Boys swim joins lineup of Mount Si High School sports | Winter Sports Update
Published 4:30 pm Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Because there are no winter swimming pool options in the Snoqualmie Valley School District, and due to the low number of participants, Mount Si High School has formed a partnership with Liberty High School to host Mount Si’s boys swim team.
Ray Wilson, athletic director at Mount Si High School, said the team has six students, four freshman and two sophomores. The partnership with Liberty High School lets the Mount Si students join the practices with Liberty and follow the same schedule in the 2A/3A league, but compete for Mount Si.
“We are partnering with Liberty, who uses Boehme Pool (in Issaquah),” Wilson said. “Liberty is a 2A school and they are a smaller squad, we have worked collaboratively with their athletic director and coach… we will help provide for the rental costs for the pool and help pay for some coaching.”
The Mount Si student’s times will count in the 4A league, although they are on the 2A schedule. The school has not had strong participation in boys swim and dive in recent years, but it saw growth this year partly due to the success of the girls swim team, which competes in the fall.
“A lot of it is a shadow of the girls program as it’s grown, we are up to 40 girls there. People got wind of that and it increased interest,” Wilson said. “We are still a fledgling program with six kids in it. We’ve had one or two kids in the past, but have they been absorbed by other programs.”
Wilson said the school got the idea to implement the “co-op” idea from other schools in the state who have done so to give their students a chance to compete in their desired sport.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) must approve the co-op agreement before it begins. The WIAA required Mount Si to get approvals from Liberty High School, the KingCo League and the Sea-King District before they partnership was approved.
The district chose Liberty High School as a partner because, as a 2A school, the Liberty team is relatively small. Liberty was able to accommodate the six Mount Si swimmers without difficulties in swimming lane space and coaching time.
The team members and their families are responsible for transportation to and from the practices and meets. Wilson said the parent support from the swimmers’ families has been very positive.
“It’s about providing kids an opportunity to compete and pursue a passion and our parent group has been phenomenal,” he said. “The parents have been incredible. They’ve formed carpools to take them to their sites.”
Wilson said Mount Si must continue with a co-op partnership for swimming until the Valley has a winter pool option available and the school district is looking into this issue for the future.
Mount Si Boys Swim and Dive
Tue, Dec 6, 3 p.m., vs. Lake Washington at Boehme Pool
Tue, Dec 13, 8:30 p.m., vs. Bellevue at Mary Wayte Pool
Thu, Jan 5, 3 p.m., vs. Juanita at Juantina High School
Thu, Jan 12, 8:30 p.m., vs. Sammamish at Mary Wayte Pool
Tue, Jan 17, 3 p.m., vs. Redmond at Boehme Pool
Tue, Jan 24, 3 p.m., vs. Hazen at Hazen High School
Thu, Jan 26, 8:30 p.m., Interlake at Mary Wayte Pool
