Swimming coaches recall state event

Taking 27 athletes to a sporting event is not an easy task, but for the coaches of the Washington Water Sharks, they look at it positively.

?I think it?s incredible to get kids on to state,? says Water Sharks coach Brenda Adrian.

?It?s a big accomplishment. It?s a smaller number this year than what we?ve had in the past, but that?s because we had a lot of first-time swimmers.

?With that, the goal next year will hopefully be to get 40 to state instead of 29.?

?We also had many illnesses that hurt us right before sectionals, which is the only time you qualify for state,? coach Kathy Dolan said.

?Not only that, but to go along with the new swimmers, 18 of the 22 on the 8-and-under team are brand-new.

?For those, just to accomplish what they did in the season to become better swimmers is pretty big.?

Taking the kids to state requires different concentration.

?They are more focused,? Brenda Adrian says.

?Practices are a little more concentrated. They know exactly what they are swimming at state, where in a regular meet, it gets mixed up on what they want to swim.?

One challenge for the swimmers is swimming a longer length.

?Since we have a 20-yard pool and a normal pool is 25 yards, we have them go an extra length,? says coach Lyndsay Adrian.

?If they were to swim 50 yards in a meet, we have them swim 60 in practice to make up for having the shorter pool.

?In my first year as coaching, it was a big adjustment,? Brenda Adrian says.

?It was heartbreaking because we got to the meet and we thought that everyone is so well prepared and is ready to go, but all the kids just seem to die at the flags.

?So I determined that wasn?t going to happen again. Everyone has overcome the difference very well.?

The swimmers? ability to compensate for the different length gives the coaches a sense of pride.

?It absolutely does,? Brenda Adrian says. ?It?s a huge amount of pride to walk into the state meet and with our small pool, the only one in the state that?s 20 yards, and have people tell us ?you have this many kids in a 20-yard pool? makes me feel good as a coach.?

Out of the five seniors who went, what will be missed?

?I love their personalities,? Brenda Adrian says.

?I love their thoughts of what they share within practice. They put in a lot of hard work. They give direction to the younger kids, whether in practice or in a meet. Our team in incredibly close.?

There is always hope that some of them might come back and still be part of the team.

?I would love that to happen,? Brenda Adrian says. ?The Y would take any of them back. They?ve been a positive influence on all of the kids. I think that would be incredible.

?I swam under coach Milo Steele and I came back. I came back and helped to keep the team from dying. Each year we keep growing and getting more kids. I hope that growth continues.?

Brenda has noted this is her last year a full-time coach but she will come back and assist the team next year. What will she miss the most?

?I will miss the kids immensely,? she says. ?When the season ends, I?m lost and don?t know what to do. During the summer, I will see them out at the county fair or at Wal-Mart. It?s fun to see them.

?They are a big part of your family. The only day you are away from them is Sunday.

?When we start the season in November, with the 13 and over, we are together four nights a week and then have meets Saturdays.?

?They are all a great group of kids and I wish them the best in their future endeavors. There will probably be tears in my eyes at the end-of-the-season banquet when I may not see some of them again.?

Adrian has been part of the program for at least 20 years.

?I started off just coming as a parent with five kids, then I moved up and became part of the parent board. The team was looking for a coach because the ones at the time were leaving.

?I didn?t want the program to die and my kids loved it, so I stepped up doing that on a volunteer basis, and then just haven?t left for the last 15 years. I?m leaving when my daughter graduates and she?s been out for four years.

?It?s fun to watch the kids grow up and move on to other things. Some have decided to become lifeguards.

?They work at the outdoor pool. They will help with the younger kids, as well, whether it?s giving lessons or assisting in giving lessons.

?That makes me feel good that we?ve instilled something positive in these kids knowing they can give something back to the community just like us.

?It?s a great outlet for their personal lives. They can grow in mind, body and soul. They have great character values. They are caring and honest and respectful.?