Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Junia Calhoon is no stranger to the Sweet Home High School pool, so taking the job of School District 55 aquatics director comes naturally for her.
She succeeds Andrew Schmidt, who left the district in May. She filled in as a sub before officially being hired the day after school ended.
Calhoon “grew up here, swam here actually for the club and high school,” she said. She moved away for about 12 years, living in La Pine, Grants Pass and Roseburg, and then returned to Sweet Home with her husband and children.
She graduated from high school in 1987. Her husband, Jamey Calhoon, graduated from Sweet Home High School in 1986. He was a wrestler and is now the pharmacy manager at Wal-Mart in Lebanon.
Her children, Jayce, a sophomore, and Justine, a senior, are both swimmers during the winter season as well as competing for the Sweet Home Swim Club.
Jayce won a 4A state title as a freshman in the 1500 freestyle last season. Both are currently running cross-country.
“Everything the kids do, I’ve always done with them,” Calhoon said. “I’ve been fortunate to be there. I’m able to be there with them.”
She became the Sweet Home Swim Club coach about a year ago when the Lebanon club combined with Sweet Home. She had been coaching in Lebanon for about three years.
The program now has about 55 participants, Calhoon said. Current board members include President Bruce Davis, Vice President Lisa Cook, Treasurer May Hindmarsh, Secretary Deanna Benson and Brenda Simmonds.
She took the job as aquatics director after she started collecting various certifications, she said. “I’m here all the time anyway. It made sense to me for me to step in.”
The competitive swimmers she coaches become the pool’s lifeguards and swim teachers, she said. It’s a natural fit to work with them, swimmers who have competed for her in the Swim Club.
“Swimmers tend to be dedicated,” she said. “They do this year round.”
They start something, they stick with it, she said.
“It’s been really good,” Calhoon said of coaching. “Coaching to me is teaching. You still need to make a personal relationship with them, still need to motivate them.”
Calhoon wants to begin opening some new opportunities at the pool, she said. Among them, she would like to start a “Saturday family swim,” with lap swim lanes and open time, a calmer family environment.
Workouts are now available for master swimmers, she said. Instead of just swimming laps, they can use the same workouts the Swim Club uses. She will have that available at every morning and afternoon lap swim session.
The pool program also is working with Steelhead Gym, she said. Signing up at the gym includes two weeks free at the pool.
The idea there is to promote the pool and swimming to try to keep the pool from costing the district any more money, she said.
The pool also is open for birthday parties, she said.
For information about the pool, Swim Club or swim times, call 367-7169.
Lap and recreation swim prices are $2 for children 4-17, $2.50 for adults 18 and older, $7 for families up to four persons with at least one adult and free for children under the age of 3 with a paid adult.
Lap swims are held 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes are available from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.