Q: What do you coach at Lake Central?

A: I coach the girls swimming program. I’m the girls assistant coach.

Q: How long have you been a coach?

A: This was my sixth season.

Q: What made you want to become a coach?

A: Well, I started swimming when I was six, so then I swam as a kid, in highschool and I swam in college. Teaching and coaching work well together.

Q: What’s the most rewarding part about coaching?

A: Being able to form close and personal relationships with students that you don’t necessarily get the opportunity to with your students in class. We spend a lot of time together so you get to know the kids and their families and the community.

Q: What do you do swimming related outside of Lake Central?

A: I swim for exercise now, but I’ve done triathlons, and I’ve done a swimming race.

Q: Have you won any awards/had any big accomplishes personally?

A: I swam in Sectionals in highschool and I swam in state in high school. Then in college I swam in our conference meet. And recently I guess just exercising, I like triathlons, I’m trying to get into it. And then this past September I did a race in Lake Michigan. It’s called Big Shoulders. And you swim three miles in Lake Michigan and it was 64 degrees.

Q: How long have you been swimming in general?

A: Twenty four years

Q: What’s your favorite part about the sport?

A: Swimming, I like a lot of things about it. Well I like that it’s a great sport for any age, any ability level. One of the best things about swimming and coaching swimming here at Lake Central is anybody can join. We take swimmers that are top State swimmers, to swimmers that have never swam before in their lives, and we teach them. That’s one of the greatest things about swimming at Lake Central. We don’t have any cuts, so anybody can swim. All shapes, sizes, ability levels, so that’s one thing I like best.

Q: Do you have any big goals for the Lake Central swimming program?

A: Swim season’s over now, but I mean I want the girls to start to have a winning attitude and be a little more competitive. Yeah, I want to win, I want to win Sectionals

Q: How often do you swim/train?

A: Everyday twice a day, but it’s over now.

Q: Do you still swim that often now that season is over?

A: I don’t, I used to do it but now I don’t. Mr. [Todd] Smolinski [Social Studies] does it now, but I quit doing that a couple years ago.