Inside a giant tent on the east side of Portland, 31 swim teams are vying for the top spot in the state. The Forest Grove Vikings have brought a handful of athletes and a single goal set by interim coach Sue Fleskes — to compete to the best of their individual abilities, no more and no less.
The team stepped off the bus on Saturday and looked at the giant white bubble that houses the Mt. Hood Community College pool, site of the OSAA 6A State Swimming Championships. Much like the facilities you’d find at a club tennis court, the bubble felt like another world to some swimmers.
Sharon Rooker, the only individual female swimmer representing the Vikings, said the facilities “looked like an igloo” at first glance. For other swimmers, like senior Jake Cockeram, the final race of his career was in the familiar confines of Mt. Hood’s bubble.
“Senior year, last state swim meet, and I love swimming in the bubble,” Cockeram said. “I swim for the Forest Grove Swim Club as well, and sometimes we swim there under the bubble and it still blows my mind how cool it is.”
Inside the bubble, the Vikings looked impressive on Saturday.
Rooker placed third in the girls 100-yard butterfly (58.23 seconds) and sixth in the 200 individual medley (2:11.42). Sharon’s younger brother, Gabe, also had a standout performance. He placed second — earning consideration for All-American status — in the boys 200-yard freestyle (1:42.82) and won a state championship in the 100 breaststroke (57.83).
“It was a lifetime best,” Rooker said of his breaststroke time. “Even if I didn’t win, I would be happy.”
Cockeram added to the Vikings’ medal haul with a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly (52:59), and he also finished 12th in the 200 individual medley (2:03.22).
“I love to race and I always feel the same way,” Cockeram said. “I don’t care how much faster than me you are. I’m going to beat you because I hate to lose.”
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The Forest Grove boys team took eighth place overall and the girls took 16th — with all of the points being scored by Sharon Rooker.
“The kids did so well,” Fleskes said. “Everyone swam very well. Gabe went a :49 on the free relay and hadn’t been under :50 before. Patrick [Rawson], on the 200 medley relay, had a best time. Sharon went in seeded fifth and got third in the 100 butterfly, and set a school record. Jake did so well, too. He finished second in the butterfly. And he hates to lose.”
“All of the kids tapered well and had great workouts.”
Fleskes, though, is quick to point out the reasons behind the swimmers’ success.
“I accept no credit for how these kids performed. I’m proud of them, [but] there is no personal pride,” she said. “All the credit is to the parents and to the club coaches.”
Cockeram, one of the team’s leaders, laughed and said the Mt. Hood Community College bubble may have helped push the Vikings to faster times.
“When people are cheering, you can actually hear them — it’s so much more inspiring,” he said. “Swimming my leg of the relay … I was able to hear my teammates cheering for me. It gave all of us that extra ‘oomph.’ ”
“I think 90 percent of our team swam best times at districts, and then 90 percent of us at state swam for best times. It was so cool.”
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That type of team cohesion didn’t happen overnight. The Forest Grove swim team is comprised of both high school and club swimmers — something that in the past has divided the team.
This season, Fleskes made it clear that even though the swimmers came from different backgrounds, they were swimming together.
Cockeram recalled: “I remember the first thing she said was, ‘We aren’t two different teams, we are one team.’”
Fleskes worked all season long with club swimming coach Tim Hamlet and both high school and club swimmers to get everyone on the same page — in and out of the pool. She held team dinners, had team meetings and worked individually with every athlete.
“I’m very proud of the cohesion between the club kids and high school kids,” Fleskes said.
As the season went on, Cockeram took advantage of an opportunity to help. He wasn’t a team captain, but surfaced as a leader and motivator for the entire team. He, along with Rawson, held team meetings before key meets. Down the stretch, Cockeram said, he met with teammates before districts and state to get everyone fired up about competing.
“Back when I was a freshman, we had a kid [named] Steve Allnutt — who swims for Hawaii now — as our leader,” Cockeram said. “I looked up to him as a freshman and when our team needed that one person, I tried to do what he did. I let people know, you might have not swam that well, but it’s OK. When people were down and needed to be pumped up, I pumped them up.”
“I tried to be inspiring. I’d say, ‘We can all do this, guys. Go have fun.’ Because I knew if you aren’t having fun, you aren’t going to try as hard.”
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Fleskes echoes that same sentiment. As the cross country and track coach at Forest Grove, she pushes her athletes to always enjoy what they are doing. When she took over as the interim swim coach, it was no different. Her approach was something that the entire swim team rallied around all season — something the swimmers grew to love and respect.
That mentality, Fleskes said, led them to the state meet. And now, to an eighth-place finish.
“I only wanted the kids to hit their best times,” Fleskes said. “I was excited for the kids to get some experience and I didn’t worry about a team score.”
Now that the season is over, the swimmers she helped drive toward personal success are singing an unexpected tune.
“I really hope Sue can continue to be the swim coach,” Cockeram said. “She did a phenomenal job this year.”
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