Whatcom County's Grace Schroder placed third in the girls' 8-9 division against girls from Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Alaska in the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Competition earlier this month at CenturyLink Stadium in Seattle.

"I'm definitely coming back next year," Schroder said in a press release after the event.

Schroder and about 50 other participants competed in the local NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Competition in late August at Civic Field in Bellingham. By winning her age division, Schroder advanced to a sectional competition in late September in Seattle, where she again won her division.

Whatcom County had a good showing in the sectional, as Thomas Boyle placed second in the boys' 6-7 division, and Emma Schroder (girls' 12-13) and Aiden Weston (boys' 8-9) each took third in their respective divisions.

Grace Schroder's cumulative distance from her punt, pass and kick was the highest in her division from all 15 sectional competitions, earning her a spot in the Seahawks competition and a chance to compete against kids from throughout the region.

The first day of the competition was held Dec. 7 at the Seahawks' practice facility, and a day later, she was invited onto the field at halftime of Seattle's game against Arizona, where she got the opportunity to demonstrate her passing skills.

FREESTYLE SWIM CLINIC

Former Washington State University swim coach Erica Quam, who moved to Bellingham a little more than a year ago, will be hosting a freestyle swim clinic on Jan. 13 at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center, followed by a social at Boundary Bay Brewery.

The clinic, which will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., is geared toward swimmers and triathletes 18 and older, from beginners to elite. Quam will teach basic skills to make swimmers' strokes more efficient, proper stretching and will film swimmers in the water to help them improve.

Registration is $25 per person, and tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com. More information is available at thecoachingexperience.org/swim-clinics/.

FITTER & FASTER SWIM TOUR

The Fitter & Faster Swim Tour is planning to bring Olympian swimmer Peter Vanderkaay and world champion open water swim champion Ashley Twichell to Bellingham for a pair of clinics in March.

The Masters and Triathletes Clinic will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 23 at the Wade King Student Rec Center at Western Washington University and will be followed on March 24 with the Age Group Skills Clinic at the same times and location.

Vanderkaay is a three-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medallist, who was captain of the 2012 U.S. Olympic swim team. He is a versatile swimmer and one of the top distance swimmers in the world. Twichell won the open water gold medal at the 2011 World Championships.

Both clinics are designed to help swimmers improve their stroke efficiency and technique through drills and demonstration.

Each clinic costs $79 per participant. Registration and more information is available at http://fitterandfaster.com.