Halfway through their second undefeated season in a row, the Camas High School (CHS) Girls Swim team is stronger than ever. Under the leadership of returning head coach Kelly Dean and a handful of senior captains, the group enjoys practicing, competing, and bonding.

“I feel like our swimmers have been amazing … I have a good idea of what everybody’s goals are, and people are feeling seen and motivated,” Dean said, “people are swimming well and smart … I’m excited to see how the season ends.”

This year is Dean’s first year as the head coach of the CHS Girls Swim team. One surprising thing to her was how long it took to organize entries for meets.  

“Scheduling out the meets… I thought, ‘Oh, that’ll be easy,’ but it is challenging to make sure everyone’s swimming the events they want to be swimming,” Dean said.

The team is currently at its largest size since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

 “I was definitely surprised at the size of our team,” Captain Jenna Harris said, “last year, we had about 37 girls. This year, we have fifty-something, and I don’t think any of us expected that.”

The team has had several successful competitions over the past weeks. Coming up, the team will have to face Union High School, a competitive school rival, and will be traveling to the bi-district swim meet.

“I love the matchup between Union and us because it’s our highest competition. They encourage us to race hard, and we get some great times,” Dean said. 

All three captains were excited to see how the team would perform at districts, naming the meet as one of their most anticipated events of the season. Harris specifically talked about her excitement at the prospect of traveling for districts. 

“I definitely feel like this has been one of my favorite seasons,” Captain Sophia Wade said, “I think that [Dean] really created a culture that just encourages all of us to try our best. You know, not focus on the times so much as how we’re swimming and how we feel.”

“Coach Kelly [Dean] is so awesome,” Captain Karli Kiesenhofer said, “it’s kind of interesting … having all four of our seasons with different head coaches, but it’s really exciting that our senior season is with Coach Kelly. Obviously, she cares a lot about swimming … but she also cares about our mental and physical health. She checks up on us a lot.”

“[Dean] really does make an effort to build an individual connection with each swimmer, and it shows because everyone just appreciates all the work and thought that she puts into every set she gives us,” Wade said.

Dean says the swimmers have incredible sportsmanship, cheering for other teams and practicing inclusivity. She adds that the girls are ahead of schedule from last season and have a solid one going. Dean loves to see the team working hard while still enjoying the sport.

“Everybody is still displaying our core values as a swim team,” Harris said.

“As a team, I’m really happy with the community that we’ve created,” Kiesenhofer said, “I’ve been trying to focus on having fun.”

Dean encourages people to try out for swimming next season. She says it is an enjoyable sport, and the team would love to have more people on it.