TRIAL TIME; CANYONS AQUATICS HITS BIG-TIME MEETS.

Byline: Scott Magoloff Staff Writer

It is the second two-hour workout of the day for Canyons Aquatics, one of the premier club swim teams in Southern California.

The heat is sweltering and the humidity leaves the air heavy and hard to breathe in the basement pool at College of the Canyons, the club's home. Making matters worse, the air conditioner is broken.

The heat of the summer is on, both literally and figuratively, as the approximately 200 swimmers in the club prepare for major meets each of the next four weeks. The prestigious Janet Evans Invitational sets it off at USC this weekend.

The Senior Championships in Fullerton take place the following weekend, leading to a finish that includes the Junior and Senior Nationals, in Bakersfield and Minneapolis, respectively.

Canyons Aquatics coach Bruce Patmos said this time of the summer compares with the busy time of the spring, during which he is preparing most of his swimmers for the spring Junior and Senior Nationals and Southern Section meets.

Among the many swimmers who will attempt to make their Junior and Senior National cut times at the Janet Evans meet, a relay team is gunning for a national record in the 15-16 age group 200-meter freestyle relay. The record is 1:49.7 and the best time posted by the team of Amy Jones, Maureen Farrell, Nicole Shiflett and Amanda Kim is 1:51.1.

Farrell, who will be a junior at Alemany in the fall, is also going for her Olympic cut time in the 100-meter backstroke. Jones, who will be a junior at Cleveland, is also vying for an Olympic cut in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

``I'm really tired; I'd surprise myself a lot if I make the cut,'' said Farrell, who is about a half-second away from the cut (1:04.59). ``I really expect to do it at (Senior Nationals).''

Jones is less than one-tenth of a second away from reaching the qualifying time for the Olympic trials in the 50 freestyle and about two-tenths shy of the mark for the 100 freestyle. She has been practicing through a sinus and ear infection, illnesses that usually keep swimmers out of the water.

``I have to swim through it,'' she said. ``I want to get to the (Olympic) trials and place high in these meets. I want to make the finals at Janet Evans.''

Water shortage: With so many quality swimmers in need of practice time, Patmos said his club is suffering from the fact that it only uses the one facility at COC.

So he contracted with the city for use of either the Valencia Glen or Valencia Meadows pool so he can break up his club and allow for better scheduling of practices. As it stands, after the club's daily morning session in Sylmar (for the more advanced), the evening workout begins at 2 p.m. and ends at about 9 p.m. at COC to accommodate all of the age groups.

``What the city needs is an aquatic complex,'' Patmos said. ``Five city pools is not going to be able to handle the load.''

Novice meet: Canyons Aquatics' Annual Swim-Fest takes place 3:30-9:30 p.m. on Wednesday at COC. The meet, in its 22nd year, offers a competitive environment for the five local teams (each representing one of the city pools) to face teams sponsored by the homeowners' association.

``It brings all the novice swimmers head to head instead of just comparing times,'' Patmos said. ``That's the best thing.''

The meet featured about 250 swimmers last year and Patmos said he is hoping for 300 this time around.

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Photo

PHOTO Alemany swimmer Maureen Farrell, who competes for Canyons Aquatics, is trying to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the 100-meter backstroke.

David Crane/Staff Photographer