This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/sports/high-school-sports/swimming/2026/02/12/sprague-olympians-swimming-central-valley-conference-meet/88615419007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our web site please contact us
When do Salem-Keizer space faculties compete for state championships?
See when Salem-Keizer space excessive faculties compete for 2025-2026 Oregon School Activities Association’s winter sports activities state titles.
- The Sprague swimming program is making ready for the upcoming district meet.
- First-year head coach Nicholas Snyder has fostered a supportive and gratifying group tradition.
- Swimmers and coaches stability laborious coaching with enjoyable actions to keep up motivation.
Sprague women swimmers are days away from writing “Sprague” on the biceps of practically everybody on the group on the Central Valley Conference district meet Feb. 13 and 14.
It’s a convention that the senior Mae Warner does with the group yearly, Sprague swimmers mentioned.
“That’s definitely one of my favorite memories and something I look forward to,” junior Ripley Lundy mentioned. “It’s always a blast.”
The custom provides to the tradition that Sprague swimming embraces — relentless assist and motivation to advertise an gratifying and productive season. And after a protracted winter, the Olympians are able to hit the pool on the district meet on the Kroc Center in Salem.
“These kids are the real deal,” Sprague coach Nicholas Snyder mentioned. “They love doing it, they have fun and they all like each other … They’re a really good group of kids. I’m really lucky.”
Snyder is in his first yr as this system’s head coach.
He’s a graduate of West Salem, the place he swam. Snyder joined Sprague after a number of years as a West Salem assistant — and he loves it, he mentioned.
“I don’t think you can inherit a nicer team of hard-working, ethics-built-in kids,” Snyder mentioned. “I really feel at home with them.”
Snyder mentioned he didn’t anticipate the Sprague group to be a lot just like the groups he swam on when he was in highschool. The connection has granted him the chance to assist craft a tight-knit tradition inside the program.
An gratifying setting on the pool
“The atmosphere of the Sprague swim team is super great,” junior Alena Paul mentioned. “Everyone’s super friendly and super supportive of each other. It’s pretty fun and chill. It’s really awesome and really friendly. I love it.”
Having such a optimistic setting begins at follow, the place Snyder and the coaches discover a stability between competitiveness, seriousness and pleasure.
Snyder mentioned as a former distance swimmer, he values getting laps in on the pool. The outcomes are sturdy conditioning, fatigue resistance, muscular endurance and a reliance on good type.
But afterward, and even blended in via the follow laps, Snyder and the Olympians discover methods to have productive enjoyable.
Snyder mentioned the group enjoys video games of sharks and minnows, a tag-like sport that seems in swim practices throughout the nation, in addition to enjoyable relays and a few streamline competitions.
The stability works wonders, quite a few Olympians swimmers mentioned.
“Practices are a lot of fun,” Lundy mentioned. “They’ll give us something to do, and we’re able to have fun while doing it, which I think is something that’s great.”
“I think my favorite part is just being with the whole team,” senior Sophie Warner mentioned. “I think it’s fun to be at practice together when it’s really hard, because when you’re swimming hard you’re sweating hard. It’s fun just to see everybody else’s faces all red and you’re all motivated to keep going.”
And, the stability breeds a motivation that outlasts the lengthy season.
“It feels like it’s week two and we’re still ready to go,” Snyder mentioned after Sprague’s final twin meet of the season Feb. 5 towards McNary. “They just ride off the races of each other. They’re so happy to watch each other win and go out there and compete. You can see them cheering them on.”
At the center of the Sprague groups is a persistent assist from one another. There are at all times swimmers on the finish of the pool cheering on their teammates within the water, one thing Snyder makes certain of.
Constant cheering, clapping and screaming is commonly heard on the sideline, and that’s how you realize Sprague is on the meet.
“The atmosphere of having the whole team at meets, we’re all riding on each other and cheering for each other and watching each other race, it’s just super fun,” Paul mentioned.
For Sprague swimmers, they mentioned it’s considered one of their favourite issues in regards to the sport.
“I really like the high of when you’re in a really close relay and you’re just cheering your team on as loud and as hard as you can,” junior Cate Nickel mentioned. “You just want them to win. It’s just the best feeling.”
Landon Bartlett covers highschool sports activities and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He may be reached at [email protected] or on X, TikTok or Instagram @bartlelo.
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/sports/high-school-sports/swimming/2026/02/12/sprague-olympians-swimming-central-valley-conference-meet/88615419007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our web site please contact us
