Oct 05, 2022
My experiences come from coaching four years at the high school level, as well as four years of a local club team and finally making the move to coaching at the collegiate level for DePauw University for the past three years. Many of the experiences that I have come across came from the fifteen years I have been swimming competitively, my years as a high school swimmer, and for my years as a college athlete in swimming and water polo.
Throughout my years as an athlete I have been able to experience many different styles of coaching, techniques and understanding of new ways to teach certain strokes. I have had the pleasure of working with many different coaching styles as well as coaches who have brought a new way in looking at the strokes. Through my prior experience as a teammate and as an assistant coach, I have learned many lessons and techniques that have helped me be an excellent and proficient coach - all of which I employ in my coaching duties today. Among others these include teaching proper stroke technique, instilling a winning work ethic, running drills to maximize conditioning, helping maintain a healthy mental attitude and explaining race strategies for many of the events.
When it comes to my coaching philosophy. I am a big believer in the idea of how one's body feels, and what is going through one's mind before and after each race. Helping with ideas, race strategy and mental positivity is one of my biggest focus points as a coach.
When getting to the heart of the season in regards to racing, meets and practice there is no other place I would rather be than on the pool deck. Being able to coach everyday, talking to the team and getting to know them/what they want to work on throughout the practice, week or even the season really helps me focus on what should be prioritized when writing for practice groups. I have had the great fortune to work with wonderful athletes, and they are a huge reason why I love coaching. Being able to connect with them and just help when they are on and off the pool deck really helps make that connection stronger, and also helps build trust between myself and the team.
Collegiate Assistant Swimming Coach
Watertown, MN, USA
