Bernards High School hired new coaching staff for the BHS Swim Team to replace well-loved Coach Ed Tsuzuki, who retired last year. Coach Doug Voight has stepped up as head coach, and Coach Kathryn Cummings is the new assistant coach. The team is excited to see what this new season and coaching staff can bring to the table.
When asked why he wanted to become the head coach of the swim team, Coach Voight replied, “I wanted to give back to the school and community where I have lived for the past twenty years, and I wanted to get back to the program where I saw a lot of swimmers who had success.”
Coach Cummings, a previous swimmer herself on the BHS swim team, had a slightly different answer to this question, “I had a lovely time as a part of this team in high school, and I find it fulfilling to help create the positive environment in which I enjoyed.”
The BHS swim team traditionally has done very well, typically winning their division and the majority of their meets. It is expected for the team to continue their success this season.
“I think we can compete to win the Skylands Conference for both boys and girls and win a meet or two in States,” says Coach Voight, verbalizing his hopes for the season. Similarly, Coach Cummings hopes to send some swimmers to the Meet Of Champions and have some swimmers set some personal and team records.
Swimmers also have great expectations for this season and coaching staff.
“My expectations for the season are pretty high to be honest despite it being a rebuilding year,” says long-time swimmer Sami Bender. “Our new head coach seems really supportive, which is always a great trait for a coach to have. Our new assistant coach also seems to be experienced with swimming, which is also helpful when developing our team. I believe the girls team could win the North 2 Group C Sectional title and break 1+ relay records. On the boys side, there are bigger shoes to fill, but there are a few new boys that could really help contribute to the team’s success. Overall, I am super excited for this swim season!”
The new coaches share Bender’s infectious excitement for the season. Coach Voight is most excited to “try to continue Bernard’s swim tradition of doing well after Coach Tsuzuki’s retirement.”
Coach Cummings expresses a similar sentiment, saying she hopes to “continue Bernard’s previous success”.
The entire swim team is excited for this season and what the coaching staff choose to do with it. The team’s first meet is home on December 21 against Somerville High School at 8:15pm.
