Swim team looks forward to offseason

It’s the end of another season for Palomar’s Comets and a somber farewell to some of our students who are going to be moving beyond the scope of Palomar College. Individuals on both the men and women’s team look forward as their season came to a championship close.

The teams finished 14th and 22nd, respectively, in the CCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in East Los Angeles April 28-30.

With the championship meet now in the books, many members are looking forward to life after Palomar. Many of them look forward to the summer weather and spending some time on the coast.

One such opinion was that of Rich Farley, who at the time of this reporting was anticipating the CCCAA Championship in the coming week. A physiology and neuroscience major, and strong contender for first place and a previous second place finisher in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship meet, Farley said he was both nervous and excited to perform in Los Angeles. As a graduating student, the 2-time swimmer of the year was looking forward to his summer break.

“I’m just playing (water) polo and trying to get school all done,” he said in a video interview during one of the team’s practices.

Farley was all smiles at the questions about any potential future in the sport.

“I’m already committed to UCSD and continuing my major there,” Farley said.

Water polo is also in the cards for Farley, who mentioned changing his focus from swimming to year-round practice in the high energy sport at UCSD once his time at Palomar ends.

“If I had to say one more thing it’s that the coaching staff is great; Jem, Scott, couldn’t be without them. Great morally, ethically, teaching you not just swimming, but about being a better person,” Farley said.

Many of the other men’s swim team members had similar aspirations, even some taking a bit of time off to enjoy the rest of their summers.

Several members of the women’s team were also enthusiastic about the coming CCCAA Championship, with many of them looking forward to the time off as well from competition.

One such member was Kelly Harris, who has several individual victories under her belt throughout the season in the 200-meter freestyle. Harris has aspirations to continue her schooling and degree in nursing beyond Palomar.

Despite having been presented with a few opportunities to play water polo during the summer, she’s making the choice to stick to her academics and prepare for the future. A beach lifeguard for the city of Encinitas, she sticks close to her craft, a sport she believes has shaped her entire life.

“I’m probably going to stay here for another year or maybe a semester to finish my pre-reqs and then apply to nursing school,” Harris shared in a poolside interview, motivated to start a master’s program in her field of study and letting swimming take a backseat for a while.

She showed vested interest in providing assistance and support to the coaching staff in the future however, showing her love for her team by continuing to support the Comets.

The final words for the overall feel of the season came not from the individual players who were looking toward the time off, but for those who remain. Coach Jem McAdams took some time to make some final statements about the team and their future prospects, leveraging the kind of community that Palomar College Swim and Water Polo coaches hope to instill in future team members.

“A lot of times our swimmers are here for two years and they get a positive experience from the program,” McAdams said. “Education is our big thing here. They have to finish up their academics and possibly transfer to a 4-year school academically. If they have the times that other universities are looking for, we try to match them up with an environment that fits their skills.”