With the state championships a little more than three weeks away, last week was the wrong time for the Gig Harbor Tides and Peninsula Seahawks swimming and diving programs to be out of the pool.

Weather-related school closures and the cancellation of contests across the South Sound put a damper on the Tides, who were scheduled to compete against Curtis, Wilson and Stadium.

“It couldn’t come at a worse time of the season,” said Tides coach Mike Kelly, whose team missed four straight days of practices and competition. “Your typical high-school male, given the opportunity to work out or not work out, probably won’t.”

That doesn’t bode well for Gig Harbor as it tries to send additional athletes to the Class 4A state championships, which will be held Feb. 17-18 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

The top six finishers at the West Central District meet, regardless of time, will compete at state, but so far, only junior Evan Indahl (200-yard freestyle, 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley) has an automatic qualifying time for the Tides.

However, sophomore Erik Nielsen is closing in on the magic marks in all four freestyle races. He’ll likely swim at state in two of those, Kelly said, although the choices will depend on how many relay teams Gig Harbor qualifies, and Nielsen’s roles on each of them.

The Tides are scheduled to race again this week as the Narrows League championships get underway Friday at Foss High School in Tacoma. Swimmers who hadn’t qualified for that race had a final chance during the league divisional meet Tuesday after press time at Mount Tahoma High.

Sophomore diver Bastian Weyn came up just short of the 300-point threshold for state during a recent competition, but Kelly thinks he’ll get there during an upcoming meet. Thomas Liu, Andrew Van Camp and Baylor Stearnes are among the athletes who hope to sew up district spots this week.

Kelly said it’s unfortunate the Tides can’t swim in two extra dual meets.

“As far as I look at it, it’s taking away a training opportunity,” he said. “At this point, it’s probably better to try to get a training day in, rather than a competition day.”

Seahawks try to stay in competitive shape

Coach Craig Brown’s boys at Peninsula High were in the same boat last week, as meets against Bonney Lake and Auburn Mountainview were canceled. An early-season competition against South Puget Sound League rival Decatur also was postponed, and it likely won’t be rescheduled.

“That’s three opportunities the swimmers and divers don’t have now to qualify for district or state,” Brown said on Friday. “I don’t know what’s going to happen until we get back to school.”

Two Seahawks have cemented their status at the Class 3A state championships. Caleb Riggs, a sophomore, has qualified in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, while junior Matt Burkey has a spot in the 100 freestyle and is only a few tenths of a second short in the 50 free.

Brown expects sophomore Alex Wenman to make state in at least one event, and a couple relay teams should compete there as well.

Jaden Stevens, a junior, should be able to return for a chance at a medal in the diving event.

But all of the team’s preparations were put on hold last week.

“I told all the boys to stay active and do something,” Brown said. “I know my club boys have been swimming. But the rest of the guys are getting rusty.”

Brown, who’s been coaching the Seahawks for more than three decades, said he’d like the Class 3A teams to return to the 4A schedule in which everyone gets a two-week break between the district and state meets. Right now, 3A schools only have one week to rest between events.

“You think of a rollercoaster ... you go up, and you go down, and physically and emotionally, these guys never fully recover from the district meet,” he said. “I’d like to settle things down, get them focused on the state meet.”