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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Shields motivated to continue making waves in pool


Shields
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Mike Saunders Correspondent

Sarah Shields exudes confidence.

In conversation, it’s easy to see she is motivated and driven to success.

She also happens to have a mean overhand crawl.

Put it all together and what you end up with is the rarest of birds – a repeat state swim champion from North Idaho.

She may as well be a penguin.

In Moscow last Saturday, she captured firsts in the 50 and 100 freestyle for the second year in a row.

Shields, a senior at North Idaho Christian School in Hayden who competes under the colors of Lake City High, said she appreciates the significance of her accomplishments, but is also fully aware that she lives in a large ocean.

“Wow, it’s really encouraging,” Shields said. “It’s really awesome, and it’s an honor for sure to know that the work that I’ve put into this has paid off.

“And yet at the same time, I know that there is so much more for me to accomplish.”

Namely, national-caliber events including an upcoming meet in Seattle.

“It’s back to reality,” she said. “I know that I may be the best person in Idaho in the 100, but you take me to senior sectionals and I place 50th.

“It’s an awesome, awesome experience when I’m at state, but I still know there is a lot of work to do.”

That work is even more difficult, coming from Coeur d’Alene, a town without school or public pools.

“We have to go to Liberty Lake to train,” said Shields. “We don’t have diving blocks and the pool is only 4 feet deep.

“It’s difficult, it’s definitely difficult.”

Between private pools and health clubs, however, Shields has managed to stay in the water long enough.

She said her friends don’t complain if she reeks of chlorine on a regular basis.

“I’ve been in the pool since I was 3, and swimming competitively for the last six years,” Shields said. “It’s in my blood now.”

When asked about competing at the college level, presumably a school complete with an Olympic-size pool and all the trimmings, Shields pictures a utopian situation.

“I’m going to drool when I go to practice,” said Shields, who wants to study sports medicine or physical therapy so she can stay close to the game. “Like, oh my Lord, thank you!”