Winter Coaches' Corner
Congratulations, Grant!
Grant Bellin (12) was selected to the PNS All-Star roster and represented Pacific Northwest Swimming at the 2023 Pacific Coast All-Star Meet on January 7th and 8th! Only 8 athletes were selected to each roster - 11-12 Girls, 11-12 Boys, 13-14 Girls, and 13-14 Boys.
Grant, and the rest of the PNS roster, competed against athletes from Southern California Swimming, Oregon Swimming, and Pacific Swimming. Grant had a spectacular meet and was the top point scorer for PNS 11-12 boys!
Highlights:
- CHAMPION in the 50 Back
- 53.87 split on the 400 Free Relay
Welcome, Coach Adams!
We are thrilled to welcome Coach Erica Adams to the UPAC family! Coach Adams brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a USA Club and High School coach and will be serving as the primary coach for the Gold group.
Coach Adams joins us from Mississippi, where she competed in her youth and coached with the Sunkist Swim Team (this is actually her first time being affiliated with a club other than Sunkist!). Please help me in welcoming Coach Adams and her family to the area! Moving across the country is a huge ordeal and even though the weather has not been warm and inviting, we can certainly make up the difference!
Winter PNS Champs Recap:
Last month, our qualified Sharks competed at either the 12 and Under PNS Champs, or the 13-14 & Senior PNS Champs Meet. Competing at the PNS Championships is a huge accomplishment, as it is the most competitive intra-PNS swim meet. The next step is regional and national level meets.
Our 12 and unders were asked to display a great deal of flexibility… The meet venue changed mere days before the competition began, and though we did have to scratch a few relays, I am so proud of how adaptive the Sharks proved themselves to be. In the end, the Sharks placed 10th overall - a huge accomplishment for a club of our size!
The 13-14 year old and Senior Sharks had more of a traditional championship experience, racing at the Northwest’s premier venue, the King County Aquatic Center. Through some great days of competition, the Sharks learned a lot of lessons and some stellar performances. One special shout-out goes to May Guidox, who broke the UPAC 15 and Over 100 SCY Breast record, previously held by Ellie Lawrence, in a time of 1:06.91! Congrats, May!
Full list of PNS Champs Finalists (top 12 for 12 and Unders, top 16 for 13-14 and Seniors):
Grant Bellin (11-12 Boys): 50 Back - Champion; 50 Free - 7th; 200 Back - Champion; 50 Fly - 8th; 100 Back - Champion; 100 Free - 5th
Tessa Hurguy (11-12 Girls): 100 Fly - 12th
Audrey LaTendresse (11-12 Girls): 1650 Free - 5th
Brooklyn Learned (11-12 Girls): 200 Free - 10th; 50 Back - 5th; 200 Back - 9th; 100 Back - 9th; 100 Free - 6th; 200 Breast - 2nd
Maddie Moorehead (13-14 Girls): 200 Free - 16th
Emma Slagle (11-12 Girls): 50 Free - 8th; 100 Breast - 4th; 50 Breast - 2nd
Boys 11-12 400 Free Relay - 10th (Axel Newman, Raiden Nagata, Abel Correa Jr, Grant Bellin)
Girls 11-12 400 Free Relay - 10th (Tessa Hurguy, Emma Slagle, Audrey LaTendresse, Brooklyn Learned)
Girls 11-12 200 Free Relay - 12th (Brooklyn Learned, Sophia Evers, Tessa Hurguy, Emma Slagle)
Girls 11-12 200 Medley Relay - 5th (Brooklyn Learned, Emma Slagle, Tessa Hurguy, Sophia Evers)
Girls 13-14 200 Free Relay - 13th (Maddie Moorehead, Lauren Ledesma, Audrey Keigley, Gaby Lopez)
Women 400 Medley Relay - 16th (Maddie Moorehead, Trinity Link, Clara Patterson, Alexa Proctor)
Women 200 Free Relay - 10th (Clara Patterson, Alexa Proctor, May Guidoux, Trinity Link)
Women 200 Medley Relay - 7th (Clara Patterson, May Guidoux, Trinity Link, Alexa Proctor)
Women 400 Free Relay - 14th (Trinity Link, May Guidoux, Clara Patterson, Alexa Proctor)
Upcoming Meets:
There are meet offerings in January and February that are great opportunities for all Sharks to get in the water and compete! Between the two meets listed below, we are looking to get as close to 100% attendance as possible! Please check the Team Events page for more information on these and other competition opportunities (remember to read the meet information packet before signing up!)
MET Winter Challenge - Jan 28th and Jan 29th - Mount Tahoma High School: The Challenge series meets are intended for developing swimmers who are new-ish to competitive swimming. Registration Deadline is January 15th.
UPAC February Fly-In - Feb 11th and Feb 12th - Curtis Aquatic Center: A UPAC hosted meet full of fun events, in a comfortable environment! Registration Deadline is January 29th.
Coaches Weekly Emails:
In order to foster a better sense of connection between families and group coaches, and to be more proactive in group-specific communication, UPAC coaches will be sending weekly emails to their respective groups. You may have already received one! If not, please be on the lookout and make sure communication coming from UPAC is going to your inbox and not your junk folder.
Additionally, I would like to remind you that UPAC coaches are approachable the 15 minutes before and after practices. Please feel welcome to speak with your athlete’s group during that time. If you think of something during training, we politely ask that you make a note of it and wait until practice has concluded.
UPAC Spirit Wear & Team Gear
A great way to create a sense of unity and show your pride in being a part of UPAC is through team apparel and spirit wear!
UPAC has two online stores for custom gear and spirit wear - SquadLocker and SwimOutlet (which also includes recommended training gear for each group). While team apparel is not required, it can create a sense of unity and togetherness between athletes and the broader UPAC community. Thank you to Josh and Margo Newman for their work in setting up both of these online platforms for our team!
