By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
A good coach tries to maintain focus on the athletes, but Madisonville-North Hopkins swim coach Jason Clark's kids returned the favor this week.
Clark earned the Region 1 Girls Coach of the Year award during Saturday's regional meet at the Owensboro Health Park. After the event, Clark phoned The Messenger with the results and told of Ellen Whittington's Most Outstanding Competitor award, but failed to mention his own.
On Tuesday, senior Mary Katherine Kington unleashed the news.
"I figured when it wasn't in the paper the next day, he kind of just skipped over that little detail," she said.
Clark, humble as always, said the omission had a purpose.
"I didn't mention that intentionally," he said. "I thought that article needed to be about the kids. I kind of left that out of there.
With a laugh, Clark said, "I'll figure out which kid that was and make sure she swims extra (Wednesday)."
Clark earned the Region 1 Girls Coach of the Year award during Saturday's regional meet at the Owensboro Health Park. After the event, Clark phoned The Messenger with the results and told of Ellen Whittington's Most Outstanding Competitor award, but failed to mention his own.
On Tuesday, senior Mary Katherine Kington unleashed the news.
"I figured when it wasn't in the paper the next day, he kind of just skipped over that little detail," she said.
Clark, humble as always, said the omission had a purpose.
"I didn't mention that intentionally," he said. "I thought that article needed to be about the kids. I kind of left that out of there.
With a laugh, Clark said, "I'll figure out which kid that was and make sure she swims extra (Wednesday)."
The honor is Clark's second in his four years as head coach for North; he also won in 2005, his first year.
Although the plaque may read his name, Clark said he couldn't have achieved the honor without his athletes' success.
"It's the effort that the kids put into the pool that makes me look good," he said. "When the other coaches are impressed with the swimming of the kids, I really think it's a credit to their hard work and perseverance throughout the season.
"I just happen to reap the benefits of that. I know if it were not for them doing what they do every single day and putting every effort into the regional meet that I would not have gotten that award."
Kington, who qualified for two individual events for state on Saturday, said Clark's intelligence and personality combine to make him deserving of the coach-of-the-year title.
"He's very knowledgeable about the strokes and he's good with the technique," she said. "He picks up on the little things we need to work on and he is a very good motivator. He's always upbeat and cheerful at practice and that makes it a whole lot easier to swim for somebody who's positive at practice."
Clark assumed control of the North swimmers following the retirement of former coach Charley Rothe.
With two years as an assistant under his belt already, Clark began to understand the roles of a head coach in his third season.
"During the course of that year, (Rothe) started to put a few more responsibilities on me that he hadn't really done before," Clark said. "He had me start to do more meet lineups and give him my justifications and have me tell him why I would put a swimmer here instead of another event. I had to write a few more practices than he had asked me to do in the past."
At the conclusion of the year, Clark said he had a three-inch binder full of practices.
While Rothe may have provided Clark with the materials to take the reigns as coach, Clark said his own high school swim coach, Lairy Nofsinger, has had an equally important role with how he conducts the program.
"(Nofsinger) earned admiration from everyone, not just in swimming, but in education and just being a figure about town," Clark said. "He's just a very well-respected member of our community. If I could have any of the impact that he's had in the lives of young people then I think I would have accomplished something."
Kington, a fifth-year Lady Maroon swimmer, has also coached with Clark at the Madisonville Golf and Country Club during summers and said he has been a good role model.
"He has a good heart and he loves what he does and he cares genuinely about the kids," she said. "I think he was more nervous at regionals than we were. He really cares about us and wants us to succeed in every aspect of life."
Despite all the hard work, amount of time and dedication necessary to be successful year in and year out, Clark said there's one moment that makes everything pay off.
"When a swimmer climbs out of the pool and looks at the time on the display and sees what he or she just accomplished, not knowing that he or she had that in themselves, but me believing in them all along and seeing them realize that," he said. "You can just read it on their expression the moment they climb out of the pool and that's why I'm in it."
Clark hopes to see several of such moments this weekend as North will send five swimmers to Friday and Saturday's state meet at Ralph Wright Natatorium at the University of Louisville.
Kington (100-yard breastroke, 200 individual medley) and Whittington (50-yard freestyle, 100 free) will compete individually. Kington, Carli and Ellen Whittington and Kathleen Ewing will participate in the 200 free relay and Kington, the Whittington sisters and Rachel Dorris will swim in the 200 medley relay.
Although the plaque may read his name, Clark said he couldn't have achieved the honor without his athletes' success.
"It's the effort that the kids put into the pool that makes me look good," he said. "When the other coaches are impressed with the swimming of the kids, I really think it's a credit to their hard work and perseverance throughout the season.
"I just happen to reap the benefits of that. I know if it were not for them doing what they do every single day and putting every effort into the regional meet that I would not have gotten that award."
Kington, who qualified for two individual events for state on Saturday, said Clark's intelligence and personality combine to make him deserving of the coach-of-the-year title.
"He's very knowledgeable about the strokes and he's good with the technique," she said. "He picks up on the little things we need to work on and he is a very good motivator. He's always upbeat and cheerful at practice and that makes it a whole lot easier to swim for somebody who's positive at practice."
Clark assumed control of the North swimmers following the retirement of former coach Charley Rothe.
With two years as an assistant under his belt already, Clark began to understand the roles of a head coach in his third season.
"During the course of that year, (Rothe) started to put a few more responsibilities on me that he hadn't really done before," Clark said. "He had me start to do more meet lineups and give him my justifications and have me tell him why I would put a swimmer here instead of another event. I had to write a few more practices than he had asked me to do in the past."
At the conclusion of the year, Clark said he had a three-inch binder full of practices.
While Rothe may have provided Clark with the materials to take the reigns as coach, Clark said his own high school swim coach, Lairy Nofsinger, has had an equally important role with how he conducts the program.
"(Nofsinger) earned admiration from everyone, not just in swimming, but in education and just being a figure about town," Clark said. "He's just a very well-respected member of our community. If I could have any of the impact that he's had in the lives of young people then I think I would have accomplished something."
Kington, a fifth-year Lady Maroon swimmer, has also coached with Clark at the Madisonville Golf and Country Club during summers and said he has been a good role model.
"He has a good heart and he loves what he does and he cares genuinely about the kids," she said. "I think he was more nervous at regionals than we were. He really cares about us and wants us to succeed in every aspect of life."
Despite all the hard work, amount of time and dedication necessary to be successful year in and year out, Clark said there's one moment that makes everything pay off.
"When a swimmer climbs out of the pool and looks at the time on the display and sees what he or she just accomplished, not knowing that he or she had that in themselves, but me believing in them all along and seeing them realize that," he said. "You can just read it on their expression the moment they climb out of the pool and that's why I'm in it."
Clark hopes to see several of such moments this weekend as North will send five swimmers to Friday and Saturday's state meet at Ralph Wright Natatorium at the University of Louisville.
Kington (100-yard breastroke, 200 individual medley) and Whittington (50-yard freestyle, 100 free) will compete individually. Kington, Carli and Ellen Whittington and Kathleen Ewing will participate in the 200 free relay and Kington, the Whittington sisters and Rachel Dorris will swim in the 200 medley relay.
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