The swim and dive team is excited about their new coach, John Olstrle. Many of the girls say the fresh leadership has brought new energy and motivation to the pool. They feel the coach’s style is helping the team grow stronger, closer, and more focused for the season ahead.
“I think John's doing really well,” junior Brooke Paddock said. “He has started incorporating dry land every single morning, and he's switching up the way that practice works, so we have practice every single day, and then you can just pick, like two days to mix a week.”
The team has noticed several adjustments that stand out in the new routine, creating both consistency and flexibility for athletes balancing busy schedules.
“I really like the new coach. He's been my coach for many years. I've known him my whole life, and I'm really happy he's the head coach. He gives us optional practices, he gives way more exercises, but you can skip one or two to fit your schedule, which is very nice,” sophomore Elise Hugg said.
Another noticeable shift has been the overall tone of practices, which feels less rigid and allows more time for athletes to adapt at their own pace.
“I would say it's more relaxed, like we have more time to do stuff, and then the practices are very different, and he has a very different style,” Paddock said.
Beyond scheduling, the organization of workouts has also been adjusted, with athletes divided into groups to match their needs and training levels better.
“It's a lot less structured. So like, we don't have a set to cool down and warm up, but we also are split off into groups a lot. Here's an A group and a B group, and then they go do their things at separate times. That's how that changed a lot,” Paddock said.
Along with these changes, the coaching style emphasizes hard work and corrections, especially during competitions where small corrections make a big difference.
“I think in practice, he's very nice. He's very good with technique work at meets. He's very encouraging and likes to have a connection between the student or swimmers,” Hugg said.
While many updates have been introduced, the overall atmosphere of the team has remained steady, with only a few new elements shaping the daily structure.
“The team is so much happier. It's very uplifting,” Paddock said
