MORGANTOWN — Morgantown High’s Caroline Riggs happily accepted her state championship plaque at Mylan Park in February 2020, winning the 200-freestyle.
Little did she know, that was the last time she’d share a pool, competing against other swimmers for over a year.
Two weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports for several months, but many outdoor and more spaced-out sports were able to resume toward the end of the summer.
Swimming was not so lucky, with competitions canceled even throughout the late summer and fall and into the winter, but pools re-opened in June.
“COVID has greatly impacted my swim season. I hadn’t been able to race against people since the high school states last year,” Riggs said. “Just before the first shutdown in March, I was about to swim in the West Virginia Club State Championships. Unfortunately, on the day of the first session, the meet was shut down due to COVID. I was still able to swim time trials, but my times did not count as they were not considered official times. After that weekend of ‘racing,’ I was out of the water for 10 weeks.”
Riggs biked, ran and did other exercises outside of the water until the pool re-opened, but she felt like she was still out of shape. In a normal “offseason,” Riggs said she only takes about two weeks off during the entire year, and when she was able to start swimming again last June, she’s worked Monday-Saturday since.
The Mylan Park Aquatic Center opened in late 2019, one of the top swimming facilities in the state, and Riggs understands how fortunate she is to have access.
“I feel for my friends across the state who have not had the same privilege,” she said.
Riggs’ parents are also very involved in her swimming career and have helped her along the way. Her father, Vic, is the head swimming and diving coach at WVU, while her mother, Renee, is her coach with Club Mountaineer Aquatics and involved heavily in the local swim scene.
The high school swimming season began just over a month ago in early March, and it was the first time Riggs competed against other swimmers since last year’s state meet.
Although she’s happy to be back competing, the COVID protocols have forced practice changed and smaller meets compared to normal seasons.
“Some of the fun has been taken out of the sport, as expected, with people more spread out and less time for socializing,” Riggs said. “The 21-lane pool allows for proper social distancing with no more than two kids in each lane with each swimmer starting on the opposite side of the pool. I am very grateful for such space, as it makes the swimmers and coaches feel safe and allows us to follow all protocols properly.”
The Mohigans had just five competitions during the regular season and are gearing up for the regional meet Saturday at Brooke High. The state meet is slated for April 20 at Mylan Park. Typically a two-day event, the WVSSAC reduced it to a one-day, finals-only meet.
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