Warriors Benefit From Move -- Edmonds-Woodway Works In New Pool And Gets Stronger

Call it a fortunate misfortune.

A serious lack of pool time has forced the Edmonds-Woodway High School girls swimming team to spend the past four weeks working out at Yost Pool, while the Edmonds School District moves to replace the Lynnwood Pool, which is closed for refurbishing.

The move outdoors has had a positive effect on the Warriors.

"Normally, we'd be sharing the Mountlake Terrace (community) pool with Terrace (High School), all at the same time," Edmonds-Woodway Coach Jerry Curtis said. "We'd have 35 girls all trying to swim in three lanes of a six-lane pool.

"We've been able to work hard on starts, something we can't do at the Terrace pool because it's not deep enough, and we've been able to work on turns and relay exchanges that we can't work on over there. I'd say we're about 30 percent further ahead now than we'd be if we were sharing a pool."

The Warriors will need that head start. This season the school moves up from Western Conference Class AA to Class AAA.

Edmonds-Woodway, Edmonds and Woodway high schools before last year's merger, had competitive Class AA swim programs. But the demands of being one of the state's bigger schools are greater.

Curtis said the team had a 2-minute, 7-second time in the 200-yard medley relay this season, which would qualify for the Class AA state swim meet.

"But at Class AAA, we're still seven seconds shy of qualifying," he said. "That's how much more competitive it is up there."

The 35 girls out for the team are looking forward to the Class AAA challenge.

"On the one hand, I'm looking forward to it (the move up in classification) because it is more of a challenge," said junior Casi Stammen, a team captain. "But at the same time, I'm nervous about it because it may be too much of a challenge (this year)."

Sophomore Julie McAndrews said the challenge has already pushed her to equal her best time of last season.

"Last year I finished the season with a time of :28 in the 50-yard freestyle," she said. "This year I've already done :28. Last year I lowered my time two full seconds during the year and I hope I can do the same thing this year.

"So far (the move up in classification) has pushed me a lot harder. I'm going 100 percent in practice this year every time out. Last year I'd take it easier in practice. I think it's helped me be a better swimmer."

But the one thing both swimmers feel is needed is their own swimming pool.

"That's the difference," Stammen said. "Most of those other schools have their own pool and they can work out whenever they want. That's a big difference. They can get a lot of time in the pool when we have to swim with 12 or 13 girls to a lane (at Terrace Pool)."

McAndrews agreed.

"The big difference is getting the time in the water," she explained. "If we can't swim, we have to train out of the water, and it's not the same thing."

Curtis has two swimmers back from last year's state Class AA swim meet, and he expects both to go back to state this year: Soo Song, who ranked No. 8 last year in the 100 backstroke, and Lindsay Buroker in the 100 breaststroke.

For the most part, the weather has cooperated. Yesterday, the Yost Pool, which nestles into a wooded amphitheater, was bathed in sun as the swimmers went through their paces. Curtis, meanwhile, watched the workout while soaking up sun in a deck chair.

"It's been great out here," Stammen said. "We haven't had any cold weather. I love it."

Curtis said the City of Edmonds is to be thanked for allowing his team to use the Yost facility.

"We're the only ones using this pool now on a regular basis," Curtis said. "The City of Edmonds has been very kind."

But it has also been expensive for the Edmonds School District. Yost Pool is the most expensive facility the district uses, because the school is the lone user.

"We have to pay for everything," school district Athletic Director Kim Wilson said. "We have to pick up the tab for everything, from lifeguards right on down."

Wilson said the Shoreline School District called last week, wondering if he'd care to move a scheduled meet from Yost to the Shoreline District Pool.

"I said for what we have to pay to swim at Yost, we're going to swim at Yost," Wilson said, laughing.

After next week, Edmonds-Woodway will move back into a shared occupancy at the Mountlake Terrace Pool, and the Meadowdale and Lynnwood teams will move practices from the Lynnwood Pool, which has remained open because of delays in starting its renovation project, to the Explorer Middle School Pool in the Mukilteo School District.

Several meets that had been scheduled for the Lynnwood Pool have been moved to the Mariner High School Pool, and Cascade High School, which has also lost its pool to a facelift, is using the Olympic View Middle School Pool.