Grima continues to amaze

Alicia Grima admits even she underestimates herself sometimes. Hard to believe considering the incoming Woodside High junior has burst onto the local scene like few swimmers in recent memory. The Daily Journal Girls' Swimmer of the Year for the second straight season, Grima capped off a spectacular sophomore campaign when she won the 500 freestyle and placed third in the 100 backstroke at the Central Coast Section Finals in May. It was an encore performance coming off a freshman year in which she placed third in the 100 back and fifth in the 200 individual medley. In a decision that couldn't have turned out any better, Grima decided to try the 500 free at this year's Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division Championships somewhat on a whim, having done the event only a few times during the league season. "It was something spontaneous," Grima said. "I decided to test out the 500 free at PALs and it went well." Did it ever. Grima not only broke the league record, she obliterated it. Her time of 4 minutes, 53.83 seconds shaved nearly five seconds off the previous mark. Grima also set a record in the 100 back, as her time of 56.92 seconds bettered the old record by nearly a second. As impressive as those two races were, Grima's most incredible feat probably came in the 200 free relay at the league meet. Swimming the anchor leg, Grima entered the pool trailing competitors from Burlingame and Menlo-Atherton, who both had a healthy advantage on Grima. Even though Grima knew she didn't have much time to make up the deficit -- each leg in the 200 relay consists of two laps, or 50 meters -- Grima was determined to lead her team to victory. Swimming like a girl possessed, Grima closed in on her competitors by the final turn, then zoomed past them with half a lap remaining. As soon as she finished, Grima saw the joy on her teammates' faces, a moment she won't soon forget. "Anything you do with a team is really nice because you're experiencing joy with all your friends," she said. "For the relay, all I was thinking about was trying to catch the next person. I love competition in that way and as soon as I dove in, I just pushed my legs as hard as I could. I just concentrated on my own lane and kicked my legs super hard until I touched the wall." A year after Grima set a couple of records in the PAL Ocean Division Championships -- Woodside was in the lower division in her freshman year -- Grima came to the Bay and dominated in equal fashion. Wildcats coach Mike Moses has had a front-row seat for all of Grima's races and she never ceased to amaze him. "To watch somebody at that level is really inspiring," he said. "Normally with most swimmers, they have one or two specialties. But Alicia has excelled in every event she's tried. One of the great things about Alicia is she's down to earth and very humble. It's striking because sometimes I don't think she realizes just how good she is." Indeed, Grima doesn't seem to possess an ounce of conceit in her body. She credits her parents, Jim and Debbie, for keeping her humble yet to swim with confidence. "My parents always taught me to not act as if I was better than anybody else," she said. Grima acknowledged she can still develop more confidence. She admitted to being nervous for PALs as a freshman, and anxious for the CCS competition in both years. "I underestimate myself sometimes, so I guess I can improve on being more confident," she said. One thing Grima can take comfort in is knowing she comes to the pool prepared, having put in countless hours practicing and honing her technique. "Every time I get in the pool, I set goals," she said. "One of the things I always think about is swimming in the Olympics and a Division I school. When you think of that, it makes you work hard and give 100 percent every time you practice. And in a race I'll look around and think to myself, 'I can do this.'" Yes she can. After blazing to a pair of records at the Bay Division Meet, Grima didn't think she would win the 500 free at CCS, let alone with another personal-best time of 4:51.09 to blow away the competition. "After the first day (of trials), I didn't feel so great," she said. "It was actually a little scary going up against all these great swimmers. I tried to keep my hopes up for the finals. When I won, it took a while getting used to it. Afterwards, I was like 'Whoa, did I really get first?' It was amazing and I was shocked." She was the only one, because the local high school swimming world has watched Grima pull off the unthinkable, time and again.