One concern often expressed by coaches, parents and fans of sports other than those considered the most popular in Maine is that their student-athletes don’t get much attention from the media.

I would not argue that point. Youngsters who compete in swimming and gymnastics get less press than those who play basketball and baseball.

But coverage reflects interest, not vice versa. If you doubt that, check the latest statistics from the National Federation of State High School Associations.

A 1992-93 survey reports basketball is the No. 1 sport for girls with 397,586 participants in 15,986 schools, and the most popularly-sponsored high school sport with 16,416 schools offering it. For boys, basketball is the second most popular sport with 521,023 participants. That helps explain why, in a basketball state such as Maine, it gets more attention than swimming or gymnastics.

Other sports have their niches in other states. Gymnastics is big in Pennsylvania. Swimming commands attention in California.

There is no argument, either, that swimmers and gymnasts work equally as hard as other athletes. Sometimes, even harder. At the highest level, these kids often train year-round at their own expense outside of school.

While much attention has been focused on basketball, others have been equally busy.

Last weekend, the United States Swimming Zone Championships were held at Princeton University in New Jersey. Coach Jim Willis of the Canoe City Swim Club in Old Town guided the efforts of 55 Maine swimmers, the top two in each event in each division.

Sophie Cowan of the Hurricane Swim Club, 10-and-under, set three state records, finishing third, fourth and fifth in the 100-, 200- and 50-yard freestyle events. Her 100 and 200 times qualified her for national recognition as a top-16 finisher.

Sarah Kovenock of Canoe City set state records, finishing third in the 50 and 100 freestyle, and Jared Felker, 16, of Yarmouth’s Long Reach Swim Club finished fifth in the 100-yard butterfly.

Those were good finishes for Maine swimmers in the event that is considered one of the best age-group meets in the world, Willis said. Since few advance to the national level from zone meets, it is worth noting that Kovenock missed qualifying by 2/100ths of a point.

Many of those 55 swimmers will be in the Hall of Fame Pool in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday through Friday for the YMCA National Swimming Championship.

Canoe City will send 10; Mount Desert Island YMCA Sharks, five; and Long Reach, eight. Willis expects Kovenock, Canoe City’s Debbie Godsoe in the 1,500 freestyle, and David Searles of Bath in the individual medley to do well.

Gymnasts, who train year-round with coaches such as Mike Roberts of the Eastern Maine Gymnastics Center in Bangor, are busy, too.

Following the United States Gymnastics Federation Optional State Meet March 26 in Bath, five boys qualifed for the USGF Regional Meet April 18 in Burlington, Vt.

With four being the highest level, EMCG had age-division competitors in the Levels 6, 5, and 4. Mike Leathem, 17, of Hampden, finished first all-around in Level 4 with 32 out of 44 points. Timmy Thorpe, 13, of Dedham, won the Level 5 all-around title with 32 of 38 points; and Jason Prada, 15, of Orland, was second with 32 points. Stephen Poplaski, 9, of Winterport, was third all-around with 28.2 points; and Riely Watts, 8, of Glenburn, fourth all-around with 28 of 32.4 points.

As with any sport, the absence of a key team member makes a difference. The EMCG girls (scored with the top level being 10) competed in the state meeet without 13-year-old star Brooke Hayes of Bangor who was ill. With her, Roberts exected a top finish rather than fourth.

Erica Bassi, 17, of Bangor, won her all-around title in Level 8 with 33.2 of 38.4 points, qualifying for Level 10. Kristin Johnston, 16, of Bangor, won her all-around title in Level 8 with 28.9.

Anyone who doubts numbers make a difference has only to look at gymnastics.

Even Roberts, whose boys qualified for the regionals for the first time, doesn’t understand why girls must perform at nearly the elite level to qualify for regionals while boys qualify at a much lower level.

But it comes down to numbers. Thousands of girls compete in gymnastics and it may be, as Roberts suggests, that the USGF doesn’t want regionals for which hundreds could qualify.