As a swimmer, Jo Blue never backed down from a challenge.
It’s not easy dragging yourself out of bed at 4:45 a.m. for countless grueling practices. The easy route would have been to say, “Why the heck should I rise before the sun?” and simply whack the snooze button a few more times.
It wasn’t easy burning off close to 20 pounds during the three-month prep swim season, and it wasn’t easy juggling workouts with studies and a social life, but Blue handled all that as well.
Easy is a dead end. Easy didn’t help Blue swim for three state-championship teams during her career at Snohomish High School. Blue never picked the easy way – she chose the right way.
Now an energetic instructor, Blue aims to instill that same drive in her swimmers. The 2001 Snohomish graduate is a first-year head coach of the Everett High girls team. Blue, who turns 23 on Wednesday, was hired a full week after the prep season began, but she’s been making up for lost time ever since.
“She’s amazing,” Everett senior co-captain Katharine Kaftanski said of Blue. “She’s so interactive. She’s not afraid to tell people what they’re doing wrong, and that’s what we need.”
Everett, whose swim team competes in the Western Conference North Division, managed just one league victory and a 6-6 overall record last year. But so far under Blue, the Seagulls are off to a 4-1 start.
“It’s been going really good,” said Blue, who is finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington. “The girls are doing awesome.”
Blue said she never set out to be a coach, but it’s always been a comfortable fit. After high school, she helped coach two local club teams, the Stingrays and the Everett Sharks. Then last month, she applied at the last minute for the Everett High job and got it. One of Blue’s first objectives was to inject a dose of discipline – not to take the fun out of swimming, but to foster an experience as rewarding as her decorated career at Snohomish.
“I loved high school swimming,” Blue said. “It was a really important experience for me.”
This Thursday, the Seagulls take on Blue’s alma mater, the mighty Snohomish Panthers, at Forest Park Pool in Everett. It’s Blue’s first battle against her former coach, Snohomish’s John Pringle. Another interesting wrinkle: Two of Blue’s younger sisters, Molly and Meghan, currently swim for Snohomish.
Big Sister can’t wait.
“I will be able to cheer for them, too,” Jo Blue said. “It will be fun to watch my sisters.”
Another Blue sister, Jessie, swam three years for Snohomish and now attends Western Washington University.
Snohomish’s Pringle was one of the first to congratulate Jo Blue on her new job. She is the second of Pringle’s former swimmers to become a prep head swim coach (The other is Rob Serviss, who coaches the Snohomish boys).
“It’s always humbling from my perspective,” Pringle said, “because we work hard at creating an environment where these kids learn. … (Blue) will do a great job over there.”
Candidates sought for High School Heisman: Through Oct. 3, Wendy’s invites high school administrators from around the country to nominate two seniors (one male and one female) who excel on the athletic field and in the classroom. Nominees will be considered for the Wendy’s High School Heisman award, which recognizes students throughout the country who excel in academics, athletics and community involvement. For more details, including nomination forms, visit www.wendysheisman.com.
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