The last JV and varsity mens and womens Portland Interscholastic League swim meet at Matt Dishman Community Center on Jan. 30 began with Elsie Rainka, an Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School senior, singing the national anthem as the crowd stood and faced the flag. Her teammates cheered and clapped in support after she finished the final line.
At 6:40 p.m. swimmers made their way to the start blocks. The first event of the night was the women’s 200 Medley Relay. Many swimmers will stretch, or perform a pre-swim ritual before taking their places on the start blocks for their heat. Then, swimmers took their places on the start blocks in a ready stance for their dives.
As the buzzer beeped and the white strobe light flashed, swimmers dove into the water, beginning their race.
The IBW swim coaches, Shelley Hughes and Nathan Piers-VanderPloeg, encouraged their swimmers to utilize their kick.
After swimming 25 yards across the pool, swimmers touched the wall and turned around to swim the length again.
Throughout the meet, swimmers consistently stood or sat at the end of a lane to cheer on their teammates. This not only kept the energy in Matt Dishman Community Center high, but also allowed the swimmers to support their friends and watch their teammates succeed.
The meet included timing officials and two designated volunteers per lane to time each race. The volunteers leaned over the edge of the pool at the end of each race to make sure they accurately recorded the time of which the swimmers touched the wall to the millisecond.
Before each race, the officials ensured each swimmer was accounted for and ready to begin the heat. They took note of disqualifications, no-shows and scratches (formal withdrawals after qualification) during the race.
A standout event of the night was the 500-yard race. Each swimmer must swim 20 laps, supported by teammates holding markers into the water, with the odd numbers spanning from 1-19. This helps swimmers keep track of how many more laps they need to swim. By lap 18, the timers would ring cowbells, signifying the last lap of the race. Athletes cheered for their teammates, but also cheered for swimmers from other schools, especially for the last swimmer in the pool.
Some spectators brought fun and creative signs.
By the end of the meet, senior swimmers completed their last league meet within their high school career. Though the IBW swimmers are looking forward to the district final meets, which for JV athletes is on Feb. 11 and varsity athletes will compete on Feb. 13 and 14 at Matt Dishman Community Center.
