craigdailypress.com

Peak week. Taper time. Shaving days. Call it whatever, but the week that the Moffat County High School swim team members reduce their workout load to prepare for the end of the season is pretty much a party in the pool.

"Practice is easy this week," senior Sari Maneotis said. "It gets fun."

The girls also have the chance to dust off their razors and shave for the first time in a while. For some of the girls, it is the first time this season.

"We get to wear skirts and look like women again," Maneotis said.

Maneotis, junior Ashleigh McDonald and freshman Caitlin Conci are close to individually qualifying for the state meet going into Friday and Saturday's Western Slope Championships in Montrose.

Conci is the closest. She needs to swim one second faster in the 100-meter backstroke to qualify.

"I should get it," she said.

McDonald and Maneotis are five to six seconds off the qualifying time in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 freestyle, respectively.

Conci will compete in all three relays, and Maneotis will be in the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.

"Honestly, (the two freestyle relays and three individuals) can do it," coach Jennifer Zimmerman said.

"We've had a good week, and as you can tell by their energy, they're ready."

The girls spent the last part of practice filling their swim caps with water and dumping them on each other. After a typical hard day's work, they might get out of the pool and run as far away as possible immediately after their last length.

"We're more excited now," Conci said.

One source of excitement was the team's performance last week in Grand Junction. Everybody dropped times in the last meet after sitting on a time-plateau in mid January.

"It was the end of the season," McDonald said. "We knew we needed to do something."

The Bulldogs will have 15 swimmers competing.

Freshman Kelsey Conci already has qualified for state in the 50-freestyle and so has the medley relay team.

Swimming prelims begin at 4 p.m. Friday. Finals are at 3 p.m. Saturday.