SWIMMERS VENTURE TO THEIR FIRST MINI GAMES

A preview of Team Guam heading to Palau for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games June 29 – July 9 amongst 24 island nations

By Jay Leon Guerrero

Five swimming prospects will be traveling to Palau for the Pacific Mini Games in a matter of days.

Amaya Bollinger, Ocean Campos, Mia Lee, Israel Poppe and Jaden Francis will all compete in their first Pacific Mini Games.

The team will be led by coaches Darrick Bollinger and Ed Ching.

According to coach Bollinger, a well-decorated swimming legend in his own right, the team will have a busy summer with the World Championships to be held in Singapore in August.

It has been a summer of celebrations for the team, with Poppe and Lee graduating from high school and Francis graduating from college. There is no time for celebration for this group, the team practices six days a week to prepare for their epic summer.

“I’ve been working hard this summer. I want to perform well for my family and coaches to make Guam proud,” said Poppe.

“For these Pacific Mini Games, I want to see where I stand against the other islands,” said Amaya Bollinger. “It will feel nice to compete against our neighboring islands. For me, I’m looking forward to a fun experience.”

“It’s going to be a fun experience for me as well because it’s not just swimming, we are going to share this experience with other athletes (from Guam),” said Lee. “You wake up in the morning, go eat breakfast, and talk with other athletes and see how they are doing.”

The youngest member of the group, Ocean Campos, said he is eager to share the experience with his team and other athletes.

“I’ve been to off-island events just for swimming with my club, Tsunami, which lasts for about two or three days. These games go for about two weeks, so it will be nice to be with other athletes from different sports,” said Campos. “One of my classmates’ sister is in Track, it will be cool to support them,” said Campos.

“My friend is playing beach volleyball, hope he does well in his competition,” said Poppe.

Most of the swimmers have not been to Palau before. In their free time, they hope to get a chance to explore the water. “I heard their water is very clear,” said Poppe. “If we get the chance, I want to see the fish and scuba dive.”

“I heard about the Rock Islands. I hope we have time to explore that area and also scuba dive,” said Campos.

The team will be reunited with teammate Jaden Francis later this week and will travel together later this month to Palau. It will be a busy schedule with each athlete scheduled for several events. The team will also compete in mixed relays.

After the Pacific Mini Games, the team will return to Guam and have another short training camp before heading out to Singapore for the 22nd World Aquatics Championships. 

Swimming runs through the first week, starting Monday, June 30th, and concluding on Saturday, July 5th.

TEAM GUAM SWIMMERS

Amaya Bollinger: seven individual events, two relays

Mia Lee: eight individual events, two relays

Izzy Poppe: seven individual events, two relays

Ocean Campos: nine individual events

Jaden Francis: weight individual events

Note: All assignments subject to change