They’re Making Wilson Proud

Jessica Hardy and Cynthia Barboza may not make it to the Athens Olympics, but if they don’t it won’t be for a lack of effort.

And it won’t be for a lack of trying by their high school, Long Beach Wilson.

Hardy will compete in the 100 breaststroke Monday at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Long Beach. Barboza is already a member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team, albeit as an alternate.

Both will be seniors at Wilson in the fall, thanks to unusual academic arrangements made after lengthy conferences between their parents, school administrators, counselors and teachers.

Hardy, who trains with the Irvine Novaquatics swim club, remained in classes until only 18 days were left in the school year -- until critical meets in Santa Clara and Mission Viejo sandwiched around a week of training with club members in Hawaii became too much.

With daily workouts from 5:30 to 7:30 in the morning and from 3:30 to 7:30 in the evening, there had already been “times when she’s been so exhausted she’s almost been in tears,” said her mother, Denise Robinson.

But when her schedule became even more hectic, she received a big assist. Wilson officials allowed Hardy to drop out of school on May 14, making the grades she had at that point her final marks.

Barboza handled her academic challenges differently when she was offered the chance to train full-time with the national team in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- an unprecedented opportunity for a volleyball player in high school.

A straight-A student, she left home in January with one stipulation: “If she didn’t do her schoolwork and keep her grades up, then the deal was over,” her father Bob said.

The trick: While living at the training center, she remained enrolled at Wilson via correspondence.

“It definitely added hours to my day,” Barboza said. “There were times when it was almost overwhelming. It was definitely an unusual situation.”

The unique arrangements made for extra work, but it was worth it to Wilson Principal Alex Flores.

“I got to see Cynthia in her national-team gear and it was just incredible,” he said. “I was like a proud dad. Knowing the kids personally makes it a totally different spin on the Olympics. If they’re successful, it’ll be a victory not just for them and the school, but for the whole community.”

Barboza, a 6-foot outside hitter, has designs on being her senior class valedictorian.

She received occasional academic help from a tutor retained by the U.S. Olympic Committee and had periodic contact with Tom Pingel, the director of USA Volleyball’s High Performance program, an athlete-services department that focuses on the developing junior players.

The only concession she made to a packed schedule of training was a day of workouts she missed before the national team left for a week-long tournament in Switzerland in May.

“I hated to ask for extra time for schoolwork, but toward the end I had to do it,” Barboza said. “I had three tests to take care of, and it was taking me a ridiculously long time to do it all.

“Back home I focused on school, then volleyball. Here I had to flip it so it was volleyball and then school.”

Hardy qualified for the Olympic trials by clocking 1 minute 8.67 seconds -- fifth-best among U.S. breaststrokers this year -- during preliminary races in May.

Later the same month, she set a national high school record of 1:00.41 in the 100-yard breaststroke at the Southern Section Division Championships.

Hardy must finish first or second at the trials to make the team.

“It depends on if I’m on that day or not,” she said. “I don’t like to have pressure, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Neither would Barboza.

“I have no regrets about coming out here,” she said of her Colorado training home. “If I’m not the best and don’t get to go, then at least I’ll know I’ve tried to take full advantage of the opportunity to be in this situation.

“I’ll know I’ve done my best.”