In past years, the attrition rate for high school swimming in Kalispell was high. Kids would show up on day one, grow weary by day two and then be retired by the end of the week. Not every high schooler is prepared for the early-morning grind of swimming season. In fact, few are.
“It’s a lot more work than a lot of them anticipate and, of course, the morning hours are just brutal for some people,” said Brandon Rannebarger, who coaches the girls and boys teams at Flathead and Glacier high schools.
Last year, Rannebarger started with 63 kids in his program. By the end of the season he was down to about 40. But this year, he said, is different. He started out with 36 and now has 35, with a couple more expected to join. Rannebarger doesn’t think he’ll lose any.
With the winter swimming season now underway, Rannebarger said most of his swimmers have been part of his program before, either through high school or his Kalispell Aquatic Team (KATS). They know about the early mornings and intense commitment. There are no surprises.
“This group seems a little more dedicated and they’ve come up through the feeder programs like KATS,” Rannebarger said. “You can see the difference.”
He added: “They know me; that’s a big part. They know what my expectations are.”
For many kids, swimming is a year-round commitment that often requires waking up before dawn. A chilly pool doesn’t sound nearly as welcoming as a warm bed at 6 a.m. But the early mornings, as this year’s swimmers understand, are part of the game.
Last year, a few athletes translated the long hours of practice into success at the state meet. The biggest name from that team was Phil Rempe, who graduated from Glacier High School with a collection of top-five finishes under his belt. Rempe lost the 50 freestyle at state by one-hundredth of a second.
Rempe is swimming in college in Washington, along with fellow Glacier graduate Tessa Heck. Rannebarger also lost Claire Morison and Sammie Hammett to graduation.
Rannebarger should have a few more state contenders this year, including Flathead’s Ashley Judd, Glacier’s Kyle Brady and Glacier’s Brian Hoffman. Those three swimmers have all finished high at state before.
Overall, Rannebarger feels good about his boys teams at both Flathead and Glacier. At the Dec. 5 Flathead Invitational, held at the Summit Medical Fitness Center, Glacier’s boys placed first out of five teams and Flathead finished second.
The girls, Rannebebarger said, are also strong swimmers, but their numbers are lacking at Flathead.
“Our only weak spot is our Flathead girls, number wise,” he said. “But talent wise, they’re good.”
Brady and Hoffman, Rannebarger said, are parlaying their experience into roles of team leadership. The newcomers in particular often need words of encouragement, Rannebarger said. Brady and Hoffman are there to offer those words.
“Kyle and Brian help keep up numbers and make kids feel welcome; they’re doing a great job,” Rannebarger said. “Losing swimmers is partly a product of jitters. They’re standing there by themselves and they feel like people are watching them.”
From top to bottom, Rannebarger said his program this winter has a “solid, solid group of kids and athletes.” And they’re already coming together as a team early in the season, he said. The state meet will be held in Hardin on Feb. 12-13.
“It’s that team unity component that’s really starting to come through,” Rannebarger said.