Joint Wildcat-Bulldog swim team proposed

A group of swimming supporters recently petitioned the Columbia Falls and Whitefish school boards to create a joint swim team. Trustees in both boards seemed to support the proposal and took it under advisement until their next meeting.

Mike Nelson serves as head coach for the Columbia Falls summer team and assistant coach for the Wave Ryders in Whitefish.

“We have kids that are in high school or are close to high school who are looking for an opportunity to swim,” Nelson told the Whitefish school board March 13. “We have good swimmers in Columbia Falls and Whitefish.”

Organizer Courtney Babcock said the new team, if approved, would combine high school swimmers from both schools.

The team would be a completely separate entity from the Columbia Falls summer team. High school swimmers in the combined Whitefish-Columbia Falls team cannot compete in the summer league. The summer league places strict limits on practices.

The proposed swim team would receive no school funding from either district, Babcock said last week. It would be funded by a joint effort from the Columbia Falls and Whitefish community members as a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity, Babcock said.

The cost for the team would run about $13,000 annually, she said.

In addition, swimmers would pay $100 to participate and would be required to purchase their own equipment. Montana High School Association rules also requires that the head coach be paid.

If both school boards approve the plan, the swim group will apply for approval with the MHSA for inclusion as a state-sanctioned sport. The joint swim team would include boys and girls and likely compete in the Class A division. The swim season runs from mid-November to mid-February, and practice would take place at The Wave athletic club in Whitefish.

Athletic director duties, including scheduling, coach selection and athlete monitoring, is expected to be shared between John Thompson at Columbia Falls High School and Jackie Fuller at Whitefish High School.

At the March 12 Columbia Falls school board meeting, Thompson expressed concern that a swim team could draw students away from other winter sports. He also expressed concern that adding a program while existing programs potentially face budget cuts might create a negative perception within the community. Whitefish had similar concerns.

“It is not our intent to take anyone from other winter sports,” Nelson told the Whitefish school board. “Our main intent is to get people who might be sitting on the couch doing nothing and get them involved.”

Nelson also noted students from both schools who want to swim currently are limited to transferring to Kalispell’s team. To make sense, a minimum number of swimmers is needed for the team, he said. Ten swimmers from both boys and girls are needed to fill every event.

All told, Babcock said the team would need about 20 members.

She said the school boards will likely vote on the measure at their first April meetings. If it’s approved and the Wave agrees, the team would look to start its first season in the fall.