Making her final splash as a Brave-Viking


Siuslaw swimmer Sydney Robison. (Nancy Robison photo)

Siuslaw senior Sydney Robison has made her final splash with the co-op Reedsport/Siuslaw boys and girls swim team, competing Friday in the regionals at Cottage Grove.

Sydney was the lone Siuslaw athlete on the team last season, but was joined by three girls and two boys this season.

The boys gave up. The girls did not.

Robison welcomed fellow Siuslaw student-athletes Erika Fujita, Brianna Tabor and Cienna Vergara.

Head coach for the team is Reedsport shop teacher Guy Marchione, assisted by Kurt Bogart.

Sydney responded to a few questions from Exploding Whale Sports:

How was your experience?
It was my sophomore year. I found out there was a swim team starting in Reedsport. I used to be on a team, before I moved to Oregon six years ago. I had tried the other sports Siuslaw had to offer and they weren't for me. I was very excited and happy to do something I loved and was good at. Each season my mom drove me almost every day there was a practice, for three years now. She knows how much I love to swim and it was worth it to her to see me really enjoy a sport. My teammates from Reedport have always been kind to me and I've enjoyed swimming with them.

Can you point to a season highlight?
Whenever I would beat my personal time of course! That was a good feeling of accomplishment. I feel my junior year was the most productive. I did well on all my races and only got better. This year, I focused on techniques, to improve my speed. It was a good senior year and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to do this. My best events are the 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 free relay. I  really like the team effort on the relays.

This year you recruited new students to join the team?
Well, Marvin Elzey and Ben Fowler helped spread the word, and there were a few girls that signed up. It's kind of ironic that the girls stuck it out but the boys didn't. I got to know other Siuslaw students and made a new friend, Erika Fujita from Japan. She is very nice and a really good swimmer. Our girls made up half the team because Reedsport didn't have very many kids this year, they really needed us. I  hope next year there will be a lot more Siuslaw students involved, it's a great sport.

What are your plans for the future?
Right now I have a lot of options. I'd like to attend a college that has Art and swimming. I'm maybe thinking about Southwestern (Community College); they have both. Or take a year working and earn some money to go on a mission for the LDS church. I have a few other things I'm considering as well, but I'm waiting to see if I can pass some testing first.

Any final words?
I feel that Siuslaw High school underestimates the positives of having a swim team. The school should be more involved in recruiting students and having transportation for them. Kurt Bogart is a local that got involved in coaching this year and was a great help to our Florence team. So far there have only been a few students trying to make this happen and it's been difficult to get a group together.  The sport has great potential and is popular in other schools. It can teach the kids the proper way to swim. I mean, we live right next to the ocean and are surrounded by lakes, swimming should be a priority for our children. I highly recommend getting the word out there, and encouraging students to try something new and fun. I hope in the future our school can be more involved in that aspect.