June bring everyone outdoors for fun summer activities like summer camp at John Burroughs, a day at the park, swimming at granny’s house or a leisurely day of shopping. Afterward, very little is more refreshing than a cup of the cold stuff – yogurt that is. Patch stopped by Chill frozen yogurt shop on Clayton Road in Ladue and found that it was the happening place to “cool” off and “chill” out. More than a few kids convinced their parents to, “please, please have some yogurt at chill.” As young children often do, they begged and the pleas could be heard a block away. ““I love coming here a lot. My dad said it would be alright if we went here,” said Nicolas Newman. Begging wasn’t necessary; his dad, Andrew Newman, was not …

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James Baer

7:47 pm on Saturday, June 16, 2012

Really enjoyed this stop at Chill. All those goodies are just hard to pass up, especially on a very hot June afternoon.   more ›

Chris Shirley: Steady As You Go for Ladue Water Polo

Three sport letter winner for four straight years.

Rams Sports Quick Fire Quiz: Name the Ram who has won 12 varsity letters the past 4 years? Jehu Chesson, wrong Elena Gresick, wrong Chris Shirley, correcto-mundo. Which Ladue student, age 18 doesn’t have a drivers license yet? Jody Peterson, wrong Etinosa Ogbevoen, wrong Chris Shirley, you got it right again. Chris Shirley, 18, of Olivette is an athlete for all seasons. He rides his bicycle everywhere and his pals have cars for further away places. He's in too much of a hurry to waste time like getting that license. He swims in the fall, wrestlers in the winter and is a 2-meter defender in water polo during the spring. What an odd combination? Wrestling and water sports. No matter, this gangly 6-foot-4 student/athlete enjoys his time on …

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Burr Oak in Ladue Is Full of Fun

The summer camp at John Burroughs School focuses on recreational activities for kids.

The Burr Oak Camp at John Burroughs School is celebrating its 60th year of providing fun summer outdoor and indoor activities for kids. The day camp is open to boys and girls from preschool age through sixth grade. The preschool and kindergarten campers are referred to as junior campers, and they also spend part of their day at Community School. First through fifth grade kids are senior campers, who spend their whole day at Burroughs. Sixth graders serve as counselors-in-training, spending one period of the day with a group of junior campers. High school and college students fill in the roles of counselors, with a ratio of about four counselors to every 15 campers, according to Burr Oak Director Skippy Keefer. Teachers from across the St. …

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The Big Splash: Clayton's Shaw Park Plunges into Guinness World Record

Participants united with people on two continents and broke the record for the world's largest swim lesson.

It's a world record. Teachers and students ages 3-14 at Shaw Park on Tuesday helped set a Guinness Book World Record for the world's largest swim lesson. The organized event was spread across many sites on two continents. The old record was 5,000 swimmers at pools spread across several continents.  Before the event, organizers estimated that 25,000 youngsters would gather this time, easily shattering the record. On Wednesday, organizers were still working on getting a final count. But the main thing is that several children learned some swimming skills and had some fun. That's worth the effort--and another look.

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Myra Lopez

4:13 pm on Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The look of determination on Aaron Hall's face is awesome. Learning to swim is one of the greatest gifts my parents ever taught me!   more ›