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Ashland mom will be in thick of race photo by Bob Pennell By Kris Henry ASHLAND � June Mather is feeling a bit of apprehension these days. Being a mother of two teenagers can create that feeling all on its own, but the 47-year-old Ashland resident has other concerns. Along with 90 others, Mather will put her stamp on a bit of swimming history Saturday at 9 a.m. when she takes part in the U.S. Masters Swimming Open Water National Championship at Applegate Lake. Saturday�s 10-kilometer race will mark the first time a Masters national championship will be decided in a lake, and the first time Oregon has hosted such an event. It�s not exactly the kind of event one wants to venture into without some serious training. And yet here is Mather, who only a month ago decided to give it a shot. "I haven�t actually swam the distance that I�m going to swim," she says, "but I have swam at least half the distance of the 6-mile race. "I feel like mentally I can do it, and I think the mental preparation is probably just as important as the physical preparation." Mather has been involved in Masters swimming for 22 years and helped start the Rogue Valley Masters swim club in 1984. Although her swimming pedigree branches back to her competitive days in high school, Mather says Saturday will be a race for fun and not championship glory. "I�m not trying to be Wonder Woman or anything," she says. "I�m more your average fitness type, and it�s more about accomplishing a goal. I want to enjoy the race and enjoy the rest of the weekend." Mather�s estimated time for the national championship is 3� hours. The fastest entered time belongs to 19-year-old Andy Laughman of Portland at 1:59.59. The two swimmers may cross paths prior to the race and in the post-race luncheon, but Mather says that�s probably as close as they will get. "I expect people will get spread out. It�s a big lake," she says, adding that waves of about 25 swimmers will start in a staggered order beginning with the fastest estimated times. "I�m sure the fast guys will get together and draft off each other, but I�ll be more back in the pack." That pack also stands to mark a first for an open-water national championship. The previous high for swimmers participating in such an event has been 42. "I hadn�t anticipated a response to this degree," says Dan Gray, race director. "This is the first time it�s been in a lake, and it seems like there�s a lot of lake swimmers out there." Since U.S. Masters safety rules dictate that each swimmer must have an escort for races longer than 5 miles, the total number of folks lurking in and out of the water Saturday should make quite a sight. In the middle of it all will be Mather and her escort, longtime friend Marilyn Bailey. Escorts typically are there to provide water, food and other energy supplements, but Mather says Bailey will prove invaluable for another reason as she kayaks alongside. "Usually on these things, I end up swimming alone," says Mather. "For whatever reason, I get into a funny area and there�s just no one around me, so I�ll be glad to have Mel there to keep me company." Bailey actually jumped at the opportunity to help her friend. With Bailey being a marathon runner, Mather says her friend was intrigued by the spectacle of a Masters swim. "She was actually really motivated to do this and I really didn�t even have to ask her," says Mather, adding that Bailey�s quick OK may have been a reprieve for Mather family members. "Mel volunteered, so I never had to think of asking my kids," says Mather, whose sons Evan (16) and Ross (13) could have been prime targets. "It�s probably just as well to not have someone there too emotionally involved," says Mather, whose husband, Craig, is also a Rogue Valley Masters member but will not be able to attend Saturday�s race. "Mel and I can get past this if there�s a problem, but I don�t want to deal with a mother-son thing in the middle of a lake." Evan Mather will be on hand, however, as escort to Jim McConica. Even the younger Mather seems more comfortable with that arrangement, especially considering McConica�s estimated time is well under his mother�s mark. "I�ll be working pretty hard, because this guy is going to be cruising," says the Ashland High student and water polo player. "It�s pretty hard-core, but I�ll be done in about two hours, so that will be kind of nice. Then I can grab all the grub." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA