Humans of East: Q&A with SMSD alum and new girls swim coach, Chris Copeland

After the previous girls swim coach, Ian Hutchison, left at the end of last season to spend more time with his family, the team has found a new coach in SMSD alum Chris Copeland. Having previously coached boys swim at Shawnee Mission South, Copeland was hired by athletic director Ryan Johnson this spring before tryouts began. Now, Copeland reflects on her new job and plans for the season.

How do you feel about being the Girl’s Swim Team’s new head coach?

“I’ve been the assistant coach over at South for the last 12 years or so. And this incredible opportunity came up with this opening position, where [the coaching] and East [swim] has such a strong history. It’s such a strong program that I felt it was going to be a perfect match for me.”

How have the girls acclimated to the change in coaching?

“So far, so good. We’re practicing a little bit differently than [they did with their] their previous coach, doing less distance swimming, per se and focusing more on race-pace training. So it’ll be more a combination of putting in long distances, but doing a lot of racing, so that we’ll be ready to win state. It seems like they’re all super excited.”

How would you describe your coaching style?

“I’m pretty laid back. I like to inject a lot of fun [into practice because] you need fun when you’re working so hard. So I’m more hands on than probably some coaches are in regards to really working with their kids to improve. But I’m definitely laid back.”

What are some of your goals going into the new season?

“My goal is to win the championship, since the girls got second last year. My goal is to improve on that, but I also just want to allow each athlete to improve. It’s a team sport, but it’s also an individual sport. it’s amazing to see the looks on their faces when they reach something that they didn’t know that they could reach. Because if the girls are successful, within themselves I know I’ve done a good job.”