Perfect timing for KATS

Brandon Rannebarger loves it.

His swimmers ... .

Well, the verdict is still out on that one.

"That's a good question," Rannebarger said of the massive 8- by 10-foot black clock the KATS purchased and had installed at The Summit pool last fall.

"I'm not sure they do (like it)."

So what's the problem?

"The clock doesn't lie," Rannebarger said.

"Sometimes when your swimmers are at 600, 200 away from 800, they can easily say they are at 700. Now with the clock, it's ‘No. No. You guys have 200 left.'"

And that has eliminated any fudging by swimmers regarding how many meters they swam at practice.

It's also eliminated sharing touch pads with other pools for meets and hand-held timing.

"It frees me up to do more hands-on-stuff with the kids," he said.

And instead of the coaches or swimmers counting laps or meters during long exercises, "they can focus more on their technique.

"It's revolutionized my workouts," he said.

"It keeps everyone on track. I can run three or four different practices at the same time. I know right where everyone is at."

The clock posts times and places for six lanes.

"We obviously want to thank The Summit for letting us have it in the pool area," he said.

"We were one of the first (swim clubs in Montana to purchase one).

"It's not cheap," he added. "So anyone out there touched by swimming can get ahold of us. We have (advertising) spots available. Each heat we can thank sponsors. No amount is too big or too small for such a nice tool that helps the kids."

Northwest Orthopedics and Sports Medicine along with Northwest Healthcare were the two first sponsors to help out with the clock funding.