Ted Walker swim meet this weekend in The Dalles

THE DALLES - The 73rd Annual Ted Walker Invitational swim meet is June 12-14 at the North Wasco County Aquatic Center in The Dalles.

A total of 550 athletes representing 15 teams from around the Pacific Northwest will participate in the event for boys and girls swimmers age 6 through 18.

The event, under the guidance of meet director Shelly Anslinger, includes swim teams from The Dalles and Hood River, which will be a highlight for area swim team fans. The meet, which begins at 3 p.m. June 12, is hosted by The Dalles Swim Team and it will conclude June 14 at 4 p.m.

“It looks like the weather will be really nice on the weekend, so we’re very excited about that,” said Anslinger. “It's going to be a great meet with over 500 swimmers who are registered to compete here.”

One reason that such a large group will be participating in the event is because one of the main outdoor pools in the Portland area is closed this summer for a renovation project. More swimmers are participating in the meet in The Dalles so that they can earn a qualifying spot in the USA Swimming/Oregon Swimming Inc. Long Course State Championship Meet in July. Swimmers can achieve that goal by getting a standard qualifying time to earn a spot at the state meet in July.