1988-90 Boys Swim

Imagine, if you will, the football, basketball or baseball teams suddenly losing their practice and game facilities, or the track team with no track. On December 31,1987 the swimmers of Astoria High School were left without a local pool when the YMCA closed its doors for good. From that time until the opening of Astoria Aquatics Center the AHS swimmers were the ultimate road warriors practicing and swimming in meets everywhere BUT in Astoria. However, at that time no heads were hung in dismay nor was the feeling of team or self pity present. No, these young men took it upon themselves to begin a tradition of excellence in swimming at Astoria High.

Emphasizing the need for a great work ethic (only 60 minutes a day in the pool), practicing patience with daily travel to practice and meets, and developing critical team unity, these teams set a high standard for following teams to strive toward. The legacy of Astoria High School in the pool was established. Under the tutelage of coach Paul Dessen these swimmers pursued the conceiving of, believing in, and achieving of individual and team goals. At meet after meet personal records, as well as team records were set. Depth and numbers enabled the Fish to cover all events and sweep away opponents and come in first place at all but two meets in these three years. And, perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid, was paid by coach Mike Brown of Seaside High School, when he declared that he was going to model their new program after Astoria’s. That is, it would be built with numbers and depth.

These numbers and depth allowed the 88-90 Fishermen Swim Teams to score fantastic results in the pool: numerous invitational and relay titles against the best in AA swimming: only two losses in all meets; undefeated in three years of Cowapa dual meets; three consecutive Cowapa League titles; two district championships and one second place district finish in what was at that time considered the (unofficial) AA State Meet, when all AA teams were in the same district, and the OSAA had yet to create an official meet for these schools.

Perhaps the crowning achievement were the three straight Cowapa League Championships. Why, you might ask? These teams WON EACH EVENT in the league meets during the 88-‘89 seasons. Historically, only these teams have completed this sweep. This feat would compare to a track team winning each event or a wrestling team winning each weight class. In 1990 these young men won JUST nine of ten events but only after voting as a team to “give up the sweep” to allow a teammate to try to set new school and league marks in an individual event, thus displaying the team unity and support for one another.

This was truly a magical era in Astoria High School Swimming making it impossible to separate any one of these teams for inclusion to the Astoria High School Hall of Fame, while establishing a solid foundation for future success in the pool.