Swimmers at Washington, Jefferson and Kennedy can stroll down the hallways at their school and jump in the pool for practice. Not at Linn-Mar.

The Lions don’t have a pool.

Linn-Mar practices at Coe College, which requires a daily bus ride toward downtown Cedar Rapids. Coe has a terrific facility, but there are logistical problems.

For one thing, there’s not enough time for the Lions to practice before school in the morning. That puts them at a competitive disadvantage, because Washington, Jefferson and Kennedy all swim before school and after school.

For another, Linn-Mar cannot practice immediately after school because the Coe pool is booked with other groups. The Lions practice from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and don’t return to school until approximately 10 p.m.

“It’s a huge commitment for the guys,” Linn-Mar Coach Ralph Cortez said. “It’s a hurdle.”

The Lions lift weights in the mornings at Linn-Mar, but there’s no morning swim. So while the other Metro schools have two practices per day, the Lions are trying to keep pace with a single practice at Coe.

The impact? “Huge,” Cortez said.

On top of all that, the Lions don’t have the Coe pool to themselves . They share the facility with other groups from 7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., then have the water from 8:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Despite the restrictions, Linn-Mar finished ahead of Jefferson and Kennedy at the state meet last year and the program appears to be growing. Cortez had 14 swimmers when he became the head coach seven years ago, and now he has 35.

“We’ve turned out some really great swimmers, so I’m excited to see what will happen when the circumstances change,” he remarked.

By “circumstances,” Cortez means Linn-Mar getting its own pool someday.

“It has been proposed and it has been taken forward, but it always stops,” he said.

Cortez, 47, is not complaining. A successful swimmer himself at Fresno State from 1982-86, he’s proud of his team. He said most of the swimmers have “great” GPAs and are involved in other school activities.

“They’re busy, busy people,” he said.