Staal smashes swim record in Oregon

 CNMI swimmer Kai Staal has brought his record-breaking performance in Oregon, shattering Ashland High School’s 25-year mark in the 100-yard breaststroke race after competing in the Oregon School Activities Association-sanctioned meet early this month.

Staal, who moved to Oregon and enrolled at Ashland High School for his senior year last summer, timed in at 1:01:82 in the 100yard breaststroke race against North Medford to surpass the 1:02.66 Tiago Reis recorded for Ashland in 1986.

“Several weeks before this meet against North Medford, I swam a 1:04.24 in the 100yard breaststroke, but I felt I could drop more time and break the record. Against North, the entire team was screaming because they saw my pace for the first 50 yards and knew if I pushed it I had a chance at breaking the record,” Staal said in an email he sent to Saipan Tribune last Monday when he made a stopover to Japan after a 12-hour flight from San Francisco.

“My heart was racing and I was shivering with excitement as I swam. Some people don’t realize it, but there is so much energy in swimming, not just physical but emotional as well. Forrest Kollar is my good friend and won MVP in all of Oregon for water polo. He knew I could break the record and I ended up posting 1:01.82 so I dropped nearly three seconds off my previous time. Realizing that it was the oldest record in the high school made it all the more exciting,” the Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan member said.

After his record swim, the former Saipan International School student, who holds various age group and CNMI national marks, became an instant celebrity in his school.

“The next day at school they announced my record over the loudspeakers and that was really cool,” Staal said.

The 18-year-old swimmer is now back on Saipan for the holidays and is scheduled to join Tsunami Saipan’s practice sessions today. He will return to Oregon next month and is hoping to break more records when he participates in spring tournaments.

“I will try to break the 50 yard freestyle record and then the 100yard backstroke mark. I am less than a second away from breaking both records,” Staal said.

Ashland’s 50yard freestyle mark stands at 21.09 seconds, which Curtis Taylor made in 1990, while Chris Clark holds the 100yard mark of 53.56 seconds (1991).

“Districts and State meets will be my next competitions and these will have the fastest students in Oregon. These will be held in spring and I am very excited to compete,” the Tsunami Saipan swimmer said.