Father, daughter are ace swimmers

Swimming is a family affair for Christian Tujo and his 9-year-old daughter Alexis. And both are very, very good in the water.

Alexis was ranked top 5 in the state in her age group in the 200 individual medley for 2015. Christian was, for the second year in a row, named to the U.S. Masters Swimming All-Star Team for long distance. He was also named All-American.

"I worked real hard in the 200 IM," Alexis said.

The IM is a test of the all-around swimmer, consisting of butterfly; backstroke; breaststroke; and freestyle. Alexis says she is strongest at the breaststroke, but notes, "I just love swimming; I love all the strokes."

Alexis finds her inspiration for developing her talents close to home. She developed an instant aspiration to compete and win when her dad showed her a trophy he had won in the pool - and offered to swap with her once she'd won a medal of her own.

Alexis started competing at age 5. She earned her top-5 standing at the Oregon State Championships in March.

"An early start in competitive swimming is a family tradition," according to Christian.

"It was just something my mother pushed us to do," he said.

Lately, Christian has ventured from the pool into open water, encouraged by his training buddies at Sisters Athletic Club - Tom Landis, Kris Calvin and Scott Miller.

He swam in a 10k lake swim in Lake Delvalle in the Bay Area and won a two-mile cable swim in Lebanon. He's swimming in the 45-year-old category, since he'll hit that age in May.

He says that he stays motivated for a variety of reasons.

"First and foremost is staying healthy, staying in shape, conditioning," he said.

He also enjoys the camaraderie of swimming with his friends. He said Tom Landis, who has shattered numerous masters records, "has been an inspiration for me in my swimming - especially in long distance."

And, he says, "It's nice to be competitive at 45."

Christian coaches Alexis in the Sisters Athletic Club pool, which both say is a key resource for local swimmers. He's also added another swimming element to his resume: he's become a swim official for USA Swimming.

"I got so tired of being nervous at events waiting for (Alexis) to swim - I needed something to do," he explained.

The summer season is getting underway.

"We have summer nationals coming up," Christian said. "My goal is to be top 10. Actually, my goal is more to be top five in nationals in three events."

Alexis says, "My goal is to have better technique and just have a good 10-year-old state time so I can go to State once again and just enjoy it."

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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