Slew of challenges surface for Niwot swim team

First-year Niwot girls swim head coach Kyle Bachrodt will have limited time to learn his new team members. Although their final schedule hasn't been decided, meets are permitted to begin as soon as Jan. 25, just one week after the start of practice.

Luckily for Bachrodt, he leads a Niwot team that is well-versed in success. The Cougars are coming off back-to-back Northern Conference championships and the expectations remain high in 2021. Former head coach Sarah Stamp stepped down following last season, however, and Bachrodt was hired in October.

"(I've) been doing a lot of research as far as looking up individual times for each swimmer and I'm very impressed with what I see," Bachrodt said. "We're gonna be very competitive and I really think the sky's the limit."

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bachrodt has yet to meet with his team in person and has only communicated with the swimmers through email. A large part of his preparation has been virtual, including talks with Stamp and other coaches in the league. He will also have the benefit of working alongside Aimee Keronen, joining as an assistant coach.

Bachrodt was previously a swim coach at the Boulder Country Club and is familiar with a few of Niwot's swimmers, including sophomores Rowan Lavigne and Cielle Burnett. He also mentioned freshman Alexa Sharp and junior Grace Shaw as swimmers he has worked with in the past. But on Jan. 18, his inaugural practice, expected to be held at Centennial Pool in Longmont, will be an introduction to his style for most of his swimmers.

One of Niwot's most decorated swimmers entering the season is junior Mary Codevilla who earned two individual 4A state titles last season. A recent Notre Dame commit, she will be an integral part of Niwot's hunt for a team state championship.

Although Bachrodt was encouraged by the high number of swimmers who have stayed in shape with a club team, having just one week to prepare is not ideal.

"Myself, like probably every other coach across the state, is not excited about that," Bachrodt said. "It's tough to get especially a swimmer into competitive shape in just a week. We're really going to have to rely on our year-round club athletes who have been training over the last few months to get us going to start the year."

Navigating the chaos of high school sports during COVID-19 will be another challenge for Bachrodt. Boulder County recently disallowed high school wrestling in the area but has not yet made a definitive statement on swimming.

"I think there's always going to be concerns, but that's going to be my job and assistant coaches' jobs to really mitigate any of those risks and to keep it in control as best as we can," Bachrodt said. "The goal is just to get through the season as safe as possible and not get us shut down or not have to quarantine any of our swimmers."