news-record.com

EDEN -- The swimming season for two Rockingham County high schools could have hit troubled waters before they even began. District officials told the school board Monday night that the pool at Rockingham County High is six inches too shallow for swimmers to use the diving blocks there according to North Carolina High School Athletics Association rules.

Associate Superintendent Bill Holcomb told the board the rule has been in place for some time but coaches weren't aware until word came down that the NCHSAA would be looking closely this year to enforce it.

All four high county high schools have swim teams but only Rockingham County High and McMicheal High teams use the Rockingham County High pool. The other two schools use the local YMCA pools.

Swimmers use the short diving blocks for many of their competitions however the NCHSAA rules say races can start in the water. Holcomb said that's an unrealistic solution to the problem.

“That puts our athletes at a competitive disadvantage and other schools aren't going to want to compete that way either,” he said.
Crews will remove the diving blocks on Tuesday.

The district has several options but all look costly including making one end of the pool deeper or raising filtration systems out of the water so the water level can rise.

Swim team practice begins in November and Holcomb doubts a solution will be in place by then. He expects to have some recommendations and cost projections for the school board by next month.