2009 State Swimming Championships Sunday, February 22, 2009

Pendleton's Nolan Hill (top) dives in as Deven Jennings completes the third leg of the boys 200 yard freestyle relay at the 5A state swimming championships Feb. 21 in Gresham. The Buckaroos finished sixth with a time of 1:33.67. [below] Taylor Goodwin makes the first turn in the boys 100 yard breaststroke. Goodwin tied for second in the final with Wilsonville's Mark Guyler.

I spent Saturday morning at the pool at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, shooting the 5A state swimming championships.

I find swimming one of the most challenging sports to shoot: there are limited positions to shoot from, the start/finish line is very cluttered, the athletes are out of sight about ¾ of the time they're racing, and during the race the participants are all repeating the same motion over and over again.

The standard swimming shots (e.g. Iverson and Hill below) are very easy to get—you get several chances in every heat. They look good, but they're also very common—and they look the same regardless of which meet you're shooting.

To get something different, I brought my new ultra-wide lens to the pool this weekend. The shots (above) are hardly original, but certainly a different view

[left] Jordan Iverson of Crescent Valley swims in the girls 100 yard breaststroke. The junior won the event in a meet record time of 1:04.34. [right] Pendleton senior Lucas Hill swims in the boys 200 yard freestyle. Hill's time of 1:50.51 was good for fourth place.

Click here for the full results from the 5A championships.

OSAA State Swimming Championships—girls Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Ontario's Kaitlin Spokas is the first into the water in the girls 500 yard freestyle final at the 4A/3A/2A/1A state swimming championships Feb. 16 in Gresham. The senior finished fifth with a time of 5:55.28.









Crystal Kibby of Cascade dominated the girls 200 yard IM at the 4A/3A/2A/1A state swim meet Saturday, winning the race in a meet record time of 2:07.99. She also won the girls 100 yard breaststroke, and was part of the third place team in the 400 yard freestyle relay.








Astoria's Clara Weidman (left) and Bridget Nurding perform a poolside chicken dance during an audience stretch break Feb. 16. Right after the dance, the pair swam the 200 yard freestyle relay with teammates Meredith Barnes and Hannah Whisler. They finished sixth with a time of 1:48.72.

OSAA State Swimming Championships—boys Sunday, February 17, 2008

Pendleton junior Lucas Hill swims in a 500 yard freestyle preliminary heat Feb. 15 at the state championships in Gresham. Hill's time of 5:00.75 made him the first reserve swimmer for Saturday's final.

If I shot swimming more often, I'd probably get better at it, but to be honest, it's ... well, let's say tough. You have to respect the guys that do it well. At least this venue had plenty of light.



Ashland's Dash King celebrates after winning his 50 yard freestyle at the state swimming championships Feb. 15 in Gresham with a time of 22.18 seconds. King won the 5A final Saturday with a time of 22.05. He also won the 100 yard freestyle, and anchored Ashland's 5th place 400 yard free relay team.







Pendleton junior Lucas Hill crouches on the start block Feb. 15 before a boys 200 yard freestyle preliminary heat at the state swimming championships in Gresham. Hill's time of 1:51.53 was 8th in the preliminaries. The top six qualify for the finals.

State Games of Oregon Friday, July 13, 2007

Emma Duffy of Columbia-Willamette YMCA Swim Team races in the 13-14 year-old girls 100 meter breaststroke Saturday in the State Games of Oregon. Duffy finished fifth in the event.

Organized by the Oregon Amateur Sports Foundation (OASF), the State Games of Oregon are held annually at various venues in the Portland area on various dates in July. Just about any Olympic sport you can imagine—from archery to water polo—is included. (Those more suited to snow and ice are part of the Winter Games of Oregon, held in March.)

Participants are grouped in numerous age brackets to ensure a level playing field for everyone from youth and seniors. And there are no qualifying events—you just have to sign up and pay the entry fee—so everyone can participate.

Competitors in the 3000 meter walk burst off the start line July 7 at the State Games of Oregon at Mt. Hood Community College. Competing in the 60+ class, Norman Frable (right) of St. George, Utah, finished first with a time of 15:25.05.

Last Saturday I covered the track & field and swimming events at Mt. Hood Community College for The Outlook. You can see more photos in the July 11 edition of the paper.