Shark Attack Fall 2012

All Western Zone Photos by Dylan Powell Swimmers Photo by Tuffy Williams

Evan Augst
The week started at 4:00 am, with card games in a close to abandoned Oakland airport. The rest of the day consisted of sleeping on planes, sleeping in the Phoenix airport and trying not to fall asleep on a bus tour through Grand Junction. The first day of the meet, the only event for the morning was the 1500 free. Since not too many people swim the mile, that was the one day I was able to swim the whole warm up without running anybody over. The warm up/down pool was kind of weird, it was an above-ground pool that had been shipped down from Canada just for the meet. Only 30 people were allowed in at a time, and to make sure that nobody's foot went through the canvas sides we could not do flip turns. They had speakers next to the pool so it was easy to keep track of what was going on in the racing pool, and even though it was outside it wasn't more than a minute away from the big pool. My mile wasnt a great swim. I was not prepared for how much the altitude was going to affect me. I ended up adding about thirty seconds and came in fifth place over all for the 17-18 guys. The night went better with my team coming in third in the 400 free relay. At dinner all of the coaches did a little presentation talking about how their swimmers did and handing out the awards for the day, they also chose a swimmer of the day, I was the swimmer of the day for the 17-18 guys, it wasn't a hard decision, I was the only person who swam that day. The second day started out with the hotel serving us the same breakfast that we had had on the first day. At the pool I didnt have any individual events to swim but I was in the 400 medley relay. I spent the morning exploring the college and trading pins, (all the teams had different pins to trade with all the other teams) I didnt get very many pins because most of the pin trading happened while I was swimming or waiting in line for the warm up pool. That night we came in 4th in the 400 medley relay. By day three I realized the hotel was going to be serving the same thing for breakfast every day. My only event for this day was the 200 free. I thought it was a good swim, I took off 2 seconds, but I didnt think it was good enough to move from 15th seed to the top eight and into finals, so you can imagine my surprise when they announced I was number one seed for finals. Unfortunately I didnt finish first in the final. I was out touched at the end and came in third, but I was still able to take two more seconds off my best time which I had set in prelims. The fourth day of the meet was probably the most disappointing . I was seeded in the top 8 for the 400 free. I just missed making it into finals, coming in ninth. The relay that night was the 200 medley, we came in 7th. The last day of the meet, I was swimming the 100 free and the 800 free, this is also the day when all the teams play pranks on each other. Most of team Pacifics pranks involved stealing things from the other teams and hanging them up around the pool and hotel. A lot of the teams had some kind of mascot so we tried to steal those and parade them around. Montana's mascot was moose antlers, we had been talking about taking it all week but someone from Montana was always holding it. But this day the moose antlers were left on a table for a while, so a few of us went over with our towels and pretended like we wanted to trade. While we distracted them someone else came up and grabbed the antlers, then we somehow managed to sneak them back to the hotel. Considering all the shenanigans I still swam pretty well. I took off just a tiny bit in the 100fr and came in eleventh, which doesnt sound that great but I was seeded thirty second. In the 800, I managed to do my seed time and got 3rd, I was happy considering how terrible it felt to swim anything over 50 meters because of the altitude. Every night before finals started a couple of teams would do a skit. I hadn't really paid that much attention but I do remember Call Me Maybe was played several times. For Pacific's skit we did a fashion show. I was the Montana moose and wore the moose antler as some kind of head piece. I looked over at team Montana and they were all giving me the deathstare, so I had to avoid looking at them as I paraded around the pool with their mascot. That night we had the 200 free relay, and we came in sixth. This was followed by the coaches relay. By the end of the meet Pacific had come in second place over all only six points behind Colorado. The whole meet had been a battle between the two teams, none of the other teams were even close, the third place team was almost a thousand points behind. The last morning we all loaded on the bus and headed out to a man made lake for the first-ever western zone open water swim. We were supposed to swim out and around a buoy and swim back. I had never done an open water swim before so I was kind of nervous, and it didnt help that my coach was expecting me to win it. I got lost almost as soon as it started, and spent a few minuets trying to find the buoy, once I found the buoy I was able to relax and concentrate on my swimming. I ended up winning it. We spent the rest of the day exploring the national park, before heading to the airport, and getting some much needed sleep on the plane home. At this meet I lived the cliche Eat, sleep, swim.

Shark Attack Fall 2012

Brandon Miguel
My experience at the 2012 LC Western Zone Swim Championship at Grand Junction, Colorado, representing as one of the 15- 16 Boys team for Pacific Swimming Team was really cool. I was lucky enough to share this experience with some of the Seniors in my group at VJO, Evan Augst, Kelly Henderson and Dylan Powell. This was an experience of a lifetime for me.We got to meet and compete against swimmers from the different teams or LCs from Hawaii in the West Coast all the way to Colorado in Central USA. and sweatshirt with other teams from the West and Central US to keep as souvenirs.

On our last night, we went to Banana Swim Park with all the other teams to relax and have fun and eat. We played Laser tag, and mini golf and swimmers hitting We also got to participate in an open water swim in a man- balls in the batting cage. made lake with all the teams. That was different! I also That was a blast! participated in a Pacific Swimming Modeling Skit, representing a Hawaiian swimmer. That was fun! We saw a lot of different scenery like mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers, and lakes. Sorry, no snow at this As a prank, some of the swimmers from our team, PC, time of the year! It was very hot and dry there! On our stole the Montana's Swim Team Moose antler. All the last day, we went to Colorado Monument Park. There teams played pranks against each other with no harm was a cool place out there called Balancing Rock. We done! I made new friends from other swimmers from PC did some hiking too. Then after all the fun, it was time and we had a great time. I also traded pins, T- shirts, hats, to go home. It sucks that starting next year, Western Zone will only be limited to 14 and Under Qualified Swimmers. I would really like to be selected to be on the team again!

Kelly Henderson
Hi VJO team members, coaches, and families:) As you may or may not know, myself, Dylan, Evan, and Brandon recently returned from the Western Zone meet which was held in Grand Junction , Colorado . The meet itself is essentially an all-star meet for the different "western" LSCs such as Pacific Swimming or Sierra Nevada Swimming. To sum up my experiences in one word: exhilarating! The entire experience was packed with nonstop fun, excitement, new friends and of course, great swimming. The age group I was in (17-18 girls), quickly became a close-knit group and we were expected to be the leaders of Team Pacific and make sure that not only were people having a great time, but also that the spirit of our team was maintained and that every swimmer was cheered for and supported. Our trip included the meet, a 500 meter open water swim in a local lake, a trip to Bananas Fun Park , team meals, and various other team bonding activities. I can genuinely say that this was by far one of the most rewarding and worthwhile experiences I have had as a swimmer thus far, and highly recommend that if you achieve the qualifying times, apply for the meet! (This unfortunately goes only for our team members who are 14 years of age or younger, because this was the last year that 15 and overs could compete.) Being that I am a Senior in high school this year, it is sadly going to be my last year as a club swimmer here, (although I hope to swim in college), I decided early on that I would try to make the most out of every opportunity presented to me, and attending the Western Zone meet most definitely achieved and far exceeded expectations.

Shark Attack Fall 2012

Dylan Powell
I was privileged to be able to attend the Western Zone meet in Grand Junction, Colorado in August. Western Zones is a qualifying meet, so you have to submit your WZCT times and hopefully get chosen to participate. Swimmers from Alaska, Hawaii, California, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Washington, and Oregon compete in Western Zones, and it was a wonderful experience for me to travel to another state, meet new friends and coaches, and participate against these swimmers in events that I am strongest or weakest in, along with relays, and cheers. I met my new teammates and coach at Oakland airport. My coach, Aaron Burrows, was a very nice guy, and I will always remember his words of encouragement and support all throughout the entire week. At Western Zones, the coach decides what events each swimmer will swim, and the events my coach assigned to me were some of which I loved and was strongest in, and some in which I was weakest and did not like at all. Even though I didn't like some of the events he gave me, I didn't complain, or question him. I held my head high, and swam the events I was assigned. And that's what's most important: if your coach tells you what to do, don't question, don't complain, and don't argue. Just do what your coach tells you, and you will receive the coach's respect in return. The coach always has reasons for what they ask you to do. Western Zones was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, and I will never forget it. I traveled to Colorado with many other California teams united into one: Team Pacific. I made the top eight in four out of five of my events assigned, and 2 of my relays I swam in also. I unfortunately got disqualified in one of my events, which made me very sad and disappointed that I had let Team Pacific down. But that's another thing you have you remember: if something bad happens like getting disqualified in an event, don't let it stick with you for the rest of the meet. Don't let it affect your mood and performance in your swims. Learn from it and just keep moving on. Sure, I was sad that I'd DQ'd in one event, but I wasn't upset for the entire week. I swept it aside, tried to remember that even Olympians sometimes get disqualified, and I continued with the meet doing the best I could. I ended the week with 5 medals and 2 ribbons, and I came home with a brand new experience of swimming at Western Zones, meeting and making new friends, swimming with a terrific coach, and making wonderful memories that will stay with me for a lifetime. I was able to see some beautiful countryside in Colorado, I competed in an open water swim at the end of the week, and I helped bring Team Pacific to second place, trailing the winning team Colorado but only 6 and a half points. Western Zones was an amazing experience for me. I hope everyone on VJO tries to do their best during practices and meets so that one day, they too can qualify to Western Zones and get to swim at such a great meet.

Shark Attack July 25, 2012

Senior Day at the Beach

Stinson Beach - July 25, 2012 Photos by: David Elmore