The Olympic League meet on Oct. 26 was the final proving ground for the swimmers on the North Kitsap High swimming team, as girls fought to qualify for the district and state competitions.

“Some of the girls are just about there,” head coach Greg Braun said, holding two fingers less than an inch apart.

Junior Bethany Aban was one qualification away from being first swimmer to qualify for every event at the state swim competition since Braun has coached the swim team, he said. Though she can only compete in two, qualifying for every event is proof of her dedication to the sport.

“Sometimes we start with girls that can barely swim and by the end of the season they are all true swimmers,” said assistant coach Norene Reeves.

The team ended their season with an overall record of 5-2 and an Olympic League record of 5-2. The team lost to Olympic and Port Angeles in league meets.

During the meet at Port Angeles on Oct. 26, swimmers moved closer to meeting District qualifications. Athena Lemon qualified for District in the 100 yard breaststroke and Jordan Anderson has a possible Wild Card entry in the 100 yard freestyle.

Many of the swimmers have seen a dramatic decrease in lap times, something that will prepare them for competition next year. This is a stark contrast to the timid start some of the swimmers had early in the season.

“The new (swimmers) are dropping time like crazy,” Braun said. “They have all learned how to swim more efficiently.”

The team faced shoulder injuries early in the season and a wave of illnesses, but continued to push through the season, said assistant coach Ingrid Reeves.

Reeves swam for the team from 2005 to 2009 and was a captain for three of those years. The team this year is as strong as she has seen it, she said.

“I am working with a lot of people I used to swim with.” Reeves said. “It’s great we have only lost two meets despite the injuries.”

While new swimmers have continued to work on beating their own best time, preparing for next year, other swimmers continue to put in their best effort for their final qualifications at state.

What the coaches bring to the table is also a valued commodity to the teams, she said.

The team has four coaches, Braun, Ingrid, Norene and Jeffery Reeves­—dubbed Sgt. Shout. All of whom Norene said help refine different sets of skills.

The team does not have a diving coach, which results in an automatic 13 point reduction when competing against teams with divers. However, Braun said he would rather have a strong set of assistant coaches working on what the team already does well.

“I would have to sacrifice the assistant coach position in order to have a diving coach, that just isn’t worth it to me,” Braun said.

Currently, there is not enough funding to provide a certified diving coach and assistant coach, but that has not stopped the team from making it to the district competition. The team only faced one opponent this season where a diving team would have made the difference, Braun said.

“The season has panned out well for us, we’ll see how it ends,” Braun said.