A year ago sophomore Miranda Perry was a varsity swimmer, one of only three freshman, with impressive times and a competitive background, on track to being one of the school’s best by the time she would graduate. But after getting injured her freshman year, all that went away.

After multiple reinjuries, a variety of disappointing doctor’s visits, and being told she could no longer swim competitively, Perry has found a way to stay connected to the sport.

“When we learned that I couldn’t swim, my mom mentioned trying to help out or help coach, last year when I injured my back,” Perry said. “So I asked coach about it and he agreed I could help the other coach with the middle schoolers.”

Before starting with the middle schoolers, Perry got experience in coaching by helping the high school team.

“This year when I was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, I learned I may not swim again but I wanted to still be involved with the sport I loved so I helped coach the high school team,” Perry said. “Now that middle school is starting again I am helping coach them.”

This year there are 60 students on the middle school team.

“They practice every other day,” Perry said. “Right now we only have an assistant coach who is filling in until the school can find a person who used to swim. Coach Ray (Rachelle Scarola) does the best she can but she doesn’t have the same experience a swimmer would have. So for the mean time I’m helping show her the ropes for swim and helping critique the more technical parts of swim.”

Members of the swim team enjoy having a student as their coach, including Perry’s younger sister.

“It’s cooling having someone who has been on the same swim team as you and is an accomplished high school swimmer,” eighth grader Madison Perry said. “She really knows what she is doing and has that experience of competitive swim and is able to teach all of us and help us all out a lot.”

During the practices, Perry coaches the top swimmers of the group, with supervision by high school swim coach Greg Fisher.

“Miranda mainly coaches the top three lanes and gives them their sets that I make and decide, and then she helps give them critiques and explain things to some of the less experienced swimmers,” Fisher said. “It’s been a great help to us coaches and good experience for her.”

In the near future, Perry hopes to get to demonstrate techniques in the water with the team.

“I am most likely going to start getting in with some of them and really help them with some of the more complicated maneuvers, and demonstrate as much as my body will allow me to,” Perry said.

While Perry is out of swim currently due to injury, coaching, traveling and helping out with the teams still keeps her involved.

“My favorite part is introducing all the kids to the sport that was my world,” Perry said. “I love being around the sport I love and seeing the family atmosphere that people really tend to blossom in. I love getting to help them too. That’s probably my favorite part that I could be making a difference in their strokes and lives.  I’m definitely looking forward to my swimmers first meet and getting to watch them succeed and accomplish their goals.”