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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Hash-oil production sparks explosive Lawnridge Street fire ... Mt. Ashland solar array will supply 12 percent of ski area's power ... Crews wrapping up work on the Cleveland Ridge fire ... Hash-oil production sparks explosive Lawnridge Street fire ... Mt. Ashland solar array will supply 12 percent of ski area's power ... Crews wrapping up work on the Cleveland Ridge fire ... PREP SWIMMING Phoenix has high seeds entering state meet Season has been a challenge for Pirates, who use outdoor pool Comment By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports Posted Feb. 18, 2016 at 7:35 PM Updated Feb 18, 2016 at 11:06 PM By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports Posted Feb. 18, 2016 at 7:35 PM Updated Feb 18, 2016 at 11:06 PM » Social News In her final practice before the state championships this weekend, Phoenix senior Lauren Speaks summed up the adventure the Pirates have been on this season. She was doing the backstroke Wednesday at Phoenix's new home, Daniel Meyer Pool in Ashland. It's winter. The pool is outdoors. It's supposed to be closed until June. But there was Speaks, enveloped in warm water, cold air and staring above at the evening's dark sky. “It was one of my favorite things,” said Pirates coach Jim Heath. “It was a snowy day, and she said she caught a snowflake. There was a squall going through and it was blowing sideways.” Speaks and the other Pirates are gearing up for the Class 4A/3A/2A/1A championships today and Saturday at Mt. Hood Aquatic Center in Gresham. They will be held in conjunction with the 6A and 5A meets. There are no local swimmers in the 6A or 5A meets. Phoenix swimmers boast the area's highest seeds and best chances to advance through today's preliminaries to the finals. Speaks is seeded second in the girls 100-yard breaststroke and seventh in the 200 individual medley. Teammate Ethan Shepherd is No. 2 in the 50 freestyle and No. 7 in the 100 free. A third Pirate, Emily Samudio, is seeded fourth in the 100 butterfly and ninth in the 500 free. Shepherd is on two relays, and Speaks and Samudio one. The top six individuals and relays in prelims advance to Saturday’s finals. Phoenix swimmers have endured despite a season unlike any other with the closing and ensuing demolition of their former practice and meet venue, the Southern Oregon University pool. That facility was razed a month ago as part of a $29 million remodel and expansion. Phoenix shares Daniel Meyer with the Ashland High team and the Rogue Valley Masters club. The three groups rent time from the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission, said Heath. The payments cover the cost to winterize and operate the facility during its off-season. Heath has downplayed the challenges of using an outdoor pool in another town, preferring to focus on the positives. The Pirates keep the same practice schedule as previous years, taking the pool after Ashland and going from 5 to 7 p.m. The pool has six lanes, which is suitable for the 28-member team. Not everything is ideal. Traveling to and from Ashland in the winter, which they’ve always done, can be dicey, and organizing daily transportation for roughly 30 people — many of whom don't yet drive — takes some doing. Once at the pool, the swimmers have it better than the coaches. They're working in the warm water; the coaches are on the deck. “We really appreciated that false spring we just had,” said Heath. The situation serves as sort of a team-building activity. “The kids have to be very enthusiastic about doing this,” said Heath, adding that the commute is a “hard hurdle, but we have a blast. The kids bond strongly. They care about the team. They care about each other, even after they've left our team. It's a tight-knit group once we get going.” One of Heath's concerns is the health of the program going forward. A few swimmers from last year didn't return, and a few who started this season left the team. He has 10 seniors and will miss “their leadership, their influence with their peers,” he said. “I don't want to see this kill the program,” said Heath, in his 20th year. “That's basically been the focus. The school and district and I made a choice to come here and keep the program going.” Shepherd, Speaks and the others have persevered. Shepherd's best chance for victory this weekend is in the 50 free. He broke the school record with a time of 22.39 seconds at the district meet last weekend in North Bend, helping the Pirates to the district crown. Justin Heath, Jim Heath's son and a Phoenix assistant coach, set the previous record of 22.41 in 2005. The senior Shepherd's chief competition figures to be senior Noah Norris of North Marion, whose seed time is 21.07, a sizable difference in a short race. Jim Heath said Shepherd can go faster than his seed time. The goal is to break 22 seconds. “He's determined,” said the coach. “The last few days he's been right on in practice and pushing the others around him, working hard. It's all mental at this point. The 50 is a very fickle event. In 22 seconds, it's pretty easy to have things go wrong. It's not always easy to have everything perfect.” The odds are stacked against Shepherd in the 100. His seed time is 51.13 seconds. The six ahead of him are all sub-50.0. Speaks faces a similar scenario. Her 100 breast time of 1:10.10 is behind only the 1:09.58 of North Bend senior Cassie Dallas, but in the 200 IM, the Pirate senior's time of 2:21.92 is more than 10 seconds off the pace. Speaks, who will swim collegiately at Notre Dame College of Ohio, and Dallas have long been rivals. “She's excited,” Heath said of Speaks. “She's not looking back at anybody behind her. She's just looking at her chances of making the finals and winning first. She knows Cassie has a 1:06 in her somewhere, but she swam against Cassie at district, and Cassie might have given her a little bit of confidence because it was so close.” Samudio, a senior, has a seed time of 1:03.34 in the 100 fly, more than three seconds off the top time. It's her season best, but she's also gone 1:01 in club competition. Cascade Christian's Christian Scaglione is seeded fourth in the boys 100 breaststroke at 1:03.38. He's also No. 8 in the 50 free. The St. Mary's boys 400 free relay team of Jasper Zhu, Chris Ball, Caleb Ringger and Scott Younker has a fifth-seeded time of 3:35.81. The same four posted a 200 individual medley relay time of 1:48.76 and is seeded sixth. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 541-776-4479, or [email protected] By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports Posted Feb. 18, 2016 at 7:35 PM Updated Feb 18, 2016 at 11:06 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers make it back on top in softball Winning the Southern Cascade League title seemed like a pretty bold goal this spring considering the recent history of the Cascade Christian... Varsity 541 Photos Coach K Summer Competition at SOU U19 Memorial Day Challenge North Medford vs. Grant State Track & Field 6A-6 SWC District Championships 5A-3 Midwestern League Districts - Day 1 » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.