MINDI RICE; The News Tribune

Published: October 5th, 2006 01:00 AM

   In an instant, things can change. 

   Swimmers win races by hundredths of a second, sometimes making the smallest fraction of time the most significant.

   But a larger measure of time – say, a year – can also make a huge impact on a swimmer.

   If Nakayla Chan were a year younger, or the WIAA classifications had changed a year earlier, Chan would likely already have a state title. Instead, she just started her sophomore year at Fife.

   As a ninth-grader, Chan finished second to Holy Names’ Ashley Daly for the 3A/2A girls state championship in the 500-yard freestyle.

   As a sophomore, Chan won’t compete against Daly this year.

   With the WIAA’s reclassification that took effect this fall, Fife is now a 2A school while Holy Names is still at the 3A level.

   In past years, that wouldn’t have mattered; however, enough girls swimming programs dropped to 2A under the new guidelines that the 3A and 2A classes will have separate state championships for the first time.

   “Our rules require that once a classification has that number that meets the criteria, it gets it’s own state tournament,” said Mike Colbrese, executive director of the WIAA.

   “What happened when we broke out the numbers was with the new cutoff line there was a large number of 3As that are now 2As.”

   There are now 27 small-school 2A programs with girls swimming, meaning that such schools as Fife, Steilacoom, Centralia and others will have their own chance to shine at state.

   “Now that we’re 2A, you have to have a really high level of self-motivation,” Chan said. “This year’s going to be hard because I don’t know any of the other swimmers in my league.

   “It’s going to be a lot harder, a lot of new challenges that I have to face. I think it’s going to be a totally different aspect to look at. I look forward to it; I like challenges.”

   Chan, a swimmer since shortly after she could walk, competes year-round with the Tacoma Swim Club and spends her autumns doing double pool duty for her Fife team and her club team.

   While she rarely gets a vacation – “August, when all the other sports are out, too,” – Chan is in her element in the pool.

“I think (the biggest thing) is the competitive aspect and what I’ve gained from it,” Chan said. “It’s just so rewarding when you hit that wall and you’ve dropped time. All of your hard work, all of your pain, all of the stress you’ve gone through is gone. You’ve achieved your goal.”

   When she finished second in last November’s state meet, Chan had whittled her time in the 500 freestyle from 5 minutes, 12.84 seconds at districts to a 5:03.85 time – and All-American consideration – in the state finals race.

   “She has what it takes,” Fife coach Jo Bushnell said. “She knows what it takes at her level. … If you call her on something, there’s no excuses.”

   Chan was one of five swimmers chosen by legendary former Wilson High School boys swim coach Dick Hannula to show their skills at a Northwest coaches clinic during club season.

   “There was an Olympic athlete there,” Bushnell said. “She watched Nakayla swim and said, ‘That girl really has a feel for the water.’ ”

   Chan has already met the state meet qualifying times in the 500- and 200-yard freestyles and the 200-yard individual medley. Teammate and fellow sophomore Alicia Cleveland also has three state qualifying times – the 200 IM, 100-yard breaststoke and 100-yard butterfly.

   In the seventh year of the Fife girls swimming program, the squad may not be a state power, but it has the potential to be a strong competitor in 2A.

   The state 2A meet has slower qualifying standards, so those precious hundredths of a second still count for swimmers such as Chan and Tumwater’s Karlyn Hougan – who won the 200-yard free and finished second in the 100-yard free in 2005.

   Together, they would have ruled a 2A meet in 2005.

   This year, they have the chance to prove their time has arrived.

Mindi Rice: 253-597-8680

mindi.rice@thenewstribune.com