By Maddy Braybrooke
Staff Writer
With new coaches and tryouts, the Mira Costa swim team started off the 2014 season with a turn of the tides.
Science teacher Dan Bartlett resigned from head coach of the swim team after 14 years in early 2013. His coaching career ended on a positive note, after leading the Mira Costa swim team to second place in Bay League in 2013.
Now, former junior varsity coaches Heidi Nelson and Jon Reichardt will be coaching the varsity team in place of Barlett. Newly-hired math teacher Courtney Murphy will be coaching the junior varsity and frosh-soph teams.
“I expect my swimmers to show up every day and try their hardest no matter what they are doing,” Murphy said. “I care about effort. I want them to stay healthy and keep a positive attitude. If they do all of that, then they will most likely improve.”
Murphy competed on the Mira Costa varsity swim team as a student for all four years. She previously coached the Costa team in 2005, when she was a freshman in college, and continued to participate in swim throughout her time at Loyola Marymount University.
“It is hard switching from Bartlett to the new coaches because everyone was so used to how he ran things,” junior Malia Elson said. “He had been doing it for so long, so it is weird for all of us. We cannot quite adjust to not having him as our coach. He is definitely missed.”
Last year, students had to swim a 100-yard freestyle and a 200-yard individual medley in two minutes to qualify for the team. This year, the tryout consisted of two parts. In the first set, swimmers had to complete 10 100-yard freestyles, while maintaining the best time interval for each set. Next, swimmers had to do 16 50-yard medleys, which consist of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. Reichardt and Murphy believe students need to be able to swim at least that required amount during the tryout because they would have a more strenuous workout during practices.
“Heidi and I felt like the tryouts needed to give the kids an idea of what we expected out of them,” Reichardt said. “ We knew that they could handle it but also wanted to see how they dealt with a challenge.”
According to Murphy, the tryouts were changed to better test the swimmers’ abilities in endurance.
“I think it was very different than what we have done in the past,” Murphy said. “The tryout was aimed at making sure that a swimmer could succeed in completing a full set.”
According to some of last year’s varsity swim team members, the tryouts were not extremely difficult and focused on the swimmers’ overall ability.
“I think the tryouts this year were very different from prior years, but they should be a good indication of the athletes’ swimming abilities,” varsity swimmer Gig Franco said. “I am not sure how the new approach will pay off, but I hope it has a positive effect.”
A second tryout was held for a small number of swimmers who either felt sick or were unable to complete the sets, so they were asked to come back. The second tryout provided swimmers with another opportunity to make the team with the same requirements as those in the first tryout.
Swimmers who completed the first tryout had the opportunity to try out a second time and swim in a faster time. Although the tryouts have already occurred, the placement of the potential swim team members is undetermined.
“The swimmers did a great job,” Reichardt said. “I am glad that I get to work with this group of kids. Hopefully, I will teach them everything I can. I know that coach Nelson, Murphy and I plan to help them with reaching or exceeding their goals.”
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