Dayton Swim Team Awaits the Sun

DAYTON - On a rainy Tuesday morning, members of the Dayton Swim Team practiced their swim strokes in sweatshirts and sneakers as they sat on benches in the pool house. They call it "dry- land swimming."

"We don't go in the water until it's 75 degrees," said coach Rosie Nechodom. She noted that warm weather is on the way and it won't be long.

More than 60 kids, aged five to 18, have signed up for this year's team. Team mem- bers practice at the Dayton City Pool each weekday from 8 to 10 a.m., except on swim meet days.

The team is open to young swimmers from Co- lumbia County, Waitsburg and Prescott, and Nechodom said new members are still welcome to join.

The team is part of the Whitman County Swim League, and will attend meets each Tuesday and Thursday during July (ex- cept for July 4), including four meets in Dayton. The season ends with the final league meet in Colfax on August 3.

Nechodom said races are held in four swim strokes: butterfly, breast, back and freestyle. "Kids ten and under swim one length of the pool," she said. "The older kids swim two lengths." The pool is 25 meters long.

Nechodom said swim- mers over ten can also enter 100 meter events and medley and relay events.

This is Nechodom's 11th year as swim coach, and she said the team has been in existence since at least the late 80s.

For more information on the Dayton Swim Team, contact Rosie Nechodom at ranechodom@gmail.com or (509) 382-2445. Information about the Dayton Swim Team is also available on line at sites.google.com/site/ daytonwaswimteam.