swim team

TCA swim team

Message from Jimmy Phillips

Summer 2013!

I couldn’t be more excited to start my 6th season as head coach of the TCA swim team.  I just finished my 8th season as the Albuquerque High head swim coach.  Both the girls and boys teams had amazing seasons and swam well at State.  Almost half of my high school team is made up of swimmers that learned to swim and enjoy the sport at TCA.

I am very excited to announce that most of the coaching staff from last summer will be returning for another season at TCA.  Lauren Ransom is finishing up her third year at Occidental College and has applied to shadow doctors at two different hospitals.  She coached at TCA for two summers, but will not have time this summer.  She will be missed! Jesse Young, despite being so busy with his pre-med classes, will be returning. He is finishing his fourth year at UNM and is looking forward to his fifth season as my assistant coach. Beth Wright will also be returning this summer.  She has just finished her first year at Syracuse University where she had great success both academically and athletically. And Madison Bridges…the swimming star of New Mexico, will also be on our coaching staff.  She is finishing up her senior year at Albuquerque High where she continues to earn all A’s in her honors and AP classes.  She also continued her success in the pool.  She broke the state record in the 200 individual medley and 100 back stroke and took home a state championship in the 200 individual medley.  She will be gone for a week in late June to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials.

The focus in the water this summer will be much the same as last year; teaching. While I really try to crank up the yardage during the school year, the summer season is geared more toward learning the sport. Last summer, all of my high school swimmers that joined TCA ended the season with personal best times in all of their events. I am anticipating much of the same this summer. As usual, the emphasis of the program is on participation. We wish to teach and instill good technique while staying loyal to the fundamentals of training and racing. I will be instructing them to love and respect the sport, to feel comfortable and safe in all water conditions, and to be able to continue training well into their senior years. Our aim is to continue to educate and excite kids about swimming and to prepare them for whatever level of competition they are interested in achieving.

We are busy developing the entire summer schedule, including our “team trip”.  I urge everybody to try to take part in this invaluable experience. It is a great lesson in the growing up process and something they’ll remember for years to come.