Swimmers from five regional high schools will compete this Friday, May 4, in the Monterey Bay League Swimming Championships at the .
The five schools are:
- Christopher High School
- Seaside High School
- Monta Vista Christian High School
- Watsonville High School
- Monterey High School
The meet’s winners will go onto the Central Coast Section championships, making Friday’s swims the biggest of many of these athletes’ high school careers.
“These swimmers are swimming for their lives,” said Jim Shuster, owner of and an official starter for Friday’s championship. “There’s going to be a lot of people qualifying for CCS. Records will be made.”
According to Shuster, although many of the events are individual contests, the top 12 swimmers in each event will get points that will be added to their school’s overall score.
When the meet is over, first, second and third place teams will be crowned.
Shuster anticipates that a crowd of between 350-400 will attend the championship Friday. The teams and their supporters, he said, really get into the spirit of competition.
“The kids are so team oriented,” he said. “They have their own cheers and make banners and signs. But at the end of the meet, they’ll all shake hands and tell each other ‘good job.’ There’s that level of respect there.”
Admission is free for swimmers but a $3 entry fee will be charged to non-competitors. The meet kicks-off at 3 p.m.
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