When Michael McTammany announced his resignation as the head coach of the Severna Park Swim Team on July 7, 2015, student athletes and their parents alike let out a sigh of bleakness. The coach that had led the team to four state championships would no longer be on the side of the pool deck videotaping their races, encouraging them to push through the pain that came with every lap of their races and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each race once they had climbed out of the water and walked over to the coaches section.
Skip forward about nine months, and many of those same swimmers and parents are sighing yet again. Except this time they are sighing with relief. The 2015-2016 season had come to an end, which meant that recently hired Carra Blair’s time was up as the head coach of the swim team, and yet another new era in Severna Park’s chapter of high school swimming would begin.
Now, entering the 2016-2017 season, Matthew McKenney has been hired as the coach for Severna Park’s swim team. McKenney is a recent graduate from Towson University who has competed in swimming all throughout his lifetime. Ready to revitalize, bring back passion to the program and regain a standard to live up to, McKenney won’t have such an easy time over these upcoming winter months.
At the end of last season, many swimmers were upset about the way the season had turned out. Senior James Muessig commented on the situation by saying, “Last year’s coach was pulling us in the wrong direction.” Horror stories of swimmers being placed in wrong events, practices that were uncooperative with team dynamics and constant argument between the head coach and assistant coach loomed in the hallways of our building. “At our regional championships last year I swam 200 Free and 200 IM within 10 minutes of each other. It’s almost impossible for any swimmer to do and do well” said sophomore Allison Troy.
Now, all the bad thoughts of another uncooperative season have been pushed away, with swimmers already excited to start the season, even with tryouts weeks away. “The new coach is [a] Severna Park Swim Team alumni, so he knows how this team and this sport work. I have high hopes for this upcoming season” said Muessig.
Not only are swimmers excited, but Coach Matt McKenney is ready to begin as well. “I am very excited because Severna Park has a great tradition in athletics that I experienced as a student and now I am fortunate to be a part of that tradition as a coach” said McKenney. McKenney has 14 years of competitive swimming experience ready to impress upon his swimmers. He has swum in Division I Collegiate championship meets, as well swimming competitively all throughout his high school career. Although he has no prior high school coaching experience, McKenney has experience working with summer leagues, intramural teams, and is currently coaching for SPY, the Severna Park YMCA swim team.
“I was a swimmer at SPHS so I can understand the swimmer’s perspective as well as the expectations of the coach” said McKenney. “I want each swimmer to have a positive experience while working towards wins at the County, Region, and State Championship meets.”
Can McKenney revitalize Severna Park’s great swimming legacy? The performance of our swimmers throughout the season will be the judge of that.
Gallery photos by Lisa Hussey.