Un-Believable

Gators,

I just wanted to take a moment this morning to congratulate everybody on a fantastic season.  But this wasn't just your typical season at Green Mountain.  We've accomplished one of the biggest feats in team history

In case you missed the big news - your Green Mountain Gators took home the 3rd place trophy for Division 1 at state yesterday.  I can't state in words how HUGE this is.

Historically, I don't know if the Gators have ever placed this well, but the coaches couldn't be any more proud of you all. When I first began swimming for this club we would take a handful of swimmers to the state meet. I've been on and with the swim team for 10 years now; it's unbelievable to see that we have become one of the big titans at the state meet.

We had some outstanding swims all three days and there are simply too many of you to mention individually, but I applaud all of you that did swim at this meet.

To all swimmers - thank you for your efforts at the pool this year.  I've been so lucky to be a part of this team as long as I have and every single one of you makes it worth coming back each year.  The amount of pride I have being a coach of the Green Mountain Gators is something I simply cannot put in words.  On average, my summers are almost always the most chaotic part of my year.  It would be easy in theory to hang up the stopwatch and eliminate early mornings and long Saturdays in order to find some down time.  The truth is, coaching is one of the most rewarding parts of my life.  Getting to watch all of you swimmers conquer yourself and grow up gives me all the incentive I need to keep coming back.  Point in fact below:

Dylan, Brady, Hannah, Inez & Coaches 2014

Dylan & Coach Josh - 2009

Hannah & Not-Yet-Coach Josh 2007

A moment for some special thank you's:

• Parents - You are perhaps the most under-recognized group that makes this swim team what it is.  Your dedication to getting your kids to the pool, motivating them, timing at meets, working alongside the coaching staff, helping set up the pool on meet days, running the heating shed, and all of the various other roles you take on, make our season flow as smoothly as it does.  So thank you, for all that you do for your kids and for our team - we are unbelievable lucky to have you.
• Board Members - These people are who make the season possible. A lot of people don't realize how much effort goes into planning the summer season alone, let alone planning activities like fall/winter clinics (more on that later). More importantly they are the coaching staff's support net and gave us all the opportunity to be here this summer.  It's an indescribable feeling to be able to share our knowledge of a sport we're passionate about with these athletes, and you all make that possible.
• My Fellow Coaches - Porter, Jaimie and Ethan deserve a standing ovation for their efforts this season.  I've been so fortunate to share this pool deck with some great minds and phenomenal coaches including Rich, Shelby, and now these three. 
•  I first got to meet Porter in an on-the-job interview of sorts over the spring while finishing up winter-clinics.  It was admittedly a sink-or-swim scenario when I let him take the reins with minimal guidance, just to see how he would do.  He took the opportunity and ran with it. His amount of knowledge in this sport has made a significant impact on this team and I'm lucky to be able to have him as a colleague. I want to wish him the best in this coming year as a freshman at CU (Go Buffs!)
• Jaimie - I don't even know where to begin. Jaimie has dedicated an incredible amount of time and effort this season and is undoubtedly responsible for much of the success we've had.  Not only did she take on an incredible amount of responsibility with this team, but she also had another job to tend to this summer. She managed her time wonderfully and never once showed up to practice with anything but a smile.  Her ambitions to see this team succeed drove us to being able to hold that 3rd place trophy.  While Porter will be just starting his college career, Jaimie's is drawing to a close this year as she finishes up her nursing degree.  I want to wish her an expedient yet fun-filled final year.  Best of luck in what will surely be a challenging year.
• Ethan - I look at Ethan and it's hard to believe he's only going to be a senior in high school.  He is one of the most well put together 17 year old's I have ever met.  I look at myself when I was his age and he is eon's ahead of where I was in cognizance and composure.  As a swimmer there's not enough I can say about Ethan. To watch him progress from when I first started coaching to the remarkable athlete he is now makes me immensely proud.  Perhaps the more outstanding feature of this season though is watching Ethan develop as a coach.  He has a natural confidence in coaching the lower division and was crucial in taking on the 8 & under division this year. Thank you for your dedication this year and I hope your senior year is nothing but amazing.

Best of luck to you all in this coming year!  Keep in touch with the Gator Blog.  We will be posting information about the Fall/Winter Clinics sometime soon.  I hope to see you there!

-Coach Josh