New Rochelle High School Swim Team Still Without Home Pool
The New Rochelle High School Boys and Girls swim teams have been without a home pool the entire 2021-2022 season. Both teams have been practicing at Mount Vernon High School’s pool and traveling all over the Hudson Valley and New York State for their meets. With no fans cheering them on from the stands, this has been a challenge for swimmers.
The New Rochelle High School pool was severely damaged as a result of Hurricane Ida last September. NRHS was flooded and underwent immense renovation to reopen in November for students, but the pool was (and remains) in need of lengthy repairs that rendered it a loss for this past season. The Athletic Department specifically took a direct hit as flooding damage from the storm directly affected the fitness center, lockers, pool and pump room, according to district officials. This has led to the pool being closed for the foreseeable future with the possibility of reopening in September of 2023.
In regards to the pool, head swim coach Kip Fierro hopes to be involved with the process and planning of a pool renovation. He has held the position of head coach for over 27 years and knows what must be done in order to improve the pool and make it even better than it was before. The absence of a home pool has had some negative effects on practice attendance and keeping swimmers engaged in the sport. Coach Fierro says “it is not as easy as walking out of class and walking 5 steps into the pool. We have to get on a bus and drive to Mount Vernon.” This has been hard for his swimmers as they have to make the hard decision of either going to practice, extra-help/club meetings, or possibly not getting there at all. He also felt it was hard to maintain regularly scheduled practice times as Mount Vernon was hosting their own practices and meets— the New Rochelle team would have to work around the Mount Vernon team’s schedule. The season was further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic: the teams had mandatory testing and vaccine requirements to add to all that was already going on.
Despite all the adversity thrown their way, the boys and girls swim teams were able to finish their seasons with success. The boys have made cuts for states in the 200 Free and Medley Relay, along with Senior Jonathan Carsen making it for the individual 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle. Meanwhile, the whole boys swim team had an impressive run with four wins and five losses. The team is also grateful for the never-wavering support and encouragement of Coach Fierro and Assistant Coach John Freeman. The girls team had a very impressive season too, with seven wins and one loss making them one of the hardest swim teams to compete against in section 1. The girls came in 19th in the state for the 200 yard Free Relay and junior Jaelyn Taylor came in 29th in the state for the 50 Free, making this an exceptional swim season.
Looking to the future, Coach Fierro hopes that the pool will be fixed sooner than expected—he is excited to welcome fans and swimmers back to NRHS. He also looks forward to getting back to teach swimming in P.E. He worries that with the pandemic and then the loss of the pool that some students who would benefit from water safety lessons are missing out on much-needed information.
The boys and girls teams are both losing many members as seniors graduate this year. The boys are losing five senior members and the girls are losing 11. In reflecting upon the contributions and relationships formed with his graduating members, Coach Fierro is grateful for the role that each senior has played during the course of their swim career at NRHS. He is hoping that younger swimmers will step to the edge of the pool and dive in to continue the legacy of NRHS swim team for many years to come—hopefully, back at NRHS Home Pool.