The Redmond High School girls’ swim team is getting plenty of fresh air these days.

With the outdated Redmond Pool at Hartman Park closed for repairs, the team will be practicing at Kingsgate Highlands Pool, an outdoor facility in Kirkland, through September and possibly October. Redmond divers have been practicing at the Juanita High School Pool.

The Mustangs’ season opener on Tuesday against Issaquah was originally scheduled for the Redmond Pool, but has been moved to Boehm Pool in Issaquah. Redmond’s second home meet on Sept. 21 will be at Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club and it has been changed to a tri-meet against Bothell and Ballard, which was originally scheduled to face Redmond in a dual-meet Sept. 28 at Redmond Pool, according to John Appelgate, Redmond High athletic director.

Appelgate said he is still working on rescheduling Redmond’s rivalry meet against Eastlake, which also uses the Redmond Pool, along with the two remaining home meets in October.

“It may get a little chilly, but we will find a way,” Appelgate said.

The Lake Washington School District (LWSD) is paying Kingsgate Highlands Home Association $50 per hour to use the Kingsgate Pool and that money comes out of the Central Athletic budget, according to LWSD communication director Kathryn Reith. LWSD is currently negotiating with Kingsgate to have access to the pool through October, Reith said.

Redmond coach Julie Barashkoff said the uncertainty has been “kind of a stressful thing, but we’re going to run a program no matter what.”

So far, the girls are enjoying swimming in the outdoors.

“I don’t worry about where we’re going to swim as long as we have a place to swim,” said senior Allison Binkerd. “It’s nice to have fresh air, that (Redmond) pool was always stuffy inside.”

Barashkoff, standing pool side on a recent sunny day, said, “we love working out outside. This pool is great. We’re a close-knit bunch of girls and we have a good time out here.”

Although, it’s a different story when it rains as senior Heather Harper pointed out, “but we still have fun,” she said.

The Redmond Pool has been closed since mid-June as the city works to repair the 40-year-old pool, including the drainage and filtration systems. There is no timeline set when the pool will re-open, but progress is being made, according to Mark Hickok, Redmond’s Recreation Division assistant manager who is supervising the pool repairs. The city is working on finalizing a contract with WAVE Aquatics to manage the pool operations and programs, Hickok said.

Despite the change of venue and scenery, Redmond swimmers remain focused on the task at hand, especially Harper, a homeschooled student who is aiming for a state championship in the 100-yard breaststroke.

“My dream would be to win state my senior year,” said Harper, who tied for the state breaststroke title as a sophomore and last November placed second, just two-hundreths of a second behind champion Maria Volodkevich from Skyline. “I really want to win it this year, but I know after last year, anything can happen. Every hundredth is crucial. I really have a desire to win.”

Harper said she has been training hard and feels stronger than ever — both physically and mentally. She placed 17th out of 115 swimmers at the Speedo Junior National Championships last month, with a personal-best time of 1 minute, 12.33 seconds. In addition, she barely missed the cut for Olympic Trials — a goal she is not giving up on.

“She’s worked hard, trained hard and she’s got great goals for this season,” Barashkoff said. “I can’t wait to see how she does.”

Redmond could get two breastrokers to state if Binkerd continues to improve.

“I’ve really stepped it up,” said Binkerd, seeking her first state berth. “I’ve been working a lot on my stroke. It feels really good, a lot better than last season.”

The team captain trio of Harper, Maria Di Iorio (backstroke and freestyle) and Kristi Nakata (200 IM and 500 free) will provide leadership for the Mustangs, who have 27 girls on the team.

Redmond will be bolstered by the addition of two newcomers — Japense exchange student Kisa Iosbe, a junior, and Hannah Stephens, a sophomore transfer from California. Iosbe looks strong in the freestyle and relay events, Barashkoff said and Stephens is another breastroker who will benefit from training with Harper and Binkerd.

Another swim season starts with optimism — even if the Mustangs have to battle the outside elements and rescheduling stress.

“I have a passion for swimming and I love it,” Barashkoff said. “We will do whatever it takes to get through this year and then hopefully the Redmond Pool will stay open and it will be back to the way it used to be.”