BARTLESVILLE SPLASH CLUB HITS SOONER POOL TO TRAIN FOR LONG-COURSE SEASON
Bartlesville Splash Club members train at Sooner Pool in Sooner Park during a morning workout session. The local club is currently preparing for its competitive summer long-course season.
Courtesy photo
By Stephanie J. Lief
June 8, 2026
Special to Bartlesville Area Sports Report
If you ever are out walking around in Sooner Park in the morning hours this summer and wonder what is going on at Sooner Pool, it’s the Bartlesville Splash Club training for their long-course season.
Competitive swimming is divided into two seasons: short course and long course. The short-course season typically runs in the fall and winter months, heavily emphasizing explosive turns and underwater work in a 25-meter or 25-yard pool setup.
Long-course swimming starts in the spring and summer months, demanding greater endurance and pacing in a 50-meter pool where swimmers spend more time continuously doing strokes without the benefit of wall push-offs. Each season offers an athlete a unique opportunity to train their skills in a variety of ways and push their limits.
Sooner Pool is the only Olympic-size pool within 50 miles of Bartlesville and one of the few in Oklahoma.
“To have the ability to train at Sooner is immeasurable to the development of Splash Club's elite swimmers,” Splash Club head coach Chad Englehart said. “Bartlesville has a rich competitive swimming history, and Sooner Pool is a celebrated part of the history.”
The Splash Club also trains and provides swimming lessons at the Phillips 66 Aquatic Center in downtown Bartlesville.
The long-course season is in full swing with some exciting upcoming June travel swims. Among them were two elite competitions in Texas.
Texas Senior Circuit: Splash Club swimmers Ashlynn Taylor, Parker Shoesmith, and Maddison Shearer competed last weekend at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The elite competition featured a field of collegiate and national-level athletes.
Arlington Invitational: A group of 16 qualified Splash Club swimmers traveled to Arlington, Texas, last weekend for an elite age-group competition. Competing athletes included Miles Brown, Amelia Durrell, Connor Durrell, Everett Ellis, Grayson Ellis, Oliver Ellis, Kamryn Hunter, Euan Kobersky, Ana Meek, Keaston Meek, Emmett Moore, Annelie Shamhart, Karis Shamhart, Kane Smith, Quinn Smith, and Alexis Taylor.
King Marlin Invite: The entire Splash Club team will travel to Edmond, Okla., during the weekend of June 26 to participate in the King Marlin Invite.
You can follow Splash Club updates on their social media pages on Facebook at Bartlesville Splash Club and on Instagram @SplashclubOK.