Nome Northstar Swim Team lights up Fairbanks’ Hamme Pool

By Melissa Ford, NNST Head Coach The Nome Northstar Swim Team had a group of swimmers competing at the Hamme Pool in Fairbanks last weekend for the 2023 Sweetheart Invite. NNST placed fourth in points with only seven swimmers participating, accumulating 186 points. In comparison, North Pole had 24 swimmers and 221 points, which serves to highlight the excellence our swim team is bringing to the Alaska Swimming. One notable event was the Girls 10-years-and-under 25 yards Breast Stroke. Of the 10 swimmers from various teams competing, only three swimmers completed it successfully and all of those three were Nome Northstar Swimmers: Lexi Blandford,10, came in first with an astounding 23.87, followed closely by Piper Lewis, 10, at 26.74, and Kourtney Bogart, 8, at 31.97. Coach Marcy has done a great job coaching this incredibly technical stroke. She has been offering additional practices for the swimmers who are ready to reach that next level of proficiency, and the swimmer's hard work on mastering this stroke is something they should be proud of. Jamison Erickson-Ford, 11, Ari Blandford, 7, Kourtney Bogart, 8, Aliyah Hensley, 9, and Karmin Perkins, 8, are all young in their age groupings but had excellent swims, each one seeing large drops in their times. Jamison Ford saw a 16-second drop in her 200 yard Breast Stroke. Kourtney Bogart and Karmin Perkins narrowly missed age group times for 10&U, despite being two of the youngest swimmers in the meet. Aliya Hensley dropped more than 20 seconds on her 100-yard Freestyle, a personal best in terms of time dropped. Ari Blandford captured first place in the 25-yard Backstroke for his age. Age Group Times achieved at 2023 Sweetheart: Lexi Blandford, 50FR: 38.72, 50BR: 51.02; Brandon Ford 50FR: 29.52, 100FR: 1:07.10, 50BA 37.65; Piper Lewis: 50FR: 38.89,100FR 1:33.93 Brandon Ford swam BB time standard (top 35 percent in his age group) in his 50Freestyle, which is a qualifying time for Junior Olympics. He is working on achieving additional times prior to the late April meet.