Clovest West High School has won the right to host the first three State Championship meets for high school swimming in California, according to the Fresno Bee. Earlier this year, we reported that the CIF had settled on details for the first meet of its kind in the modern era, which will be held in 2015, and that meet will now have a host for at least its first three years.
The Bee, who confirmed the decision with Central Section Commissioner Jim Crichlow, says that the deal will be announced in a press release next week. Clovis has also posted the news on the team’s official website.
The Clovis Unified School District had two potential hosts in the running: Clovis North, with two 50 meter pools, and Clovis West, with just one 50 meter pool, but a better diving facility.
Hosting the meet will include installing a new set of bleachers to hold what could be record-setting crowds for high school swimming in the United States.
Clovis is located just Northeast of Fresno, which makes almost dead-center in the state geographically.
Several of the CIF’s 10 sections on their own can make a claim for being the best high school meet in the country. There’s still a lot of questions about the CIF Championship meet in terms of how much participation and focus it will get; the California High School season already runs well into the long course season, which for many of the state’s top swimmers means into their budding national and international-level careers, but even if it’s met with less-than-full-enthusiasm initially, it will be the most star-studded state championship meet in the country.
Currently in California, the Section level is the highest championship level sponsored by the CIF, though there have been less-formal attempts at mimicking a true state championship in prior years.
Clovis West doesn’t just have an impressive facility, they have an impressive team as well. Their girls have won 17-consecutive CIF Section Championships, and their boys have won 15-straight.
We are looking forwards to putting on one of the best HS meets in the country for the athletes, coaches, and spectators. Clovis West has a great tradition of hosting large meets. We hope the club coaches and swimmers support the meet with enthusiasm. Clovis Unified School District has 5 high schools that will all be working together to put on a great meet. See you in May 2015.
Adam Reid
Head Coach
Clovis West
The Clovis community has invested heavily in their aquatics programs. The CIF central section doesn’t normally get much spotlight, as it does not have near the depth of talent that the Southern and Northern sections of the state have. But the facilities are second to none, and Clovis had a lot of experience running large meets. I hope people warm up to the idea of a CA state meet and we get to see the best of the best going at it in the pool.