Diving in: Aqua Jags welcome new coach
University of Georgia senior Brandon Fineout will lead the 2024-25 Cedar Shoals Aqua Jags after being announced as the team’s new head coach at an interest meeting on Sept. 18th.
“I grew up in Valdosta, swimming for the travel team there, and then went into high school swimming. Right before I came up to UGA, the coach of this team (the Valdosta Aquatic Swim Team) walked up to me and said, ‘Would you like to coach the younger kids?’ So I did that for about a year and a half, and then I came up to Athens,” Fineout said.
After coming to UGA for college, he found Cedar’s open coaching position from a professor of his.
“I wanted to coach and I knew swimming was one of my top choices. And then during this semester, I decided to see what’s out there. And so I started talking to one of my teachers. That’s how I figured out that Cedar Shoals was hiring, and here we are now,” Fineout said.
Fineout hopes to provide an environment for team members to push themselves while also finding enjoyment.
“I want to make practice exciting and fun. I think when they want to be here, they’ll be wanting to be motivated, but we have to find that balance of having them enjoy their time at practice, but also getting things done,” Fineout said.
Members of the team look forward to what Fineout will do with the team. Senior member, Sebastian Blanco, who has been on the team for six years through both middle school and high school, hopes for a coach who can provide more of a challenge but will still motivate them to do their best.
“I want the coach to be difficult, hard, motivate the swimmers to swim more and motivate them in swim meets more,” Blanco said.
GATHERING INTEREST: Swim team member Christopher Koch listens to Booster Club President Catherine Neace and Coach Brandon Fineout during the team interest meeting on Sept. 18. “From what I’ve heard, the team is like a big family. I’m trying to figure out how everything works here, and how everyone interacts with each other, and trying to be a part that helps.” Fineout said. Photo by Lauren Neace.
Fineout plans to stay as the coach for the remainder of the year, but it’s unknown how long he’ll stay in the long run.
“The plan has always been to go home and teach. I’ll teach elementary school and coach for the local high school there. But the more time spent up here, I don’t know if I want to go. My opinion on that varies from day to day, but as of now, I’m planning on going home after I get my master’s after another year and then coaching down there,” Fineout said.
