Swimming is an important skill in Oregon due to the state's surrounding water. Children can begin swim lessons at six months old. Competitive swimming is popular, especially during Olympic years, and Oregon is home to elite swimmers who train with American coaches. Portland has many public pools and swim teams. There are four main strokes - butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle - that are used in individual and relay races. Robert Ellertson is one of the fastest sprint freestyle swimmers in Oregon and trains extensively with clubs and at the Olympic Training Center.

1. Swimming

2. Swimming in Oregon
 Swimming is an important skill to learn in Oregon because the state is surrounded
by water.
 There are may different sports that are grounded in swimming such as water skiing,
wakeboarding, kayaking and wind surfing.
 Children can begin swim lessons in Oregon when they are six months old.
Surfing
Kayaking
Water Skiing
Wind Surfing
Wakeboarding

3. Competitive Swimming
 Competitive swimming is a very popular sport in Oregon.
 The sport is gaining popularity because it is an Olympic Year.
 The United States is home to some of the fastest swimmers in the world. Many
swimmers come to the United States to train with American coaches.
 Inga de Bruijn, a swimmer from the Netherlands, is a World Record holder. She trains in
Portland, Oregon Tualatin Hills Swim Team.
 The Northwest is also home to Megan Quann, an Olympic Gold Medalist.
Inga de
Bruijn
Megan Quann

4. Competitive Swimming in Portland
 Portland has 11 public pools and each pool has a summer
swim team.
 All public and privet high schools in Portland offer swim
programs in the winter.
 There are 8 privet swim clubs in Portland. These swim
clubs offer elite training opportunities for swimmers in
Oregon.
 Some privet colleges in Oregon have swim teams including
Willamette University and Lynnfield University.

5. Strokes
There are four main strokes in Swimming
 Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle
 When all of these strokes are put together they make the
individual medley
 Swimmers compete in races that range from 50 meters to 1500
meters
Butterfly Backstroke
Breaststroke
Freestyle

6. Breaststroke and Butterfly
Breaststroke and butterfly are shot access strokes. Here is how to swim them.
 Keep your legs close together and
pull them up toward your chest. At
the same time, hold your palms
together and up against your chest,
as if you were in prayer.
 Kick out and apart with your legs,
and then quickly squeeze them
together. Try to imitate the way a
frog kicks. After the kick, streamline
your body by pointing your toes and
extending your arms completely.
 Glide for a moment with your arms
fully extended, then turn your palms
outward and repeat the stroke
 Hold your legs together and extend your
arms above your head.
 Kick your legs up and down once in a
whipping motion, as if you were a dolphin.
.
 Pull both of your arms out of the water
together, along with the big kick. This will
help propel your body forward and out of
the water.
 Lift your head up and breathe while you
quickly pull both arms out of the water and
swing them forward. Head and arms
reenter the water together at the same
time.

7. Freestyle and Backstroke
Freestyle and Backstroke and short access strokes. Here is how to swim them.
 Keep your legs straight, but not
rigid, with your toes pointed out, and
kick up and down. Continue kicking
the entire time.
 Move your arms in a windmill motion
opposite each other. While one arm
is extended completely out, the
other should be all the way back,
almost against the side of your
body.
 Lift your other arm out of the water
and move it all the way forward..
Bend at the elbow and drag your
fingertips along the surface of the
water. Enter the water with your
fingertips and completely extend the
arm.
 Breathe on one side by turning your
head to that side as the arm comes
out of the water.
 Floating on you back, kick your legs up and
down. Keep your legs straight, but not
entirely rigid. Your toes should be pointed
out. Try not to make a big splash with your
kick.
 Rotating your shoulders, move you arm in a
windmill motion. Keep one arm straight as
you raise it out of the water . At the same
time, the other arm should be bent and
pulling a cupped hand along your side in
the water. Your hand should enter the
water pinky-first.
 Keep your head floating back in the water,
with your eyes looking up. Breathe
normally.

8. Athlete Focus
 Robert Ellertson is the fastest
sprint Freestyle in Oregon.
 He trains with the Portland
Aquatic Club and he has
trained at the Olympic
Training Center in Salt Lake
City
 Robert trains between 4 and
5 hours per day.
 Robert also swims for Grant
High School, teaches swim
lessons and coaches a
Summer Swim Team.

9. Robert Swimming at the State Championships
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10. Robert Swimming at the State Championships
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