Andy Cripe | Gazette-Times (12/7/07) Philomath junior Chris Leonard swims the anchor leg of the boys 200-yard butterfly relay Thursday at Philomath. The Philomath boys and girls teams are fairly young, having graduated 18 seniors off last year’s teams.
(The following reprinted by permission from the Corvallis Gazette-Times.)
PHS Relay Meet
Warriors are about the team
Improvement and chemistry are keys for Philomath swim squads
By Raju Woodward Gazette-Times Reporter (12/7/07)
PHILOMATH - Josh Scacco couldn’t have found a better way to describe the Philomath High swim teams following the PHS Relay Meet on Thursday.
“We have always been about building the team and character,” Scacco, a senior, said. “We aren’t about how fast you are in the end, but about how much you have gained in ability and character.”
That’s why the four-team meet wasn’t scored. It was more of an opportunity for the Philomath, Central, Sweet Home and North Marion squads to build their team chemistry. After all, as Scacco put it, relays are about working together in the pool, as opposed to individual events.
And while team chemistry has always been a strength for the Warriors under coach Rhonda Flatz-Byers, they are a fairly young squad this season. They graduated 18 seniors from last season.
As a result, the team is still coming together, especially on the girls side, where sophomore Barry McLaren has emerged as a leader.
“I think the younger girls are a little intimidated by us,” McLaren said. “I want us to be more united than we are right now. I really want them to feel like they can approach us. They are really clustered together right now.”
Both McLaren and Scacco were confident the Warriors will come together soon though, because the say the swim team is the closest of all the teams at PHS.
“We go out and laser tag and go ice skating to build the team and friendships,” Scacco said.”
With that in mind, it wasn’t that surprising the Warriors were the loudest when it came to cheering on their teammates at the meet. They were also quick to help each other out of the water and offer encouragement.
“I’ve got 20 brand new swimmers that have never competed before,” Flatz-Byers said. “I have kids that are stepping up and swimming scared because they have never swam before and doing well. So it’s pretty fun to see them achieving something they don’t really understand.”
There’s a good chance the newcomers will get the hang of things though. Flatz-Byers prides herself on being able to turn athletes into swimmers, no matter their ability.
“I get a lot of kids who have never gone out for any sport,” Flatz-Byers said. “Maybe swimming is a little less intimidating because swimming is always a team thing. They don’t have to understand the whole game.’ They just have to work on their own improvement.
“If they do that and work on getting their times better, then everything else starts happening and I think my team has a pretty supportive atmosphere.”
There are 20 boys on the team this season, the largest group Flatz-Byers has coached during her time at PHS. So depth will be a strength, along with the breaststroke events. However, there are areas where the Warriors must improve.
“Distance is where we need it big time,” Scacco said. “We have some 200 and 500 swimmers, but the 500 seems to scare people away so I would like our boys to step up.”
On the girls side, which consists of 23 swimmers, Jenna Browning-Kamins will lead the way, alongside McLaren. The junior, normally a strong middle and distance swimmer, has improved in the faster races this season for the Warriors.
“She has been popping in some pretty fast sprint times too, so it’ll be interesting to see how she does,” Flatz-Byers said. “I think I need to find a couple swimmers that have an outstanding swim that surprises everyone. That could be the X-factor for our team this season.”
McLaren said the team has been working harder this season than it did last season, swimming longer distances and working on technique. However, she stressed the main thing for the Warriors is to have fun together. Then the results will come.
“Every year, we really bond,” McLaren said. “Last season, we became friends throughout the season, so I hope that happens again.”
Sweet Home Invitational
SWEET HOME (Gazette-Times, 12/15/07) The Philomath boys swim team took second in the six-team Sweat Home Invitational, while the girls were fifth.
Jon Erickson and Barry McLaren won races for the Warriors. Erickson won the boys 100 breaststroke in 1:09.61 and McLaren won the girls 50 freestyle in 27.20 seconds.
The boys had second-place finishes in the 400 freestyle relay (4:11.14) and 200 freestyle relay (1:42.31).
Individually, there were three second-place finishes by Erickson in the 100 freestyle (57.13), Josh Seekatz in the 100 backstroke (1:07.28) and Chris Leonard in the 200 freestyle (2:07.34).
Clemens Invite
Philomath teams sweep own meet
Gazette-Times (1/13/08)
PHILOMATH - Jenna Browning-Kamins and Barry McLaren each won two individual events and teamed to win two relays as the Philomath High girls swim team won the Clemens Invite on Saturday.
The girls finished with 253 points, easily defeating Molalla (191) in the seven-team meet.
McLaren won the 50 and 100 freestyles while Browning-Kamins won the 200 and 500 freestyle events.
Both were part of the winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.
Tashina Green was on both winning relays and placed second in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke.
The PHS boys also won their meet, finishing with 236.5 points to get past Valley Catholic (192) in the eight-team meet.
Chris Leonard won the 200 and 500 freestyles and Josh Seekatz (100 back) and Jon Erickson (100 breast) also had individual wins for the Warriors.
Leonard was also on the winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays that won.
Val-Co League Championships
Gazette-Times (1-29-08)
PHILOMATH Jenna Browning-Kamins won the 200 and 500 free titles and the Philomath High girls came from behind to take the title along with the boys team at the Val-Co League Championships.
Browning-Kamins finished the 200 free in two minutes, 17.09 seconds and won the 500 in 6:13.31. She was a member of the winning 200 free relay team along with Kasey Pedder, Tashina Green and Barry McLaren.
McLaren won the 50 freestyle title in 27.98 seconds.
Chris Leonard won the 200 and 500 free for the PHS boys. Josh Seekatz took the 100 fly and Jon Erickson won the 100 free.
The Val-Co League swim awards will be held on a later date due to inclement weather.
4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 3 swim championships
Sweet Home boys earn team swim title
Corvallis Gazette-Times (2-9-08)
ALBANY - The Sweet Home High boys won the team title at the 4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 3 swim championships on Saturday at the Albany Community Pool.
Marist claimed the girls team title.
On the boys side, the Huskies’ victory was anchored by wins in all three relays, the 200 medley and the 200 and 400 freestyle.
Sweet Home also got first-place finishes from Kieran Schaefer in t
he 100 and 200 freestyle, Brinden Sanders in the 50 freestyle, and Jayce Calhoon in the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Philomath placed a solid second in the boys points race. The Warriors placed second in the 200 medley relay, third in the 200 freestyl
e relay, and fourth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Sweet Home’s Sarah Rosa placed first in the girls 100 butterfly.
Boys team scores: Sweet Home 286, Philomath 209, Central 147, Marist 123, Blanchet 110, Sisters 86, Junction City 84, Stayton 72, Cascade 58, Jefferson 41.
Girls team scores: Marist 194, Cascade 191, Sweet Home 163, Sisters 148, Philomath 132, Blanchet 129, Stayton 122, Junction City 75, Central 46.
Special District 3 meet finals
Philomath starts strong
Gazette-Times (2-9-08)
ALBANY — All three relay teams for the Philomath High boys swim team qualified for the Special District 3 meet finals today.
The PHS girls qualified in all but the 400 free relay. Individually, Jenna Browning-Kamins and Barry McLaren made the finals in multiple events for the Warriors.
“The girls had a good performance,” PHS coach Rhonda Flatz-Byers said. “We have the depth and I know all of them will swim faster tomorrow then they did today.”
Jon Erickson, Chris Leonard and freshman Josh Skeekatz qualified for the finals in more than one event to lead the Warrior boys. Their best event is the 50 free where they have three boys in the top six. As a result, Flatz-Byers said the boys could challenge for the district title.
“They looked pretty darn strong today,” Flatz-Byers said.
“That depth in the 50 free will help, because we have another boy in the top 12 that could score points for us.”
Overall, she said 85 percent of the team swam season bests on Friday.
“I think 100 percent of our butterfly and breaststroke swimmers had their best times.”
The meet continues today at 10 a.m. at Albany Community Pool.
OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A swimming state finals
Calhoon sets mark, helps Huskies to second By Jesse Sowa Albany Democrat-Herald (2-16-08)
GRESHAM - Jayce Calhoon didn’t even realize he was swimming as fast as he was.
The Sweet Home High sophomore continued his already stellar high school career with two wins in Saturday’s OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A swimming state finals at Mount Hood Community College.
Calhoon won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4 minutes, 51.92 seconds, more than five seconds better than his own state meet record he set winning the race in 2007.
His own time caught him by surprise.
“I was kind of judging off the guy next to me,” Calhoon said. “I didn’t know I was swimming that fast. I was hoping I was, but I had no idea.”
Calhoon had his appendix removed less than three weeks ago but was able to return close to full strength for last week’s district meet.
Calhoon’s strong day Saturday helped Sweet Home finish second in the team standings for the second straight year.
Cottage Grove won the boys title with 67 points. Sweet Home had 54. Marist was the girls winner with 53, trailed by Henley at 48.
“We swam as hard as we could swim,” said Huskies coach Doug Peargin. “Every kid here did as good as they could possibly do. They came into state being aggressive and left it all.”
Added Calhoon: “We’re happy with second place. We would have rather had first, but it was good.”
Calhoon later won the 100 backstroke in 54.67, breaking the school record of Jeff Peargin (Doug’s son) in 1990.
Sweet Home opened the meet with a runner-up finish in the 200 medley relay. The team of Calhoon, Michael Simmonds, Brinden Sanders and Kieran Schaefer finished in 1:42.76, better than the previous state record of 1:43.27.
Schaefer, a sophomore, finished second in the 100 freestyle (48:29) and 200 freestyle (1:45.91) despite breaking the previous meet records in both events.
Sweet Home had strong individual performances from others as well.
Sanders was third in the 100 free (50.68) and fourth in the 50 free (23.23), while Simmonds was fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:12.10) and sixth in the 500 free (5:16.09).
Sweet Home finished the meet with a second in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:23.85, a time that bettered the meet record. That team was Sanders, Jon Lemar, Calhoon and Schaefer.
“I met all my goals I wanted to do … so I’m pretty happy,” Calhoon said.
Sweet Home was represented in the girls final by Sarah Rosa, who was fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:06.40) and sixth in the 100 backstroke (1:07.72).
Also in girls races, Philomath’s Jenna Browning-Kamis was sixth in the 500 freestyle (5:57.23) and teammate Barry McLaren was sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:15.44).
Senior Jon Erickson of Philomath was fourth in the boys 100 breaststroke in 1:04.41.
“We had some disappointments,” PHS coach Rhonda Flatz-Byers said. “We started off kind of slow on Friday and then we came on strong. We got three kids into the finals, but we were hoping for more.
“Jon did great for us. We really wanted him to break the school record in the 100 breast. Yesterday he was an eighth of a second off, today he was a second off, so he was a hair slower today, but he swam his two best times so that’s a great way for him to go out.”
Boys team scores: Cottage Grove 67, Sweet Home 54, Tillamook 35, North Bend 33, Valley Catholic 31; Also 11. Philomath 3
200 medley relay: 2. Sweet Home Calhoon, Michael Simmonds, Brinden Sanders and Kieran Schaefer), 1:42.76
200 freestyle: 2. Kieran Schaefer, Sweet Home, 1:45.91
200 individual medley: 5. Michael Simmonds, Sweet Home, 2:12.10
50 freestyle: 4. Brinden Sanders, Sweet Home, 23.23
100 freestyle: 2. Kieran Schaefer, Sweet Home, 48.29; 3. Brinden Sanders, Sweet Home, 50.68
500 freestyle: 1. Jayce Calhoon, Sweet Home, 4:51.92; 6. Michael Simmonds, Sweet Home, 5:16.09
100 backstroke: 1. Jayce Calhoon, Sweet Home, 54.67
100 breaststroke: 4. Jon Erickson, Philomath, 1:04.41
400 freestyle relay: 2. Sweet Home (Brinden Sanders, Jon Lemar, Jayce Calhoon, Kieran Schaefer) 3:23.85