Conference Championship in photos by swimmer Kate Garvey

Women crush four Relay records in three days.....

Fastet 400 Free Relay in school history by 2 seconds. No big deal...

Kayla, Hannah, Rachael and Susie.

Conference Champs: Day One Prelims

Great first session! In heat one of the 500 Eva and Rachel L. got us off to a quick start with 13- and 9-second lifetime bests for our first swims! Pios kept rolling with strong 500s. Claire and Lesley both come back for second swims tonight.

The women’s 200 IM squad sees all four competitors coming back to score points. Cat, Alli, Katy and Taylor put up great morning swims and look to go even faster tonight.

In the 50 Freestyle, Caz and Kayla swam into the 24’s to make the big final while Hannah Frank posted a lifetime best to get a second swim in consols. On the men’s side, we have three men coming back, as well. Shu made finals and Noah and Isaac will try to dominate the B final.

Now we leave for a huge first evening of Finals, which are bookended by exciting relays: the 200 Free Relay and the 400 Medley.
Go Pios!

SENIOR DAY !!

Last Friday we honored a group of swimmers who have given so much to our team over the past four seasons. It has been a privilege to watch this group mature into the amazing people you see today.

This was their last home meet as undergrads, but we hope to see them many more times as alumni! Next year they will be college graduates doing more great things with their lives and we will get to hear about their journeys and their successes.

To the class of 2011, we say thank you for your enthusiasm, your hard work, your leadership, and the love you have given to this swim team.

We celebrate our seniors, we thank them, and we cheer them on into bright futures!

Pioneer Happenings....

February is only a week old and already it’s been a busy month. Monday of a new week gives us a moment’s pause to reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far in the new year.

• Zoo Day! The Oregon Zoo was free on MLK day and several swimmers (and one coach) took the chance to roam with the animals. Rachel and Kayla found themselves part of an exhibit.

• Talent Show—We knew our team was high on talent, but the annual Talent Show allowed us to see the heights and depths of those talents. From baking to balancing, card tricks to Rubik’s cube, and music videos galore, this year set the bar high for all future talent shows.

• Last week against Willamette, senior and team captain Matt Yelin completed his around-the-world circuit of every collegiate individual event. (Hence the “14” he is hoisting post-race.) Matt saved the best (some would say) for last as he completed the 200 Butterfly.

• In our dual meet with Pacific on Saturday both our women and men swept the 50 freestyle 1st-2nd-3rd. Sweeps have been oft-occurring this season for both squads, a sure sign of depth across the meet line-up!

• Smoothie Day (this morning) is a mostly annual tradition where the sounds of blending fruits and juices fill the air and delicious tropical aromas permeate the pool.

Happy Groundhog Day !!

Shadow or no shadow, groundhogs around Portland know Pioneer swimmers have less than four more weeks until the Conference Championship. The swim team traveled to Salem last weekend for wins over Willamette in both men’s and women’s duals.

Now the team returns home to compete in their final dual meets of the season hosting Pacific this Saturday the 5th and College of Idaho for “Senior Day” on Friday the 11th.

Winter Training 2011 !!

Lewis & Clark Swimming kicks off 2011 with a training trip to southern California. High-intensity training + team bonding = SUCCESS for 2nd semester

Spend time with the swim team and you can:

Swing your arms in a circle...

Hop up some stairs...

Get your hair done...

And swim beautiful butterfly!

Sunday the Pios spent just a hair under 3 ½ training and took the afternoon off for a much-deserved trip to the Santa Monica Pier.

"Zoltar predicts school records this season..."

In addition to fast swimming and quality workouts, Winter Training provides time to frolick...

Time to relax...

Time to dominate the competition...

But, most of all it comes down to getting the work done with teammates you can count on, loving the process, and having FUN along the way.

Happy Holidays from Pioneer Swimming !

Swimming doesn’t pause for Pioneers abroad

Rachel is just wrapping up her studies abroad in Chile before returning home for the holidays and rejoining us for Winter Training. In November she participated in III Copa San Alfonso del Mar in Algarrobo, Chile. The swim was contested in one of the largest pools in the world. Here is her story.............

The pool is over a kilometer long and is literally a few hundred feet from the ocean. Although the water is ocean water, it is crystal clear and maintained at about 28 degrees Celsius all year - that's cold for a pool, warm for the ocean, and perfect for an open water swim. I entered with a friend in the 3000 meters and we raced against over 150 other competitors from all over the world and all age groups. I finished in about the middle of the pack.



My friend won his division (he's the guy standing next to me with the medal after our swim). We all received participation medals, but the real prize was spending a perfect sunny day in San Alfonso, swimming in that incredible pool, and watching the sun set over the last group of swimmers racing the 5000 meters.



Swimming is a natural high, and the adrenaline and endorphins after that race were the best I've ever felt. At the end of the day, I was tired and happy and it was truly an unforgettable experience.