Gavin Ross operates from two separate and distinct platforms as St. Ed’s Director of Aquatics, and Head Coach of the varsity boys and girls swim teams.
The Aquatics program is a year-round enterprise that is open to the entire community. The varsity swim season for St. Ed’s students runs for a precious few weeks during the fall.
Since he arrived five years ago, Ross has made it his mission to elevate both programs, and by all objective measures he has made considerable strides in doing so. He would like to accomplish even more with the varsity teams, and for that to happen he has to convince young swimmers from the middle school to train year-round with the Aquatics club team.
There may be no better recruitment tool than the season just concluded. St. Ed’s boys team qualified for the state championships in November by placing third in the regional tournament. And they did it with gusto, shattering six school records.
Sophomore Andrew Brown completed the 100 free in 48.65 and 100 back in 55.35, both good for fourth place. Freshman Spencer Greaves swam the 100 fly in 54.43 for a fifth-place finish. Those performances earned Brown and Greaves a trip to States as individuals.
Greaves also set a school mark with a time of 2:05.58 in the 200 individual medley. Freshman Coleman Kramer and eighth grader Tomas Botero teamed with Brown and Greaves to establish new school records of 1:46.31 in the 200 medley relay and 3:28.55 in the 400 free relay.
The boys team went on to finish 35th out of the 41 teams scoring at the state tournament on November 15.
“Across all four classes we definitely had the youngest team in the state,” Ross said, “So in that regard they are showing immense promise. This is what I call my ‘Dream Team’ going forward. I’m trying to motivate these guys so they can achieve (benchmark) All American times in races as soon as next year.”
Brown, Greaves, Kramer and Botero are members of the club team, meaning they are committed to swimming on a year-round basis. Their accomplishments this past season speak volumes to the value in that training. The dilemma for Ross is encouraging others to join in.
“I have a very good core with the guys on the club team,” Ross said. “We’re hoping for a greater year-round commitment from some of the other guys. We would like to get at least two of our relay teams to achieve All American status over the next few years.”
So the immediate future looks bright for the varsity boys swim team with an eighth grader, two freshmen and a sophomore at the core. But can he form another core of even younger swimmers to follow this current group?
“I’ve come to terms with the fact that swimming in the minds of many people is seen is kind of a Mickey Mouse sport,” Ross admitted. “Most of the younger kids I talk to here at school don’t even know who Michael Phelps is. You just come to accept that.
“The parents of swimmers and some people in the community at large realize how big this is, but generally speaking most of the kids are just nonchalant about swimming.
“There appears to be a slow, positive change in the perception of the swim program. It may partly be a function of my personal enthusiasm in promoting a healthy and positive lifestyle, and not necessarily an emphasis on the outstanding performances we have seen.”
Meanwhile the postseason accolades are coming in a steady stream. Kramer and Botero were among St. Ed’s Athletes of the Month for November. Freshman Mary Cate Stiles was similarly recognized for her work with the girls varsity swim team.
Brown is All Area First Team. Greaves was All Area Honorable Mention for the boys while junior Valerie Burke was All Area Honorable Mention coming off a fine season in a leadership role with the girls team.
Another member of the school and club swim teams at St. Ed’s is freshman Allan Ross, Gavin’s son. The coach encourages his swimmers to cross-train with distance running. Allan took his father’s advice to heart and wound up as an Honorable Mention on the All Area cross-country team. Allan is also a standout on St. Ed’s soccer team.
Competition from other more popular sports represents another concern for Ross in his effort to train top-flight swimmers. Nevertheless, the native South African plans to see this thing through.
“In a nutshell, the response to what we’ve accomplished here has been mixed,” Ross told us. “Personally, I plan to be around for a while. I applied for citizenship a few weeks ago.”