For Randy

I just recently I learned that a very important person in my life will be leaving soon. He is necessarily a family member, but he has always felt like a big brother to me. I've known him for the past five years and we have both watched eachother grow. His name is Randy, and he is the best swim coach in the world.

Randy was the first person I met when I started swimming for the Layton Surfers 5 years ago. I was a scared little ten year old in an oversized swimsuit and a dorky pair of goggles, and Randy welcomed me with a smile. I think that has always been my favorite thing about Randy, his amazing ability to smile no matter what is going on. He can be in the midst of 25 screaming 8 year olds, and he'll look up at you and just smile. And no matter what, when you see Randy's smile, it is impossible not to flash a quick smile yourself. It might just be a little one, but no matter how small, Randy will make you smile. Apart from his contagious smile, Randy also has the amazing talent of getting along with everybody. He knows just how to talk to people of all ages. He coaches kids all the way from 5 year olds to highschoolers, and he gets along with everyone of them. He knows how to communicate with all of them too. Randy never talks down to anyone, no matter what age. When you talk to Randy, you never feel like he is scolding you or looking down on you, he gets right down to your level and he will talk to you about anything. Even if it is totally non related to swimming. If you want to talk, Randy is always ready and willing.

Many a practice have I spent majority of the time out of the water, talking to Randy. Due to his remarkabley short attention span, I have found that it is VERY easy to engage Randy in hours of random conversation. Even if your conversation with Randy is random, you will always get something out of it. Even though he is only in his late twenties, Randy is one of the smartest guys I know. In fact, I think he might know everything. I really do! No matter what you ask Randy, he always has a logical response. And every response Randy comes up with is always heart felt. He puts his heart and soul into everything he says or does. From simple chit chat about movies and music to his pre-race words of wisdom, I can always tell that Randy really does care about his swimmers. And he cares about the advice that he gives each and every one of them. I can't imagine what my life will be like without Randy's words of wisdom, but I guess I will soon find out.

The harsh reality is that Randy has taken another job at another aquatic center in Salt Lake. The fact that the job is in Salt Lake pretty much guarantees that his visits to the Surfers will most likely be short and very rare. Just thinking about him leaving makes me cry. Randy was the heart and soul of our team. He may not have been the most competitive coach, but he cared about his swimmers more than any other coach I've met. Every lesson he has taught and every piece of advice he has given, they all came from his heart. Nothing about Randy was ever fake or for show. If you swam on his team, you knew who he truly was. I've watched Randy grow just as much as he has seen me grow in my swimming. I have seen him change from a single man living at home, to a married husband with a new life of his own. The more we grow, the closer we have become. I am now old enough to truly take Randy's lectures and stories to heart, and Randy has grown to actually understand my spastic nature and whacky sense of humor. We are the closest we have ever been, and now he is leaving. Randy is going to be gone. Gosh, it makes me cry just thinking about it. Some people might think of this as weird, but Randy is more than just my swim coach. Randy is my friend. He has been my mentor through out my years of swimming, and I am really going to miss him. So, I dedicate this blog to my coach, my friend, and my mentor. This is for Randy.