MONROE - Linda Moser, who has been a fixture as the Monroe Area Swim Team coach for five years, is retiring and the depth of her decision is just starting to sink in.
"I think it will be harder than I thought it would be," Moser said of coaching her final swim meet Saturday at the Platteville Invitational. "I think the finality of it will hit me on Saturday when I'm driving home because I don't cry in front of kids. It will be very bittersweet. It will be like saying goodbye to the seniors. It's one of my favorite meets. It can't be any more perfect than that."
Moser has worked as a lifeguard at the Monroe City pool for 10 years and served five years as the pool manager. She will continue to work as the pool manager and a lifeguard next summer. She also will continue to work as a fourth-grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy and serve as the Monroe-New Glarus High School girls swim coach.
Moser spent her first four years as a coach working with swimmers 8 years old and younger. She worked with her son, Tyler Moser, for a couple of years when he was a MAST coach. Moser contends that as a coach she's always learning and searching for ways to improve.
"I think if you don't change or grow that is when you have to get out," she said. "From high school to college to the Olympics we are always looking to make strokes more refined. I think as a coach you always have to improve and work to get better. Whether you are a doctor, teacher or coach you should always be growing and changing."
Whether it's teaching children how to do a whip kick for the breaststroke, a dolphin kick for the butterfly or a flip turn, Moser has savored her time coaching younger and developing swimmers.
"Teaching the younger kids is always an advantage for any of my MAST coaches," she said. "You see so much about the stroke and how to change it. I think I have become a better coach by learning how to break it down."
Being a high school swim coach and having the opportunity to work with younger swimmers has been key for Moser. She has gotten to learn the strengths of swimmers before they enter high school. This summer she has worked with middle and high school-aged swimmers.
"This year has been really nice to see what is coming and talk to them about what they can work on and improve," Moser said.
She gets rewarded every time one of the MAST swimmers succeeds.
"I love working with the younger swimmers," she said. "You get to teach them something and you really get to see their progress. You get to see what they have as a strength early on. You see the struggles they have, and you have to break it down even more."
When a swimmer dove in to the pool and hit her head five years ago, the city barred swimmers from diving in for starts with the 50-meter pool setup because the water depth varied from 4 feet, 10 inches to 5 feet. Swim meets are now setup using a 27-meter pool with dive ins at starts coming from the deep end.
"My fear four or five years ago was that MAST and the recreational swim team would go away," Moser said. "I couldn't just see it go away. I knew Dr. Frank Stiles (the pediatrician who started MAST), and he went to our church. I think it was important to keep a recreational swim team going and to provide that link to a more competitive team."
Moser said the most memorable moments is hearing the laughter of swimmers and seeing children master a stroke.
"I remember Eli Schaefer's first race in Platteville," Moser said of the 8-year-old swimmer in the MAST program. "His face just beamed when he was done. Those moments are just priceless."
Another aspect of MAST that Moser enjoys is having older swimmers build a rapport with younger swimmers.
"I like watching the relationship between older swimmers and younger swimmers," Moser said. "It's like they are older sisters and brothers."
"I think it will be harder than I thought it would be," Moser said of coaching her final swim meet Saturday at the Platteville Invitational. "I think the finality of it will hit me on Saturday when I'm driving home because I don't cry in front of kids. It will be very bittersweet. It will be like saying goodbye to the seniors. It's one of my favorite meets. It can't be any more perfect than that."
Moser has worked as a lifeguard at the Monroe City pool for 10 years and served five years as the pool manager. She will continue to work as the pool manager and a lifeguard next summer. She also will continue to work as a fourth-grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy and serve as the Monroe-New Glarus High School girls swim coach.
Moser spent her first four years as a coach working with swimmers 8 years old and younger. She worked with her son, Tyler Moser, for a couple of years when he was a MAST coach. Moser contends that as a coach she's always learning and searching for ways to improve.
"I think if you don't change or grow that is when you have to get out," she said. "From high school to college to the Olympics we are always looking to make strokes more refined. I think as a coach you always have to improve and work to get better. Whether you are a doctor, teacher or coach you should always be growing and changing."
Whether it's teaching children how to do a whip kick for the breaststroke, a dolphin kick for the butterfly or a flip turn, Moser has savored her time coaching younger and developing swimmers.
"Teaching the younger kids is always an advantage for any of my MAST coaches," she said. "You see so much about the stroke and how to change it. I think I have become a better coach by learning how to break it down."
Being a high school swim coach and having the opportunity to work with younger swimmers has been key for Moser. She has gotten to learn the strengths of swimmers before they enter high school. This summer she has worked with middle and high school-aged swimmers.
"This year has been really nice to see what is coming and talk to them about what they can work on and improve," Moser said.
She gets rewarded every time one of the MAST swimmers succeeds.
"I love working with the younger swimmers," she said. "You get to teach them something and you really get to see their progress. You get to see what they have as a strength early on. You see the struggles they have, and you have to break it down even more."
When a swimmer dove in to the pool and hit her head five years ago, the city barred swimmers from diving in for starts with the 50-meter pool setup because the water depth varied from 4 feet, 10 inches to 5 feet. Swim meets are now setup using a 27-meter pool with dive ins at starts coming from the deep end.
"My fear four or five years ago was that MAST and the recreational swim team would go away," Moser said. "I couldn't just see it go away. I knew Dr. Frank Stiles (the pediatrician who started MAST), and he went to our church. I think it was important to keep a recreational swim team going and to provide that link to a more competitive team."
Moser said the most memorable moments is hearing the laughter of swimmers and seeing children master a stroke.
"I remember Eli Schaefer's first race in Platteville," Moser said of the 8-year-old swimmer in the MAST program. "His face just beamed when he was done. Those moments are just priceless."
Another aspect of MAST that Moser enjoys is having older swimmers build a rapport with younger swimmers.
"I like watching the relationship between older swimmers and younger swimmers," Moser said. "It's like they are older sisters and brothers."
