International Jr. Short Course Championships Underway in Oregon

BEAVERTON, Ore, December 12. THE International Jr. Short Course Championships, hosted by the Tualatin Hills Swim Club, gets underway today. Teams from Germany, France, Ecuador, Canada and from across the United States are in attendance. The meets is begin hosted for top level 18 and under swimmers.

The NCSA (National Club Swimming Association) has sent its first Junior National All-Star Team into the international competition. The NCSA selected the team from the results on the Summer Junior Nationals that were held this past August at The Woodlands, Texas. The team is composed of 40 swimmers and eight coaches.

This is the first time that a domestic or international team has ever been selected from Jr. National Championship performances. The coaching staff members all have athletes on the team. The Head Coach of the trip is Steve Wilson, Blue Tide Aquatics, Kingwood, TX, who was the winning coach and NCSA Coach of the Year at Jr. Nationals this past summer.

Others on the coaching staff include: Mark Bernett–Bend S.C., Keith Moore—Barkersfield S. C., Bob Gillett–AFOX, Burt Stratton—David Douglas S. C., Shawn Jones–Yakima A.C., Ann Urschell—Team Foxjet, and Beth Winkowski—Portland A.C.

Head Coach Steve Wilson said, “For being together for only a day and a half, this team of very talented student-athletes has really jelled into a tight net group. Their support of each other, helped lead them to some tremendous performances in the first preliminary session.” The team elected captains are: James Bailey–Bay & Ocean State Squids, Zackery Brown—Harris County Aquatics, Alicia Jensen—Team Foxjet, and Colleen Gordon—Fist Colony S. T.

Bob Gillett, President of NCSA, said, “This is a super opportunity for these young swimmers. They are a real joy to be around. They appreciate the effort and are having a great time at their sport. This Jr. National All-Star travel concept has provided great motivation for these athletes this past, in the present and for the future. NCSA is extremely proud of our contribution to this level of swimming.”

Swiminfo.com will be covering this event all weekend, so check back regularly for daily race recaps. Real-time results are avaliable at thunderboltswimming.org.

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