Novi swim team takes one last jump in pool
Coronavirus doesn’t keep Novi’s swim team from one last jump in the pool
Saturday was meant to be a day that every high school swimmer spent the winter season preparing for.
The 2020 MHSAA state finals were scheduled to take place on Saturday, but were postponed earlier this week when the MHSAA halted any winter postseason tournament and spring practices due to concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak.
Earlier in the week the MHSAA announced it would be holding the finals without spectators, but then had to postpone the events entirely on Thursday.
The announcement sent shock waves throughout the sports and swim community.
Novi swim coach Brent Pohlonski was actually in the midst of trying to organize a send off for his qualified finalists at the high school when he was informed of the decision and then had to relay the message to his team.
“The boys were already on deck and ready to start practice when I had to tell them. That’s one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do as a coach,” Pohlonski said. “We have a large group of seniors this year, so it was especially tough.
Novi was ranked in the top 10 for Division 1 and finished third in the Oakland County Championships earlier in the year. The Wildcats were hopeful to contend for a top spot in Saturday’s event at Oakland University.
“We were all just kind of in shock,” Novi senior Sam Stefanek said of the team’s reaction to the MHSAA’s decision. “We just sort of sat quietly for a while and didn’t know what to do.”
Stefanek had competed in previous state finals as a relay member, but qualified this year as an individual for the first time. He was set to take part in the 100-yard breaststroke, while also competing in the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay.
“I was just looking forward to being there with my team and having a chance to experience the finals in an individual event,” said Stefanek. “It’s hard knowing I won’t get that opportunity.”
In the sport of swimming, athletes are trained and rested throughout the winter to be peaking for the state finals, and the postponement will keep them from being able to see just how far they had come this year.
“In swimming we do all this conditioning and then we rest them and taper them to peak at the state finals. This year, these guys aren’t getting their chance to swim at their full potential,” Pohlonski said. “This is their opportunity to get school records and possibly be a state champion and perform at their best. It’s tough as a coach to know the seniors won’t get that last oppor
tunity to do that.”
After Pohlonski had to break the news to his team, there was a lot of silence, but then the team began to bond together.
“It felt like an eternity,” Pohlonski said of the silence. “We all just sat there and nobody spoke while some guys were fighting back tears. Eventually some guys stood up and started talking about how much they loved their teammates and the team.”
The state qualifiers for Novi then decided they wanted to experience another moment in the pool together and dove in.
“Guys just jumped into the pool because I think they had to get their emotions out,” Stefanek said. “For a lot of swimmers, getting in the pool has always been a way to stop thinking about the other things going on in life. I think we just wanted to feel that normal feeling in the pool and get away from what was going on. It made us feel a little better in the moment.”
Pohlonski was moved by his swimmers’ decisions and wanted them to have that experience as long as they desired.
“I just told the guys that I would stick around the pool as long as they wanted,” Pohlonski said. “It made me feel proud that they love their team and their sport so much that they decided to go into the pool after their dreams had been crushed. It allowed us to bond some more as a team, share some laughs, and leave the pool that day on a somewhat positive note.”
The MHSAA hasn’t officially cancelled the boys swimming and diving state finals. The door is still open for the championship to be held at a later date, though it’s still unclear when athletic activities will be able to resume at all.
“If they held the meet down the road, I am sure the times wouldn’t be as great because of the training aspect that goes into swimming, but there would still be great races and I am sure the athletes would be excited for the opportunity to compete one more time,” Pohlonski said. “There would still be great races and a great environment.”
Regardless of what occurs, Pohlonski hopes his swimmers can learn from this difficult week.
“I think the life lesson in all this is that you have to treasure the moments you have with your team and competing, because you never know when it could be over,” Pohlonski said. “There’s no guarantees in life and you really develop a special bond when you’re part of a team that you might overlook when you’re in the midst of it, but really miss when it is gone. Being able to have those moments is something I think these boys won’t take for granted and will remember the most now.”