Virtual meets are the new norm for SPSL girls swim and dive this winter

The Puget Sound region’s advancement to Phase 2 meant more than athletic eligibility for Peninsula diver Hope Flanigan.

For the state-caliber senior, it meant closure.

“It feels like the ending of a journey of my diving career, and being able to have that closure is going to be really helpful,” Flanigan said. “Especially with Makenna [Post] on the team and having a new freshman… being able to pass the torch and get to see her compete for the first time will be really fun as well.”

Peninsula and Gig Harbor’s first season of high school athletics will kick off on Feb. 8, a date many feared would never arrive because of COVID-19. That includes girls swim and dive, despite several changes that will dramatically change the look of a normal season.

The biggest change: virtual meets.

Instead of traveling throughout the region to compete in-person against rival schools, members of the 4A SPSL will stay at their own pool, while that meet’s host school collects times and merges them online. Peninsula’s first virtual meet is slated for Feb. 18.

“We’re grateful that we’re having a season,” Peninsula coach Tim Messersmith said. “It’s better than nothing at all, and we’re going to focus on the positive and make the best of it. Especially for the seniors. We’re going to try to make it memorable for them, and everyone that’s involved. But we’re not going to focus on what we can’t do. We’re going to focus on what we can do.”

Phase 2 allows for a maximum of 80 people on a pool deck, though no spectators are permitted. And because the end-of-season SPSL meet has solely determined league champions in the past, swimmers will use biweekly virtual meets as competition not only against other schools, but themselves.

“It’s going to be unique trying to get athletes inspired to do their best when they’re swimming essentially against their teammates or themselves,” Gig Harbor coach Mike Kelly said. “You’re always swimming against yourself or your time, but a lot of times, there’s inspiration gained by having a rival swimmer next to you and wanting to beat them.”

Teams within the 4A SPSL will gather for a league meet on Mar. 20 after the abbreviated season, though Messersmith said crowning league champions -- both teams and individuals -- has not been discussed.

Divers are included in the proposed plans, though the league hopes to schedule three in-person events for diving exclusively. Because there are less divers -- and in-person competition allows for more consistent judging -- Messersmith believes it’s doable.

“I’m feeling really excited,” Flanigan said. “It’s been a lot of waiting around, so it’s nice to have some plans set into motion, and feel like we’re getting somewhere with the season. Being able to practice in the pool the past couple of weeks after being gone for a year and a half has felt really nice to get old skills back and be around my teammates and coaches again as well.”

Not all student-athletes are returning to programs this winter; some have notified their teams of their decision to opt-out, noting safety concerns amidst a pandemic.

Messersmith said he’s expecting a full turnout at Peninsula -- in fact, a higher turnout than last season -- though Kelly says that some swimmers at Gig Harbor have continued training for other sports, such as competitive paddling.

Sarah Grady, a member of the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team, opted out of the swim and dive season to continue preparing for the Olympic Trials next month.

“I said, ‘good for you. Don’t lose your focus on that,’” Kelly said. “And she felt really bad about having to tell me that. Having been a high-level athlete myself, you’re only young once, and you get those opportunities very seldom, so take advantage of it.”

Messersmith says his team has continued training since the WIAA’s out-of-season coaching period commenced in September, and feels confident that his team can take on some of the best schools in the state.

“We’re going to be in some pretty good company,” Messersmith said. “If we can make a good showing (in the league), we can say ‘hey, look’ … and [athletic director] Ross Filkins has said this too. He’s like, ‘If you could win the SPSL… that’s the toughest 4A league in the entire state.’”

It’s going to be an adjustment, Messersmith says, but it’s an athletic season, one that Phase 2 has granted.

“We want to try to create memories for these kids,” Messersmith said. “And that’s what we’re going to try to do. … The (papers) that I pass out to the parents and kids (say) our number one goal as a team is to have fun. That’s what this is all about, is to have fun. … Be a good teammate, get in shape, have fun, and try to have the best experience possible. And it’s going to be over before you know it, because six weeks goes by quickly.”