Back in the Swim at Royal

Crescenta Valley’s swim teams lost their chance to go undefeated last week when they lost to Hart in a nonleague dual meet at Crescenta Valley.

The Falcons will regroup Saturday at the Royal High Invitational at Rancho Simi Community Park. Competition begins at 9 a.m. and runs until approximately 5 p.m.

Crescenta Valley’s boys have won the event five years in a row. Last year, the Falcon girls won their first Royal title to complete a sweep of the largest and most competitive invitational meet in the region.

The 19th annual event is expected to draw 22 teams and 1,100 swimmers from throughout Southern California.

“It’s a meet for everybody, that’s the thing,” Coach Steve Snyder of Royal said.

“For the JVs and non-elite swimmers, this is as close to a championship meet as they’re going to get, and it’s also good for the elite swimmers who are looking for a fast pool and fast competition.”

Crescenta Valley should face its toughest competition from Hart, which was the boys’ Southern Section Division II runner-up to the Falcons last year.

Boys’ competition could also come from Ventura, Rio Mesa and Westlake, which was the second-place finisher last year.

Other top girls’ teams on the are Ventura, Westlake, Royal and four-time defending City Section champion Granada Hills.

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Steve Neale, Hart boys’ coach, and Becky Martin, girls’ coach for the Indians, are looking forward to the Royal meet--and to trying out their new walkie-talkies.

The coaches intend to use the radios to keep in touch with each other and to keep track of their teams at the sprawling meet.

“I tell the kids it’s like the Woodstock of swimming,” Neale said. “There’s tents all over the place, the kids are all over, and it’s just such a big meet that things can get confusing.”