Andover Bulletin - Spring 2003

Spring 2003
Volume 96, Number 3

SPORTS TALK

Andover Swimming: Great Depth in the Pool
by Andy Cline,
Sports Information Director

Photos by Jennie Cline

Coach Paul Murphy '84 and the
2003 New England champions.

Entering the New England Interscholastic Championship meet with 7–0 and 6–1 records respectively, the Andover girls’ and boys’ swimming and diving teams had already achieved terrific success during the 2003 season. Like other top athletes, they made significant sacrifices; it takes many hours of hard work on conditioning and technique to compete at the highest level. The Andover girls nearly lapped the field at Interschols, capturing first place in six of the 12 events, and finishing 87 points ahead of second-place Hopkins School to earn their second consecutive New England championship. The boys finished fourth among 21 schools with several swimmers turning in outstanding performances in the season-ending meet.

It is precisely this notion of the season ending that is foreign to some swimmers. Many of the nation’s best train year-round, often in programs that have two or even three workouts a day. So why would a truly serious swimmer want to come to Andover, where the teams train 90 minutes a day during a season that is only three months long? Some might say PA would not be the place to advance one’s high school swimming career, and yet, under the guidance of head coaches, Paul Murphy ’84 and Jacques Hugon ’79, the teams are flourishing, and the athletes are enjoying not only success but also a rich overall experience. Both Hugon and Murphy recognize that when they meet prospective student-athletes and their parents, they are pitching a program that includes fewer hours in the water than lots of the kids are used to. But they are also intimate with the opportunities available to these youngsters both in and out of the water if they choose to come to Andover.

Hugon arrived at Andover in fall 1978 as a Kemper Scholar and postgraduate student from Antibes, France. In addition to swimming for coach Jack McClement, he rowed crew and, when he wasn’t studying, spent a lot of time in the computer room before heading off to Harvard. He returned to PA in 2001 to teach computer science and to succeed 17-year veteran boys’ coach, Loring Kinder Strudwick. “I love being back at PA,” says Hugon. “It’s great working with such intelligent, driven and talented young people who, rather than becoming specialized during their high school careers, are seeking excellence in academics, athletics and other activities.” Without neglecting conditioning, Hugon considers technique his number one coaching priority because, he explains, water is such a heavy medium through which to move that flaws in technique tend to magnify the inefficiency. In his two years at the helm, the boys have gone 4–4, including two very close losses in 2002, and now 6–1 in 2003.

Coach Jacques Hugon '79 stresses
technique during a training session.

Murphy grew up in Andover and was a day student at PA. An Eagle Scout and a Washington intern during his high school years, he spent a very positive but low-key four years as a JV swimmer, then went on to swim varsity at Bates and set school records there in the
100-and 200-yard butterfly. Returning to Andover as a teaching fellow in math, Murphy was the boys’ varsity coach in 1988–89
during Strudwick’s sabbatical. He became head coach of the girls’ team in 1992. In his first season, the team was 10th in New England, and they have not been lower than third since then, with championships in 1998, 2002 and 2003. Before each meet, Murphy has his athletes close their eyes and breathe in strength, speed and confidence while breathing out stress, school worries and doubts. They visualize their perfect race. With more than a little modesty, he says, “I feel like I do so little coaching. I’m just there to facilitate, to give these kids a chance to be together, work hard, have fun and enjoy being part of a team.” A very successful team.

With the success of PA’s swim program, Murphy and Hugon don’t feel they need to apologize to prospective swimmers for the lack of training time and can instead talk about the whole Andover experience.

J.C. MacMillan ’03, the boys’ top diver—he posted his highest score ever to earn third place at Interschols—is a stage performer and Drama Lab co-head. Upper free-styler Kristina Chang is sports editor of The Phillipian. Peter Stetson ’03, a four-year swim vet, is captain of the cycling team, sings in Cantata and Fidelio and plays bassoon in the orchestra. Kim Walker, Krissy Connor and Caroline Littlefield, three stalwart senior swimmers, are cluster Blue Key Heads. Brian Fiske, Harvard-bound co-captain of the boys’ team, devotes huge amounts of time to advanced biology, and his counterpart, girls’ captain Sarah Demers, is a trivarsity athlete (also in soccer and lacrosse) and plays French horn. Abbe Anderson ’03 left audiences slack-jawed with her magnificent vocal performance at Grasshopper Night. This is only a sampling of the incredible versatility of the athletes on these two teams.

Of course, they are pretty darn talented in the water as well. Hee-Jin Chang, only a lower, already holds six individual school records and has been the Most Valuable Swimmer at Interschols the past two years. The girls’ team is one with both tremendous depth and great chemistry. Kate Page ’04, Alex Doty ’05, Liz Demers ’05 and Katie Faulkner ’06 are among the team’s young stars, while seniors like Tracey Zicherman, Margaret Ramsey, Janis Scanlon and Sarah Demers bring, along with their talent, stability and cohesiveness to the group. Murphy considers Sarah Demers a marvelous leader: fast, funny, self-deprecating and in tune with her teammates.

Senior co-captains Fiske and Dave Hill lead the way for the boys’ team, but again, the team’s talent runs through all ages. Fiske is an All-American in the breaststroke and individual medley, and Hill regularly joined him as a double winner in individual events during meets this season. Their contributions and leadership will be sorely missed, but right behind come the likes of captain-elect Paull Randt ’04, Tom Lesnick ’05 and Jeff Zhou ’06, all top-nine finishers in one or more races at Interschols.

These young athletes have shown remarkable dedication as they work to improve their performances. But their coaches are even more pleased with the ways in which they have been good teammates and with the richness of the overall experience they are building for themselves.

E-mail: Theresa Pease