WTRC Dive Team members Claire Schuermann (left) and Megan Kujawa both earned bronze medals at the AAU nationals this summer at Indiana University. Contributed photo
CENTERVILLE — Clifton Cox doesn’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel. Cox, the new head coach of the Washington Township Recreation Center Sharks Swim Team, understands the rich tradition of the program he officially took over last month.
His goal is simple: Help all of the Sharks’ team members, regardless of level, reach their potential in and out of the pool.
“Since the team has such good history, I want to continue what we’ve done in the past,” said Cox, a 36-year-old Lexington, Ky., native.
“My focus as a coach is to remember that I’m working with kids and that I’m establishing discipline and structure that they’re going to use the rest of their life.
“For me, it’s about technique and hard work and that applies to life.”
Cox was an easy choice for a position that had a couple dozen candidates from around the country, and some overseas. Former coach Eric Limkemann left in August to spend more time training for triathlons, leaving the door open for Cox, who has been involved in aquatics for 17 years, with a portion of that leading Lexington’s Wildcat Aquatics.
He ran his own insurance sales company from 2003-07, all the while keeping one foot in the pool by coaching a masters program and helping run events with Wildcat Aquatics. But Cox, a University of Kentucky fine arts grad, felt strongly about returning to coaching full time.
“When I realized this job was open, I was really excited,” he said. “I know this team. Our teams have competed together. I knew the coaching staff. I was very aware of this team and the talent they had.
“It’s a very impressive program with good, respectful kids.”
“Clifton seemed to have a very well-rounded background with his focus being on the technique of the stroke and the fun of the sport,” said Susan Schieman, president of the WTRC Sharks Swim Team. “You could see his true love of the sport and his love of the kids.
“And that’s what it’s all about.”
Cox said he wants the Sharks to be one of the state’s best programs, and his passion for the program is evident.
“I feel like I have become a Shark,” he said. “I’ve become part of the team. I’m not the team. It’s much bigger than me.”
Diving duo
Megan Kujawa and Claire Schuermann are two different kids that share a common bond. Ten-year-old Megan is tiny and quiet. Her 11-year-old buddy Claire is taller and already very much an athlete.
Both are national-level divers.
They put the relatively new WTRC Dive Team on the map with a recent trip to the AAU nationals at the Indiana University in Bloomington.
Each garnered bronze medals in their respective age groups at the meet.
“It’s fun to travel and go diving and meet a lot of new people,” Claire said. “The pool was really nice there.”
“It’s fun,” Megan said of why she loves the sport. “I have a lot of friends on the team and I have a good time diving.”
Megan began diving at age 7 as a member of the Black Oak swim club in Centerville. Claire, a gymnast for three years, began taking diving lessons from WTRC’s Patti Hickey last year.
When Hickey started a competitive team last fall, the girls were ready. By April, both girls had qualified for the elite USA Diving nationals at Knoxville, Tenn.
“That was a good warmup for them (for the AAUs) because they were diving in a much more difficult, competitive field than they had ever been used to,” Hickey said.”
According to Megan, her best is the “back dive,” while Claire’s specialty is a reverse flip.
More importantly, they possess the necessary demeanor for the sport.
“They’re cool under pressure,” Hickey said, “which is a big thing in diving.”
Contact this writer at dmdicenzo@gmail.com.
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