Home at last.

The Oak Harbor High School swim and dive team returned to John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool this week when the facility opened for the first time since the doors were shuttered in November after the levy to fund the pool failed.

The Oak Harbor School District, the City of Oak Harbor, the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor and the North Whidbey Community Pool, Park and Recreation Foundation all hammered out an agreement — contributing money, resources and manpower — last week to reopen the facility for several months.

The pool will be open to the public Monday, Oct. 8.

This is a temporary solution and not sustainable, according to foundation director Juli Leete.

If the levy fails again in November, the pool will close soon after, she added.

The reprieve saved the high school swim season.

The Wildcats had been turning out at the private outdoor pool at Admiral’s Cove since the season started in late August.

That pool normally closes after Labor Day, but the community graciously allowed the school district to rent the facility to give the team a place to practice.

As the fall weather worsened (one practice was interrupted by lightning), swimming outdoors became more impractical. The Wildcats were faced with the possibility of cutting their season short if Vanderzicht Pool did not reopen.

While the Oak Harbor team is grateful to Admiral’s Cove, the facility does not allow for diving, does not have starting blocks and is not regulation length. These shortcoming affected the team.

During the summer, before Admiral’s Cove stepped up, there was a question whether there would be a team this school year.

Athletes were not willing to commit to the team because of all the uncertainties and the 25-minute trip each way to Admiral’s Cove, according to coach Amy Merkley.

In the past, the squad averaged about 30 swimmers; this year it has one-third that.

“I’d rather have a rough season than no season,” Merkley said.

“The kids have been really positive; there’s been no complaining,” she added.

The hardest hit by the pool closure was senior captain Kelly Gruenwald, a diver.

She placed at district last year and was aiming for a trip to the state meet this fall. Since Admiral’s Cove does not have a diving board, she practiced only twice since August, making two trips to Fidalgo Pool in Anacortes and working during that facility’s open swim.

“I have to relearn three dives I already had down; dives I should have had down before school started,” she said.

Overall, the team members “have been troopers,” Guenwald said.

Turning out at Admiral’s Cove allowed the team to stay together, which was the important thing, she said.

“It has meant a lot to me over the years,” Gruenwald said. “I know it sounds cheesy, but we are a family.”

Caitlin Dennen echoed Merkley’s and Gruenwald’s comments about the positive attitude of the team, but said it was hectic not knowing where the team was going to practice from week to week.

“But we kept going, hoping they would open the pool,” she said.

The support of the school and Admiral’s Cove made the uncertainty of it all much easier to handle, according to team member Sophie Sandahl.

She, unlike the others, did not think practicing at Admiral’s Cove affected the performance of the team, but she did say returning to Vanderzicht Pool will entice others to join the team.

Merkley noted that the team did add a member this week once the team returned to the local pool and others have indicated they will join.

At the beginning of the season and unsure if Vanderzicht Pool would open, Oak Harbor scheduled all away meets. Now that the pool is available, Everett agreed to travel to Oak Harbor for a 4 p.m. meet Thursday, Oct. 11.

For those who have stuck it out through the twists and turns of the season, it was simply a matter of competing in a sport they enjoy.

“They just want to keep swimming,” Merkley said.