Natomas High School yearbook archives.
BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
The call has gone out at Natomas High School: is anyone interested in joining a new swim team?
“At least three kids had already asked, who had gotten wind of it somehow,” said Natomas High athletic director Anthony Agrella about a recent announcement made to students at the campus. “I know we’ve got kids who are interested.”
Both Natomas and Inderkum high schools have added swim teams to their spring prep sports lineups.
It will be the first time the schools have offered swimming since the Natomas Unified School District made budget cuts eliminating those programs in 2009.
The Natomas Unified School District is now actively seeking coaches for boys and girls swim teams at both high schools. Swim practices are scheduled to start Feb. 10, according to the Tri-County Conference’s proposed 2013-14 swimming and diving schedule.
“We have been talking about this for about two years now,” said Matt Hinton, athletic director at Inderkum High School.
In the past, both schools had swim teams of more than a dozen boys and girls. The teams practiced at the Natomas High pool, opened in June 2006 to the tune of $2.8 million.
Hinton said adding swimming back to the schools’ prep sports programs could attract students to Inderkum and Natomas High who may otherwise go to school elsewhere.
Casey Avalos said she would have considered Inderkum for her son, now an 11th grader, instead of Natomas Charter School – if swim team had been an option.
“He would be in on the conversation, but it would definitely be a possibility,” said Avalos. “Especially for a kid like him, who is a competitive swimmer.”
Swimming for a high school team, she explained, gives students more exposure to college recruiters than swimming at the club level alone. School swim programs are also ideal for students who do not have a lot of swimming experience, said Avalos, herself a competitive swimmer in high school.
“I know Natomas has quite a few kids who swam through rec programs,” she said.
If there were a high school swim team, Avalos added, the high schools might be able to tap some of those students.
“I think kids definitely want to swim for their high school,” Hinton said. “That’s why we’re excited about it.”
If there is enough student interest in swimming, Agrella said that adding other sports such as water polo may be an option for the schools in the future.
“(Swimming) is another program for the kids and another way to keep our students in good physical condition,” Agrella said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Natomas High School yearbook archives.
Natomas High School yearbook archives.
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