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WESTPORT, Conn. -- Betsy Matheney, the Junior Age Group swim coach for the Westport Weston Family Y Water Rat Swim Team, has been named Connecticut Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year.
Matheney, who lives in New Canaan, will be honored at a banquet in November. She was chosen by her fellow coaches at this summer's Long Course Age Group Championships.
Matheney recently completed her third year with the Water Rat Swim Team, whose 200 young swimmers compete locally and in regional and national competitions. She also serves as the aquatics director and swim coach at Whippoorwill Club in Armonk, New York.
This is the second year in a row that a Family Y Water Rat coach has been named Coach of the Year. Head Age Group Coach Mark Sedlak received the honor for 2010-2011.
For Matheney, this is actually the second "coach of the year" award she's earned over her 40-year career as a coach and teacher. She was a longtime coach at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where she coached more than 60 athletes in six sports who are in the school's hall of fame.
"I want my kids to be well-rounded people," said Matheney, who was a multi-event All-American swimmer in both high school and college. "If they're good swimmers, that's great, but I want them to be good in school and to be good at whatever they want to do in life. That's how I approach both my coaching and teaching."
One-day tryouts for the 2012-2013 Water Rat team will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 5, and Thursday, Sept. 6, at 4 p.m. Parents can register their children online before coming to the pool or can register on the day at the door. There is a $25 fee to tryout.
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