by Dave Scott
The journey down and back from Hood River was accomplished under exceptionally nice weather conditions. The occasional sign on I-84 referring to traction devices was a reminder of how challenging conditions can get along the Columbia River Gorge. As described by the National Forest Service, the “Columbia River gorge is a spectacular river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, that meanders past cliffs, spires, and ridges set against nearby peaks of the PNW’s Cascade Mountain Range.” Driving to Hood River for the swim meet was my first experience on this stretch of I-84, and even in overcast conditions with a smoky haze present, the scenery was still beautiful.
There were 111 swimmers registered for the competition. The meet hosts were very friendly and out-going. A swimmer from Oregon that I counted for (500 Free) in the meet the prior week in Snohomish, gave me a nice “Welcome to Oregon” during warm-ups. When you’re at a USMS meet you always feel welcome.
Five athletes from Team Walker International Masters took the time to head south: Barnes, Fogg, Haynie, Lickwala, and Scott. All were swimming as part of Puget Sound Masters, which including TWIM, totaled 13 PSM swimmers. Apart from TWIM, PSM swimmers included: Calvo, de Acosta, Gray, Hoffman, Peterson, Ramirez, Robinson, and Walsh.
Steve Fogg help put together the sole PSM relay, the Men’s 4×100 Freestyle, comprised of de Acosta, Gray, Peterson, and Scott.
All three of Carl’s backstroke races placed him squarely in the #1 spot in the USMS Meet Results Database Rankings for Short Course Meters events within his age group. Congratulations to Carl on a passing grade! I checked the rankings further and noted that Carl is also #1 in all the Short Course Yards backstroke events. All that’s left for Carl to conquer backstroke-wise is the Long Course events.
Holly and Brent got to swim side-by-side in the 100 Breaststroke, finishing within a few seconds of each other. Holly is another one vying for top spot in the standings nationally, finishing among the top 3 in the 100 Backstroke on Saturday!
Steve took another opportunity to swim the 400 IM, an event that scares most folks just to watch, let alone swim.
After the meet had ended and everyone departed, I discovered that Carl was in competition with me for the honor of leaving the most stuff behind at the swim meet. Carl out-did me on dollar-value but I came out ahead on sheer volume. Fortunately, Brent and Holly, who stayed in the area that night, stopped by the pool Sunday morning and recovered all of our stuff from the lost and found. Thank you! I’m sure Carl was as relieved as I was to get his swim toys back…that stuff gets expensive.
Everybody have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
