Plumas Rapids host successful swim meet
Hot weather greeted participants in the 2022 swim meet hosted by the Plumas Rapids swim team July 16-17, but that made diving into the pool all the more inviting.
The annual meet is the team’s major fundraiser of the year, but the swimmers took away major awards as well — taking home the first-place overall trophy. The Lassen Aquatics, brought a number of swimmers and took second place overall.
The two-day event drew swimmers from Portola, Susanville, Chico, Durham, Corning, Gridley, Orland, Oroville and Colusa.
“It was a huge success (our biggest fundraiser) and is the culmination of months of planning by our Board,” said one of the event organizers Jeannie Hind. “And we couldn’t make it happen without all swim families devoting their weekend to hosting the event. We heard from multiple teams that they enjoy coming to our meet because our teams/families/community are so welcoming.”
The families acted as greeters, cooked pancake breakfasts, offered a barbecue lunch, staffed a concession stand, delivered cold beverages and snacks, as well as all of the other duties required of hosting an event.
Toy Store owner Matt Kitchens emceed the event — announcing the current events, as well as reporting the winners from the previous events, sharing announcements and acknowledging event sponsors. He is also the parent of four swimmers who participated in the event.
Some of the standout swimmers on the Plumas Rapids include:
Aiden Vaughnn, 16 —swam in 8 races, capturing 6 firsts and 2 seconds
Reilly Vaughn, 13 — swam in 8 races, capturing 1 second and 2 thirds
Carter Petersen, 14 — swam in 8 races, capturing 5 firsts, 1 second, and 2 thirds
Lucius Kitchens, 10 —swam in 8 races, capturing 3 firsts
River Jedra, 8 — swam in 4 races capturing, 2 seconds and 1 third
Lorajane Hardee, 7 — swam in eight races, capturing 4 seconds and 1 third
Quincy Petersen, 12 — swam in eight races, capturing 1 first, 1 second and 1 third
Overall results
Aiden Vaughn took 1st place overall in boys 15-16, Cate Baker took second overall in girls 17-18, Carter Petersen took first overall in boys 13-14, John Warren took third overall in boys 11-12, and Lucious Kitchens took 3rd overall in boys 9-10.
Sponsors
Carter Petersen, 14, competes in the backstroke. He took five first-place finishes during the two-day event, as well as one second and two thirds. Photo by Debra Moore
Matt Kitchens serves as the announcer for the annual swim meet. From his chair he announced the upcoming events and winners, as well as watched four of his children swim in their events. Photo by Debra Moore
Members of the Plumas Rapids Swim Team cheer on one of their teammates. Photo by Debra Moore
