California High School Season Out of Touch; Swimmers Jump Blocks Before State Meet

By Jeff Commings

The inaugural California high school swimming and diving state championships is finally here after many years of discussion about the feasibility of having one championship meet for the country’s most-populated state. But the meet will likely be remembered more for who is not there instead of the talent that will race at Clovis West High School.

Of the four swimmers who set national high school records last weekend in sectional meets in Southern California, only Ella Eastin will attend the state championship. She’ll go after her national independent high school record in the 200 IM, and give Dagny Knutson’s overall record a chase as well. With the major summer long course championships less than three months away, the others have already shifted their attention past high school competition.

With the exception of Colorado (for boys only), California is the only major swimming state in the Union where swimming is a spring sport. Nearly every other state holds their swimming and diving championships in November (for the fall season) or February (for the winter season), thus giving those athletes the opportunity to ramp up training again for the crucial summer season. A late-May California high school swimming championships gives athletes a very short window to get back into the intense training before starting another taper for either junior nationals or senior nationals. This year, the junior national championships begins July 30 in San Antonio, while the senior national meet kicks off August 6.

Those skipping the meet said they are happy that California finally has an official state championship and said it would be great to call themselves state champions. But the call of the summer is too loud to ignore.

Grant Shoults, one of the national record setters at the CIF Southern Section meet with an independent mark in the 200 free, is bypassing the state meet and getting back into training with the Mission Viejo Nadadores with the goal of having breakthrough swims at the USA Swimming nationals.

“We started long course (at Mission Viejo Nadadores) in January, so we’re pretty deep into the season,” Shoults said. “I felt it was in my best interest to put in an extra week of training. The extended period of taper (for the state championships) is too much going into the long course season.”

Maxime Rooney, a junior at Granada High School, is participating in the state championships, but only on relays. Rooney had the opportunity to run away with state titles in practically any event he chose to swim. But, like Shoults, he wanted to return to hard training right after posting a near-lifetime best 1:34.58 in the 200 free at the North Coast Section championships.

“We need to get a jump start on our training,” Rooney said. “I wanted to swim (individual events) at state, but I also understood that (Pleasanton coach) Steve Morsilli wanted me to get ready for this summer. This is a crucial week in terms of training.”

Steve Pickell, the head coach for the USA Swimming team SOCAL Aquatics, is allowing his athletes to participate in the state meet, including Eastin, because it’s a unique experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else. He said he has to adjust this summer’s training and racing plans to allow his swimmers to compete in the state meet.

“I’m a huge proponent of high school swimming,” Pickell said. “I left it up to the kids (to decide if they wanted to compete), and the kids really wanted to go. The timing’s not good because it’s late in the season, though. If it were in the fall, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

The U.S. Olympic swimming trials will force many to ponder this choice again for the 2016 state championships. Though no date has been set, the likelihood of it occurring in mid-May means there will be just six weeks between the California state meet and USA Olympic Trials.

Pickell said the California Interscholastic Federation might have a difficult time filling the 2016 state meet because he believes a lot of athletes will choose to skip it to train for Trials. Shoults and Rooney said the immediate focus is on 2015, but both know it will be a tough decision to make next year.

“Obviously there isn’t much time after state before Trials,” Shoults said. “When next year comes, I’ll sit down with my coach (Bill Rose) about all the different options I have.”

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Bill Bell

8 years ago

I strongly disagree. It would ‘t have hurt the kids who are not going to Clivis — including Abbey Weitzeil — to have participated in the first- ever state meet if for no other reason than to say: “I was best first,”

It’s always struck me the NCAS is worse than nuts to Ho,d the Division 2 Championships the last two weekends in March — where they are completely overshadowed by the D1nen’s hoops tourney.

Make swimmjng a spring sport like track, baseball, Rennes, etc. have
NCAAs in early May. Start the season right after the first of the year. C’mon, Jeff, his many high school or even college swimmers have a realistic chance of making a major Zu.S. National team any given summer? Very few so it won’t kill them to swim scy until May. A month or six weeks of hard KCm reSining should be amp,e and sufficient for 99 percent of prep/college swimmers to do their best start summer nationals if their school season was switched to spring.

And for the Phelps/Lochtes/Franklibs and Coughlin of the swimming world no kaw sez they have to attend college to swim. Let ‘ em do what Lhelps did after finishing g Hugh school — go oro.

If we are ever going to grow our sport and get national coverage ( how much Ink did Spirts Illustdated give to either NCA- D1 meet? NADA!) it has to get out of the shadow of the men!s hoops tourney. Making swimming a fall sport not the answer either e/all the bowl games in December.

I say the kids who should br in Clovis this weekend are selfish, egotistical and cutting off their collective noses to spite their faces — or however the phrase goes.

Make ME Czar of American swimming and I’ll set things right if I may be so modest.

Aswimmer

8 years ago

Interesting article and perspective, quite the big picture for some of these athletes. First time meet for California HS swimming as well, to bad the battle isn’t complete.

Scott Shimomura

8 years ago

Attend graduation or swim another meet… Bad timing.

Shirley Boyd

8 years ago

Valid opinion

Donald P. Spellman

8 years ago

Given how different HS rules and formats are in each state blanket statements don’t work when addressing this topic.
In Iowa I’ve had HS swimming participation cut both ways (and our girls have a Fall season / boys a Winter season). As a responsible coach I need to look at each athlete objectively each year to see if HS swimming can be a good fit to help them reach their time goals. This depends on practice time, school class schedules, and the respective AD & HS coach too. Any swimmers above the USA-S Sectional level need to plan for training for meets outside of the LSC schedule (so HS participation needs to be a secondary consideration).

This year I had a JNAT level female who bypassed the HS season to train more and take D1 recruiting trips in the fall.

A JNAT level male on my team opted to swim HS (and train with both programs / 4 times with me and the other days with his HS program). I had input on his schedule each week and lead the design of his training. He set an Iowa HS record in the 200IM (and also won the 100BK).
A lot depends on the local HS teams accommodating more elite level athletes.

Amy Hays

8 years ago

Lol – swimming in California should be a spring sport! Pools are outdoors! NCAA’s are in the Spring! Swimmers can still train for usas and compete at a h.s. Championship with limited rest. How CA has done it for years 🙂

Bob Perkins

8 years ago

That’s the whole point Amy… Time for a change! 🙂

Bob Perkins

8 years ago

Talk to your homeland, Amy … Time for the HSs to come around!