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MISSOULA- the lanes are crowded in the 50-meter pool at Splash Montana as 31st annual Firecracker Invitational swim meet continues in Missoula through the weekend.

The 1,500 meter races were held on Thursday, but the event really starts paddling Friday. Almost 500 swimmers from seven western states and Canada splashing down and the local teams love getting a chance to take on all the competition in their home pool.

"We have two really good teams in Missoula, Missoula Aquatic Club and [the] Missoula YMCA. And it's a lot of fun to cheer each other on and see where we are, because there is some cross-town rivalries that go on. And it's a lot of fun to see where we stack up against each other. And unfortunately in Montana our outdoor season is short, so this is our first big test, and i think we're ready," Missoula Aquatic Club coach Dave Berkoff said.

The Missoula swimmers have been practicing early in the morning in 40-degree weather recently, so they're loving the warmer weather. The Firecracker Invitational runs through Sunday.