Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Sarah Kirkwood wants to win two state swimming titles and a volleyball state title.
By EMILY NIPPS
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 30, 2001
TAMPA -- Official records aren't kept on these things, but it appears Plant sophomore Sarah Kirkwood has a chance to do what no one in Florida has ever done.
She could help lead her team to a state volleyball title and win an individual state title in swimming -- within eight days of each other. Her volleyball team is ranked fifth in the state in its class. In swimming, she finished fifth in the state as a freshman in the 50-yard freestyle.
Winning two state crowns in the same season is a feat that will require a 24-hour period of inexhaustible focus, perfect timing and some luck.
On Nov. 10, Plant will compete in the district swimming meet in Largo. The same day, the Class 4A state volleyball final is in Orlando.
Assuming Plant's volleyball team reaches the final, Kirkwood hopes to complete her two swimming events (50 and 100 freestyle) and win a volleyball crown the same day.
"It's a conflict," Kirkwood's mother, Karla, said. "But it's not impossible."
The 24-hour crunch actually would start the night before, when Plant could be in the state volleyball semifinals in Orlando.
The next day would begin with Kirkwood swimming district preliminaries at 9 a.m. followed by the finals at 5 p.m. The 50 will come first, then the 100. At that point, Kirkwood might be faced with a difficult choice.
The 4A state volleyball final is at 7 p.m. -- back in Orlando.
She must finish in the top three at the district swim meet to guarantee a spot at the state meet, though skipping the 100 wouldn't necessarily eliminate her if she swims a good enough time in the preliminaries to earn an at-large bid.
"I'm so mad that both events are on the same day," Kirkwood said. "If the volleyball match was scheduled for the later time (6A plays at 8:30 p.m.), I'd be golden. I'd have no problem swimming both events."
Right now, Kirkwood is more concerned about if she'll make it that far, rather than how she would get through that day.
After all, as hectic as that would be, Kirkwood has had hectic days before. Her day-to-day life is a constant juggling act.
At 5 a.m., the crickets are still chirping and Kirkwood kicks off her flip-flops and walks to the edge of the Berkeley Prep pool, where she trains.
It is dark when she arrives, and it will be dark when she leaves. But the pool lamps softly light the woodsy edge of the campus. Capped and goggled, Kirkwood stands there sleepily, leaning her body against the diving block. She finally jumps.
And she's off.
This is where the 15-year-old kicks her legs, memorizes biology homework and organizes her day.
It's a day that begins with the hour-and-a-half swim and a shower with a hose outside the pool's fence. It's a day that includes three advanced placement classes and three honors classes -- no electives -- and a constant intake of Goldfish crackers and frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts. It's a day that winds down with a two-hour volleyball practice and another two hours of swim practice, if there's no match or meet that evening. And it's a day that finishes with chemistry or Latin or algebra studies, which end when Kirkwood falls asleep.
What Kirkwood is doing -- playing two sports at a time and maintaining straight A's -- is rare but not unheard of in high school. But the level at which Kirkwood is doing it -- as one of the top freestyle swimmers and one of the top volleyball players in Florida -- is highly unusual.
This could be her last chance at the double if, as her sisters did, she settles on one sport for her junior and senior years.
"Some days, I never want to set foot on a volleyball court again or deal with the whole team thing," Kirkwood said. "Then there are some days when I hate the pool and the monotony of swimming."
For now, she sticks with both sports because she can't imagine living without one or the other. And no one -- not her parents, teammates or teachers -- have reason to complain.
Not even her mother, who wakes her daughter at 4:30 a.m. and sits by the pool until practice is done 6:20.
"I can't complain," Karla Kirkwood said, "because she doesn't complain."
Karla, a stay-at-home mom, and Peter Kirkwood, a tax attorney, aren't sure where it came from. But all three of their children have it.
It's an intensity and drive that began with Allison, now a freshman swimmer at Stanford. It trickled down to Emily, a junior volleyball player at Plant, and resides in Sarah.
"Emily's actually the more laid-back one, more of a people person," Sarah said. "She's gifted athletically and makes A's, but she's not as psycho as Allison and I."
All three girls were encouraged to try different sports, including gymnastics and Little League softball, at a young age. Their parents began hearing the same pitch from coaches.
"It seemed like every coach wanted them to stick with one sport, to focus on just one," Peter Kirkwood said. "But I've always felt that it was good for them to try different sports and play as many as they like."
Everyone in the family agrees Sarah has the most balanced opportunity when it comes to sports. She attended Berkeley Prep last year, a convenience because both of her club programs are run there, but transferred to Plant to be closer to her sister and friends.
Eventually, Allison said, Sarah might be forced to make another decision.
"I think, eventually, yes, she'll have to choose one sport," Allison said. "It's a lot easier for her to handle it now, but it'll get harder as her schoolwork gets harder.
"She's so good at both and could probably take either one as far as she wants. I kind of think she'll end up swimming."
Randy Dagostino, Sarah's year-round volleyball club coach, said he is convinced Sarah is best suited for his sport.
"I've talked to her family, and Sarah knows what I think of her potential," said Dagostino, who also has coached Berkeley Prep to 11 state titles. "As far as her ability to attack the ball, I don't know but a handful of freshmen that could do what she did as a freshman.
"If she continued to develop as a volleyball player, she could have her pick of Division I schools to go to."
While Kirkwood can train in the pool whenever she finds time and commits up to 30 hours a week to swimming, her volleyball teammates need her to be on their schedule. That's not always possible.
"I always try to be at practice and at least be there for the important matches," she said. "I don't like to blurt out, "Can I skip Thursday's practice to go to a swim meet?' in the middle of practice. So I'll usually just tell my coach in her office."
Most teammates say they understand, even though Kirkwood might miss one or two practices a week as well as a handful of matches.
Plant, 21-5 entering tonight's regional quarterfinal against Lake Gibson, has one of the state's top 4A programs, and Kirkwood is too valuable to the team for anyone to complain.
Last year at Berkeley Prep, Kirkwood led the Buccaneers in kills as a freshman. As an outside hitter, she is one of the Panthers' primary attackers. "She brings a lot of attitude and leadership to the court," Panther teammate Claire Colbert said. "It would matter if she came to matches and didn't play well. But I know she'll always get the job done."
"None of us really care about when she's gone," Mia Johnson said. "We know there's time she misses swimming, too."
Kirkwood's club swimming coach, Kevin Rosepapa of the Berkeley Barracudas, keeps her on a detailed regimen and monitors the time she puts into swimming, a sport that relies on strict focus and dedication.
He meets Kirkwood at her morning practices and tailors special drills for her.
"Sarah's too smart for her own good," Rosepapa said. "She only needs to do about a quarter of her schoolwork. She can do swimming and volleyball because she's not challenged at school."
But Plant swimming coach Gil Gonzalez, who has coached all three Kirkwood sisters, said he is afraid Kirkwood's times will suffer from the stress of trying to excel at everything.
"There's no doubt she's in a position to (win titles in both sports)," Gonzalez said. "But she's in a very competitive class in swimming, and it requires a lot of time. There's no break in the training."
Kirkwood misses some meets but tries to stick with a regular year-round training schedule. Her regular-season times don't reflect her coach's confidence in her ability to compete with the best in the state.
Being one of the few two-sport athletes at the state meet could hurt her chances.
Still, if she chooses, Kirkwood could take swimming as far as she likes, her coach said. "She's Division I, no problem," Gonzalez said. "If she stopped doing volleyball, I know she could be a double champion in swimming."
Gonzales shrugged at the thought of her attempting a run at titles in both sports.
"If anybody can do that, it's Sarah Kirkwood."
Kirkwood doesn't believe she's perfect and doesn't try to be. As important as volleyball and swimming are to her, she probably doesn't need them.
"I think of the three sisters, Sarah is the one who could give up sports the easiest," Peter Kirkwood said. "That's just her personality. She can put something down and pick something else up just as easy."
Kirkwood admits she sleeps through a lot of her classes and doesn't try to make perfect grades on every test and paper. But she makes all A's on her report cart, mainly to prove she can balance her demanding schedule.
"I know both sports are suffering," Kirkwood said. "And I've accepted that I can't do it all forever."
And, yes, she has a social life. She goes to football games on Friday nights, goes to parties with Emily and watches hours of television.
In fact, the only thing her friends and family find odd is the type of shows she likes to watch -- hospital trauma shows and emergency room documentaries.
"She used to want to be a brain surgeon when she was younger," Allison said. "I think now she wants to be a heart surgeon."
Aside from the fun, Sarah does what she has to do.
"I hope I keep up volleyball and swimming, at least as long as I can handle it," she said.
"But I know if I want to be really, really good at something, I have to start taking things more seriously."