CLARKSTON, Wash. — A majority of the 24 Sandpoint Sharks who swam at the Hells Canyon Winter Invitational held at the Asotin Aquatic Center this past Friday through Sunday set new personal bests, with a handful of others trying out new events for the first time.

Sandpoint Sharks head coach Emily Renzini and assistant coach Sophie Britzmann said the three-day meet was fun, with many exciting and memorable swims from their athletes; they were happy to see extensive progress from many of their swimmers despite coming off of a hard winter training schedule, which included a stroke clinic to work on technique over the holiday break.

“We worked them hard for six days straight, with some of the days being double practices over winter break," Renzini said. "The hard work and dedication from the kids along with the intention behind these workouts really pays off in the end, but we’re really just getting started."

One of the many notable swims was from 11-year-old Charley-Rain Olpin’s 1650-yard (1 mile) freestyle. She finished ninth out of 14 with a time of 22:05.95, which Renzini said takes an incredible amount of endurance and energy to achieve. 

“The repetitive back and forth of the mile in the pool can be a challenging mental block for some swimmers, but Charley-Rain showed clear focus and drive," Renzini said. "She didn’t lose her herself in the race, she was in control."

Olpin also won the 50 free (31.33), the 50 fly (33.95) and placed second in a number of other events.

Another notable swim was from Kate Bracht in the 50-yard backstroke. At just eight years old, she swam to a time of 49.36 seconds to earn first place in the event. Impressively, Bracht also won the High Point Award in her age group after picking up 61 total points over the weekend, 24 more than the runner-up. Overall, she captured five other wins in the 25 fly (24.62), 50 free (44.76), 25 back (21.92), 100 free (1:35.81) and 25 free (18.99).

“Kate was racing every single one of her events with every intention to better her time and compete," Britzmann said. "Her confidence and competitive drive are unmatched for her age and we’re excited to see what she does next."

In addition, Lou Foust (15) won an impressive eight events — the 500 free (5:11.26), 50 free (25.34), 50 back (30.06), 200 back (2:11.92), 1650 free (18:38.57), 100 back (1:01.56), 100 free (55.14) and 200 free (1:56.99). Joshua Jackson (13) won the 200 free in his age category and Andrew Ford (14) was third in his with respective times of 2:08.20 and 2:08.83.

Constance Ferris (11) dropped nearly a minute in her 200 free with a time of 3:08.79 while Charlie Johnson (9) dropped five seconds in the 100 freestyle, finishing second out of eight with a time of 1:19.36. She also placed first in the 100 fly (1:44.06), 100 IM (1:29.32) and 200 free (2:47.41).

Alivia Storms (13) earned first in the 200 breast (2:49.95), the 200 back (2:36.37), 200 free (2:17.63), 100 back (1:11.83) and the 50 breast (37.60).

“Overall there was just amazing swims all around," Britzmann said. "We are so proud to see the progress, the team spirit, the support of the parents, and the commitment these kids have to their team and their teammates."