What sports will you be coaching this year?  

I am only coaching Swim & Dive.

What are you most excited for this season? 

This is my second year as head coach, so I am really looking forward to enjoying a less chaotic season with my swimmers. Last year was such a blur with coronavirus restrictions and the learning curve of being a new head coach. Coach Hardaway and I are both looking forward to pushing our swimmers to their highest potential now that we have a year under our belt. I am looking forward to seeing what our team will be doing at state this year. 

What is your favorite part about coaching? 

My favorite part about coaching is the relationships that I get to build with the athletes I coach. We have a wide variety of levels of swimmers (some are very competitive/hard on themselves while others are there more for the comradery and to improve themselves) they need different things from me. 

What is the hardest aspect of coaching? 

The hardest thing for me is creating a balance of competition and having fun. While I love all the fun parts of our program, we are also a varsity sport — that requires me to make some tough decisions. At the end of the day, if the athletes on my team know that I support them/want what is best for them I am happy. 

Did you do any sports while you were in high school? If so, which ones?  

When I was in high school, I was involved in both cheerleading and dance at Cherokee High School. 

What would you say to a person interested in joining Swim? 

While swim is a huge time/physical commitment, it is so much fun to be a part of a program that allows almost every level of athlete. It is a team sport, but the events are done individually so athletes can compete against their own best times in order to improve.

What is your proudest coaching accomplishment? 

Tough decisions come with coaching — I would say that my proudest moment has to do with handling those decisions and making sure to have tough conversations with athletes with grace. I think that, as a coach, having a positive relationship with your athletes is vital to positive performances. I pride myself on maintaining an open line of communication and trying to also teach athletes qualities they can carry on into adulthood.