"What I did on my summer vacation!" Part 1: Coach Chris Fantz

I just returned from four days at a horse ranch in British Columbia with my wife and her family on our annual Canada vacation. Warm days filled with horseback riding and eating, reading and playing games, lake swimming and stargazing.

We saw coyote and deer. We watched loons, ducks, and bald eagles. My wife and I went on a two-hour trail run where we communed with dragonflies and damselflies, bees (and bee stings), mosquitoes (and mosquito bites). Every year I finish another book or two and reach the pinnacle of relaxation before coming home recharged and ready for a new season!

Sectional meet comes to Oregon

I spent several days with Assistant Coach Michael out at the Mt. Hood pool watching recruits race and speaking with a lot of great coaches. Fast swimming! Summer sun! A great meet!

Too hot for dry land!

Our outdoor pool has been enormously popular in these hot days of summer. Sarit, a team captain next season, is holding things down poolside. Tough lifeguarding gig, but she's up to the task!

Track & Field Trials!

Last night I traveled to Eugene, OR with fellow L&C coaches and families to take in a session at the track, watching the best in the world vie for spots on the U.S. Olympic Team. Eugene is known as "Tracktown, USA" for good reason. We saw javelins flying higher than the grandstand roof and women high-jumping Michael Jordan's height. The swell of excitement through each lap of the women's 5K and the men's 10K finals grew to a frenetic, deafening roar. What a night for racing!

Nike Swim Camps bring age group excitement to campus

Late June and early July saw our campus and our pool bustling with activity as Pioneer Swimming hosted two weeks of Nike Swim Camps. A total 97 age group swimmers swam, learned, and played through glorious summer days on campus.

Camp was a time of much excitement and much exhaustion for coaches and the hard-working camp counselors (otherwise known as our generous swim team members who gave of their time and energy to create great camp experiences).