Ella Falco has one more swim left in her high school career. Instead of swimming against other competitors at the state meet later this month, the Hopkinsville High senior will swim against the clock.
That’s what high school sports in a global pandemic have reduced some of the championships to in 2021.
Falco admits it’s been tough to practice and prepare with pool time limited due to school closures, a late start to the season due to COVID-19, and mechanical issues with the school’s pool.
“It was definitely harder this year because we were in and out of the water and we weren’t consistent. It was hard to feel like I was ready for region this year,” she said.
Falco was ready for the region. She won a pair of individual titles and swam a leg on a relay champion team
“They really mean a lot more because I didn’t know if I would be able to do it at all this year. I didn’t set an expectation to win a region title, so I was really happy with the results.”
Falco has been either first or second in two individual region categories each of her four years in high school. She also helped set a region meet record in a relay last year.
Attendance limitations due to COVID-19 have forced the KHSAA to hold the state swim meet at three different locations. The times at the semi-state locations will be tallied cumulatively to determine the state finishes.
“It’s been beat the clock at practice this year, so I’m used to it,” Falco said.
Once her high school career ends, Falco will continue swimming at Birmingham-Southern College — a program that won its fifth straight conference title earlier this year. She’s hoping to return to some sense of normalcy when her college career begins. However, she’s also looking forward to her final high school swim in what has been a non-normal year.
