Oregon swim club dives into pandemic birthday celebrations

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV ) — While high school athletes await a return to their courts and fields of play, swimmers in Oregon are now looking towards the spring to jump back in the pool.

There may not be any pools open to competing in right now to swim, but you cannot rain on this parade.

“Our life has just completely turned upside down. It’s crazy,” Fay Lustria, Jesuit H.S. Junior, said.

Lustria and Hannah Trainer celebrated their 17th birthdays in a driveway, with a drive-by honk and a hi.

“We usually, sometimes we have joint birthdays. When we were little, we had some but nothing like this,” Hannah Trainer, Sunset H.S. Junior, said.

Lustria is a state champion swimmer who has committed to UCLA. Hannah is from rival Sunset, and she can’t wait to dive back into a normal flow when all of this is in the rearview mirror.

“We are all just one big family. When people leave to go to college, it’s sad, but they are moving on to do great things,” Trainer said.

Both are like family with their mates from the Tualatin Hills Swim Club who came packed up after early morning Saturday practice with balloons, signs, gifts and dogs.

“We have all been together for a really, really long time, so I feel like we have just created such a team culture, and we are all like brothers and sisters, so that is something that really stands out about our team,” Lustria said.

Make-A-Wish that the party plans can look a little more like the past in 2022.

“It is definitely something to remember being in a global pandemic. This really stood out, so I am glad that it happened,” Lustria said.

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