When I saw members of the Bronco girls swimming and diving team bagging groceries as a fund-raiser last week at SuperOne Foods in International Falls, the first thing that came to mind was to jokingly ask whether they are raising money for a new pool.

Kidding aside, a rule revision the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) implemented in 2011-12 on pool depth is having serious ramifications on the Broncos being able to host a meet in the existing swimming pool at Falls High School.

As a result of the NFHS mandating a minimum depth of four feet next to starting blocks, which hasn’t been the case in the FHS swimming pool, the Broncos’ first two scheduled girls home meets ended up being held at Hibbing and Grand Rapids.

Minnesota State High School League Associate Director Lisa Lissimore, who oversees boys and girls swimming and diving, said school districts are not able to obtain a waiver from the pool depth rule the NFHS implemented because of the liability involved with not following the mandated directive.

For school districts in Minnesota that find themselves in the same situation Falls is facing in its pool, Lissimore said districts could still hold swimming meets in their current facilities by starting all events in the water or moving the starting blocks to the deep end of the pool — if possible — or else find an alternate site with the correct water depth.

The NFHS announced that the rule change, which was approved in late March by its Swimming and Diving Rules Committee, is being put in place for pools with a depth of less than 4 feet and at least 3 1/2 feet for “risk minimization purposes and to reflect current trends.”

“This rule change does not require any change in equipment,” said Becky Oakes, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the Swimming and Diving Rules Committee.

However, the practical effect of the new rule is that it presently renders the FHS swimming pool unavailable for hosting a swimming meet held in the usual way with competitors diving off the starting blocks.

Other teams that wouldn’t agree to starting all events in the water can’t realistically be faulted for wanting to hold meets as they should be held with starting blocks for purposes of being able to set records, etc., such as in relay races.

Teams also won’t have to travel 100-plus miles to International Falls for a swimming meet when they can elect to hold meets in their home pools that are deep enough to use starting blocks.

Following the conclusion of both the boys and girls swimming seasons in 2011-12, Falls Superintendent Jeff Peura said the district plans to deepen the first 30 feet from the starting blocks to 5 feet, so that future swim meets could be held in the FHS swimming pool in the usual way with competitors being able to dive in the pool with starting blocks.

Aside from having to find the finances to deepen the pool, which Peura said could cost in the neighborhood of $100,000, an intended consequence of the rule change — preventing injuries caused by swimmers hitting the bottom of the pool — is debatable.

Mankato East High School is also being affected by the rule change and this season will be holding its home swimming meets at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Mankato East head coach Tim Johnson, who has more than three decades of experience coaching boys and girls swimming, said the research he has done hasn’t found there is a problem with injuries from diving 8 inches off the water into 3 1/2-foot depths during competitive swimming events.

While deepening the FHS swimming pool could lessen the risk of someone hitting the bottom after diving off the starting blocks, at the same time it would have the unintended consequence of increasing another risk associated with a pool, drowning, being that those less than 5 feet tall standing on the bottom would find water over their heads in the future.

One thing is for sure in 2011-12 about the pool depth rule for starting blocks. It is leaving the FHS swimming pool “high and dry” in being able to host home meets.

Boneske may be reached via e-mail at kevin@ifallsjournal.com