Swimming and Diving coaches Carolyn Fries and Mark Morehouse will no longer be coaching the boys’ and girls’ swim teams at Fossil Ridge High School due to scheduling conflicts and continuing education. Morehouse will still be coaching the boys’ team during the 2013/2014 season.

Both coaches said that they love the amount of effort the students put into the sport. “We have a really good group of kids who are willing to train hard; that makes our job enjoyable because we have kids who have set goals and can reach those goals,” Morehouse said. “I definitely miss their sense of humor and the way that they can interact with teenage girls,” said sophomore Jasmine Markel, “and they know what we need and how to talk to us.”

“Morehouse just makes the funniest most random comments, he has such a dry sense of humor, he won’t laugh but everybody else will, it was something that always brought a lot of joy to the team,” Markel said. “Carolyn- she’s just an amazing woman, obviously I love her as a person but the way that she is able to push you in the right direction and so passionately want what’s best for you is amazing.”

There were many things that the coaches will miss, “my favorite part is seeing how much a student athlete develops from their freshman to senior year,” Morehouse said. Fries said that she would miss “getting it know each of the kids and figuring out their strengths and celebrating the high points in their seasons.”

Winning State last year was also a highlight of both coaches’ career. “It was great beating Cherry Creek by one point; you can’t get much better than that. A ton of the girls who didn’t qualify for state were all up on the deck and we had the majority of our team there,” Fries said. Morehouse had a different idea. “I would say one highlight for me was probably that we’ve won a lot of meets- we’ve had a lot of success. One of my favorite things is the end of the season banquet and I get to talk about how much our senior class has accomplished.”

The girls were surprised when they found out the coaches were leaving. “We were shocked at first. But we’re really sad,” Junior Emily Oliver said. “Carolyn is like one of us; she’s always cheering, and Morehouse is always there to correct our strokes.”

According to Markel, the coaches not only helped the girls grow as swimmers, but as people as well. “They did so many things. They taught me how to put others before myself in a team setting, how to be a good sport and be respectful.”