Pony swimmers busy in Great Falls

The Havre High swim teams are already headed for the end of the first half of the 2011-12 season. And by the time the Christmas Break ends, the Blue Ponies will only be a month away form the Montana State Swimming Championships.

But before they get to Christmas Break, the Ponies will have a busy weekend in the Great Falls High Pool in Great Falls. Today, Havre will compete in a dual meet with fellow Class A power Hardin, as well as the Great Falls Bison and CMR Rustlers. On Saturday, the Ponies will be back in Great Falls to compete in the annual Great Falls Invitational.

HHS has already seen plenty of the Bison and Rustlers this season. Havre started its year at the Kalispell Invitational, then dualed the Bison and Rustlers at last Saturday's Havre Invite. In dual competition, the Pony boys beat the Rustlers but fell to the Bison, while the HHS girls were beaten by both Great Falls powers.

GFH and CMR are two of the premier swim programs in all of Montana and facing them as many times as the Ponies do each season only stands to make Havre better. So this weekend will once again be good competition for the Ponies. Not to mention, Havre and head coach Chris Inman will be excited to get a look at the Hardin Bulldogs. Each year, Havre, Hardin and Billings Central are the only three schools to battle it out for the Class A state swimming championships.

Today's dual meet in Great Falls gets underway at 4 at the GFH Pool. The Great Falls Invite will feature most of the Class AA, as well as the Ponies and Bulldogs. Saturday's event starts at 10 a.m. in Great Falls.