Ciera Stratton, Hunter Crawford-Shelmadine, Allegra Ferme, and Megan Olazar have found themselves back at Carlmont’s swimming pool almost 10 years later.
As coaches for the JV and varsity girls water polo teams, the four are now back where their love for the sport is rooted. Playing together in high school under the same coach brings unique cohesion to their coaching.
“It was so fun, and we learned so much. The camaraderie and the environment here has been the best,” Stratton said. “Water polo has always been my favorite sport. Playing at Carlmont made me fall in love with the sport even more than I did before.”
Stratton and the other coaches’ love for the game was heavily influenced by their old coach, Bernice Orwig. Orwig was a two-time Olympic silver medalist. She left a legacy of a positive and encouraging impact.
“It helps us have a general understanding of how we were all taught and the ways that we want to continue with what we’ve learned,” Olazar said. “We have a common knowledge of how we want to coach, and we want to keep building on that.”
The coaches want the girls on the team to have the same positive experience as they did when they played. They incorporate their love of the sport and trust in one another into their coaching style.
“Having all of us played together at one point is really helpful. I think we all have a good relationship with each other, and it passes down to the team,” Ferme said.
Ferme and Olazar both joined the team at Carlmont in 2013. Stratton and Crawford-Shelmadine joined the following year. The four agree that returning to the pool deck feels like time has never passed.
“Hunter and I stayed best friends, but Allegra and Megan are older than us, so they left sooner. Them coming back here brought back so many memories,” Stratton said.
The coaches are excited to work together and look forward to getting to know their players better and helping them develop their skills. Their main goal for the season is for the girls to have fun while still being successful, just as they did nearly a decade ago.
“I’m most looking forward to mid-season where everyone new here knows what’s going on, and we get to see who really shines, especially when the team’s relationship builds,” Olazar said.
In addition to the coaches, the players have expressed their excitement about the upcoming season. Seniors Aubrey Button, Audrey Finigan, and Carly Foehr are the varsity team captains. They are three out of the eight seniors on the team.
“It has been such a fun time watching the coaches come back together and working in a sport that they loved so much in high school,” Button said. “It makes me excited that I’m going to have lifelong friends from this sport, just like they do.”
