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Why should I attend.
Oregon Masters Swimming will be hosting the 2008 long course nationals. OMS and all of its members are committed to hosting a first class competition. The meet venue is the Aquatics Center at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. The pool was extensively remodeled in 2007 to FINA international standards, and this summer Oregon swimmers tried out this outdoor facility for the first time. The verdict: fantastic!
Oregon is proud to boast this fabulous athletic facility, and we are hopeful that we will attract many outstanding USMS athletes for the meet next August. But Oregon is about a lot more than swimming, and the Gresham/Portland area has a lot more to offer than this world-class pool. If you are on the fence about attending nationals this summer, consider coming to Oregon for more than the swimming, and consider making a trip of it and bringing your non-swimming spouse and friends.
OMS will be posting information about the meet, and about Oregon's attactions, over the next several months. In the meantime, get acquainted with Oregon at www.traveloregon.com. And think about this:
From the Aquatic Center, you will be only:
v14 miles from Portland International Airport (ranked by Conde Naste as the #1 domestic airport in 2006)
v16 miles from Willamette Falls (Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area)
v17 miles from the center of downtown Portland
v46 miles from historic Timberline Lodge, on the slopes of Mt. Hood
v48 miles from Hood River's renowned fruit stands, wineries, wind-surfing and white water rafting
v55 miles from the heart of Oregon wine country
(supplemental by Allen Stark:
Don't forget,it is less than 100 mi to the fabulous Oregon coast.Also the salmon will be running at the coast and in the Columbia River.
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Allen
. . . There will be a lot of options in 2008 for competing, and for viewing great swimming. Only one great swim destination is described in this NY Times article, however, appearing September 26, 2007:
". . . Every little neighborhood in this city of funky neighborhoods now seems to be exploding with restaurants, food shops and markets, all benefiting from a critical mass of passion, skill and experience, and all constructed according to the gospel of locally grown ingredients.
In close proximity is a cadre of farmers committed to growing environmentally responsible produce with maximum flavor, delivered to restaurants and to the gorgeous farmers' markets that dot the city. There are local fisheries and small beef, lamb and pork producers. Not far away [are] myriad fruit growers who supply glistening, fragile berries and stonefruits of every stripe and color.
World-class wine is produced . . . just a half hour's drive away. [This city] has six micro-distilleries making any kind of spirits you can name and, if you'd like a chaser, more breweries than any other city on earth. Just as important is a receptive populace, demanding yet eager to be wowed. . . "
Check out the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/dining/26port.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin
-- and start planning your trip for August, 2008!
Let's start our tour of Oregon with an introduction to your host City, Gresham, and to her immediate neighbor, Portland.
Linking the Cascades to the Willamette Valley and opening the gateway to Mt. Hood, the Columbia Gorge, and Portland, Gresham, thrives as the fourth largest city in the State of Oregon with a downtown that is rich in local history and charm. This vital downtown provides a unique walking experience, with tree-lined streets, a variety of restaurants, specialty shops, and historical treasures, all resurrecting the hometown feeling missing from today's urban districts and shopping malls. (this information is from http://www.gdda.org/, where you can discover more about Gresham's treasures).
Portland has been named:
· One of the WORLD'S top-10 travel destinations by the editors at Frommer's Travel Guides and Frommers.com (2007)
· One of the Best Towns in the U.S. by Outside Magazine/Outside.com (2005)
· One of the ten best cities in the nation to live, Cities Ranked & Rated, 2nd Edition (2007)
· One of the top five places to live in the nation, by AARP The Magazine (2007)
· One of the world's 30 "fast cities," by Fast Company.com ("cauldrons of creativity where the most important ideas and the organizations of tomorrow are centered") (2007)
The average August temperature in the Portland area is 81 degrees fahrenheit, and precipitation levels are negligible. Forget what you've heard about Oregon rain, unless you're thinking about the ready availability of water for Oregon's famous microbreweries.
According to the NY times, "Portland has more breweries - 28 - than any other city in the nation if not the world, and it has arguably become one of the best destinations anywhere for beer-tasting." Read the full article here: http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/01/13...es/13beer.html
You can find lists of Oregon breweries and brew pubs here:
http://www.portlandbeer.org/index.php?page=breweries
http://www.oregonbeer.org/links.html
Find a printable pdf map of Oregon breweries and brew pubs here:
http://www.oregonbeer.org/map2006.pdf
Find an interactive map of Portland-area breweries and brew pubs here:
http://www.guestontap.com/map.shtml
If everyone in your party intends to take advantage of beer's many health benefits by imbibing (see: http://www.spatenusa.com/3_products/...alth/index.htm) then you may want to opt for the brew bus: http://www.teamweb.com/brewbus/
Start your training plan now to be ready for LC Nationals next August!
Posted by Bill Volkening:
RS is right about Oregon. It's an incredible place to visit, and for many, many reasons. Even though I'm a transplant, I'm so happy to call this place my home. It's amazing. If I was coming from out of town, I'd be tempted to stay at McMenamin's Edgefield Manor ( http://www.mcmenamins.com - under Hotels). They've got a microbrewery, winery and a variety of bars and restaurants on site. It's also a national historic landmark. Hmmmmm, I wonder if the Good and Evil Smith will be staying there... __________________ "To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true." - Aristotle 
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