Jersey Shore Hires New High School Swim Coach

 

A kid to water is like bees to honey; it's just too irresistible.  Jersey Shore's new head swim coach, Katrina Sinclair, couldn't help but be drawn to the water in her early years.  "We lived right next to a lake in Northern California so my mom had us swimming as babies," Sinclair said.  "My family had a boat and we spent countless hours on the lake swimming, skiing and fishing." 

It was shortly after her baby years that she started swimming competitively at age five with no end in sight as she still swims competitively with the Williamsport Area Swim Club master's program.  In between then and now has been an experience through waters all over the US.   

Although water is water anywhere you go, the climate around the water can be much different.  So it is no surprise that swimming in California was much different than central Pennsylvania.  Although Northern California can get cold in the winters, it is still a year round outdoor sport.  "Winters there are not snowy but they do get some cold temps, and lots of rain.  Swimming throughout the winter in the outside made us pretty tough.  I can remember putting tarps on and off the pool with icicles on them" said Sinclair.

Water is never very far away for Katrina Sinclair.
Island Pond Lake just outside of Stoddard, New
Hampshire is in the background and she considers
it the cleanest lakes she has ever swam in.
Katrina Sinclair with dog "The Cheat'.

But as tough as it was for the swimmers in northern California winters, it was tougher for the coach who stood on deck through it all.  "Lee Panttaja, who was my coach from the age of 9 through 18, would stand outside in the rain, sleet, whatever, and coach us every night", said Sinclair.  Whether it was this dedication of her coach through adverse weather or his coaching style, Sinclair grew to love and excel at the sport.   

Looking for a new experience and a chance to interact with some distant family members, she headed for the direct opposite of cool Northern California winters to the brutal winter conditions of Buffalo (average snowfall is 93 inches).  Here, she swam Division I at the University at Buffalo and was team captain her senior year in 2003. 

Swimming in a Division I program can be tough but add the responsibilities of team caption and your plate is full.  "Being team captain in college was an experience that I will always take with me," said Sinclair.  "Sometimes as captain you have make decisions that are not the most popular or easy and it can be difficult but in the end it is rewarding.  Participating in a Division I swim program for four years and keeping your academics up at the same time can be grueling and difficult in itself and being team captain intensifies that pressures.  But in the end it teaches you a great deal about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses."

iI should be noted that the University at Buffalo swim program produced seven swimmers that took part in the US Olympic Trials this past summer. 

While continuing her master's and doctoral degrees at University at Buffalo, she gave back to the swim community by coaching at a high school and through a local USA Swimming team.  Employment opportunities eventually brought her and her husband to the area. 

A new coach always brings new ideas and philosophies to their program and Sinclair is no different.  Whereas some coaching philosophy is to pound out the yardage, Sinclair's is more on technique.  "I want high school swimmers to learn proper form and technique.  I push quality over quantity", said Sinclair.  "I would rather swimmers give me 2,000 yards well than 6,000 sloppily."

Coaches have played an important role in her life and some of their lessons are passed on through Sinclair.  "My coach Lee (Panttaja) taught me this love of technique in the sport'" said Sinclair.  "I love to learn and teach new drills.  My college coach also instilled in us a love of hard work and persistence that I hope to pass on to high school swimmers.  Doing everything quality is not always the easiest route but no matter the results you finish knowing you gave it everything.  Swimmers will find that this approach benefits them not just in the pool but also in the classroom and also later the workplace." 

But with many older swimmers, it is the love of water they desire to pass on to the younger generations.   "I try to instill an appreciation of the sport that will last them a lifetime.  Swimming is one of those sports that people can benefit from childhood well into their senior years", said Sinclair.

 Jersey Shore opens up their swim season with a home meet against Bloomsburg High School on December 11 at 4:30 PM.