The Dalles Swim Team Swimmer a Double State Champion

Mar 4

Written By Columbia Community Connection

From The Dalles Swim Team:

By Ann Goodman

The Dalles, Ore., March 4, 2025 — Holten Lawrence, 8, brought home not one, or two, but SIX medals from the Arena Oregon 10 & Under State Championships, held February 22-23, 2025 in Springfield, Oregon.

While the area experienced torrential rain outside that weekend, Lawrence was heating up the water inside with the maximum allowed six events - each swim was a personal best time and a Top 5 finish.

Competing in the 8 & Under category with 101 other competitors, Lawrence finished no worse than fourth in every event:

100 yard freestyle - 4th, time: 1:18.38 - 15.27 second improvement

50 yd backstroke - 1st, time: 40.30 - 2.98 second improvement (that after slipping on the wall on the start and having to catch back up!)

50 yd freestyle - 2nd, time: 34.02 - 4.72 second improvement

25 yd backstroke - 2nd, time: 19.21 - 3.19 second improvement

25 yd butterfly - 4th, time: 18.24 - 1.15 second improvement

25 yd freestyle - 1st, time: 15.26, 1.52-second improvement (from a week prior)

Holten has been steadily improving all winter and I knew he was sitting on a big meet, and he just seems to love to compete and will rise up to the occasion. He has worked hard all winter and he earned it.

The Dalles Swim Team, minus the high school-aged swimmers, practices two or three days a week at The Dalles Athletic Club from November to March. I have to limit the number of swimmers to 30 as we have only three lanes over two sessions - that is about five swimmers per lane for each practice.

All of the winter swimmers are returning from the summer and most compete in one meet a month over the winter. In the summer we have the fishie program and more space so the team expands to about 80-85 swimmers and will include high school-age swimmers too.

I started coaching in the winter of 2018 and have been with the team since then. After I retired I was able to coach in the summer and have been head coach since 2022.

We appreciate the opportunity The Dalles Athletic Club gives us to continue to train and develop young swimmers over the winter. All the winter swimmers have made great improvements in technique and conditioning.

Our winter season finale meet is this weekend, March 8-9, in McMinnville. Summer season starts in late May with assessments for new swimmers sometime in the first week in June. The annual Ted Walker Invitational is scheduled for June 20-22, 2025, at the North Wasco Aquatic Center.