OTHELLO – On a mild Wednesday morning in Connell, the Othello Barracudas Swim Club prepared for a meet against Grandview. Swimmers filtered in, some groggy from an early wakeup call and commute, others full of energy and ready to go. However, the only competitors present were from their own team. This meet was held virtually, with times uploaded by both teams afterward.
Forced from their hometown due to the closure of the Othello Community Pool, the Barracudas have been practicing and competing at “home” in Connell this year. Because Connell’s pool does not have starting blocks, they can only have home meets virtually. The team is thriving, despite challenges from not having a pool in their hometown.
Head Coach Madi Douglas and her assistant, Danny Martinez, both say that the virtual meets are not ideal. Still, they are better than not competing at all. “I’m glad that we still get to do a meet. It’s more fun when they get to actually have competition right next to them,” said Douglas. The team does still get to experience regular meets for away events.
Their home meets are time-limited. The Barracudas have the pool from 8-9 a.m., so they have to rush to get through all of the events. “It has to happen during our practice time,” Douglas said.
The team’s practices and ‘home meets’ happen at 8 a.m. in Connell. But the early mornings and distance haven’t blunted participation or morale at all. “I think they’re doing good, especially with the numbers we have,” said Douglas. “We have very committed families and swimmers.”
“They’re a bit tired in the morning. It takes a bit for them to wake up and be ready for the pool,” Martinez said.
Both coaches agree that this year’s team is the largest they have coached.
Sisters Blake (14), Avery (12), and Quinn Schutte (9) are a family of first-generation swimmers. Their mom, Katy Schutte, thought swimming would be something her daughter’s would enjoy after learning about a cousin’s experience. “I thought it was something cool, and we’ve been a swim family ever since,” she said. Schutte has since become a board member for the team.
Each of the girls has their favorite stroke. Blake prefers breaststroke, Avery likes the backstroke, and Quinn is a fan of freestyle.
Mrs. Schutte calls the situation with the Othello Community Pool “gut-wrenching.” “The virtual meets are hard on them. I think they lose the sense of competition. They’re going against each other. But there’s a sense of urgency and competition, and kind of like this adrenaline at an actual meet. The ambiance of an actual meet is awesome. We don’t have that at 8 a.m. against your regular teammates.”
Blake Schutte agreed. “It’s hard on us,” she said. “It’s harder to wake up.” Blake asked her mom after this meet “what’s the point?” because she missed the experience of an in-person event. She wishes that Othello High School would offer swimming as a team sport.
Mrs. Schutte echoed the coaches’ assessment of team participation, though. “Last year we had 47 swimmers, this year we have 66 which is a really good number. So having families be dedicated to swimming is great.” She encourages interested families to visit their Facebook page if they are interested in participating. “There is a link there to swimtopia where they can sign up. I think it’s $80 for the first swimmer and $50 for the second and all you need is a swimsuit.” Goggles and a cap are optional. Boys and girls are welcome. Current team members range in age from five to 16.
The team would love to have a cheering section at their home meets and anyone is welcome. “The kids would definitely like more support,” said Douglas.
Both coaches are following the development of plans to replace or repair the Othello Community Pool. “I think the city will have plans on display at the Fourth of July events with designs you can vote on,” said Douglas. They agree they’d both like to see a 50-yard pool in Othello.
