The biggest challenge for the Palisades High swim team this season has been finding pools for practices and meets. Once they get in the water, however, the Dolphins are lapping their competition. Last Friday, Palisades met Western League rival Venice at the Westwood Recreation Center and won three of four divisions. Palisades’ frosh/soph girls won 70-65, the frosh/soph boys won 65-64 and the varsity girls won decisively, 113-59. Palisades’ varsity boys lost, 86-73. Overall, Palisades outscored the Gondos, 186-145. The varsity boys lacked the depth needed to beat the Gondoliers. Swimmers are only allowed to enter four events per meet and every Palisades boy maxed the total events allowed. On Monday, Palisades took on host Hamilton at the EG Roberts pool on Pico Boulevard. This time, the Dolphins won all four categories. The girls? varsity remained undefeated in league this season. Palisades Coach Maggie Nance was pleased that her swimmers persevered despite not having use of their home pool in Temescal Canyon, thus having to practice at Santa Monica College. “I’m so thankful that SMC is bending over backwards to accommodate us,” Nance said. “We’re swimming a lot fewer minutes that we normally would if we had our own pool. The kids’ times are slower this year, and they’re not in as good of shape.” The impact of the Dolphins’ decreased practice time may not be felt until the City Section championships in May, when the varsity girls will look to win their third consecutive title and 18th overall. Defeating Venice by such a wide margin was an encouraging sign for Palisades’ varsity girls because the Gondos finished runner-up to the Dolphins at last year’s finals. The varsity boys, meanwhile, finished eighth last spring. They last won the City title in 2005.
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