Central's Withington puts career on hold

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 1, 2001

Julie Withington, who has coached Central the last six years, is taking next season off so she can spend more time with another promising swimmer: her 8-year-old daughter, Emily.

"I love swimming, and I don't want to give this up," said Withington, a physical education teacher at Floyd Elementary whose girls team posted its highest showing (third) in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference meet the fall.

"I'm definitely going to miss it, but I'll still be involved," Withington said.

Withington wants to be with her daughter for daily practices this season, her first as a competitive swimmer.

"She's been swimming with me for years, so she's ready," Withington said. "She doesn't know all the strokes yet, but she knows two of them."

Withington said she wants to help the new coach with scheduling meets and setting up practices. Ideally, that coach can come from Central's staff.

The fact Withington doesn't work on campus might have been a factor in the low turnout of boys (5) this season, she said.

"I don't want to leave them without a coach," Withington said of the teams.

Coaching swimmers, she says, requires more extensive experience and training than some other sports.

"You really need to have someone with first aid and CPR training, and ideally they're WSI (Water Safety Instructor) certified as well."

Central athletic director Vic Cervizzi said he has been fortunate to have Withington as coach because there hasn't been any on-campus interest in the position in recent years.

"We've never had anybody on staff doing it here," Cervizzi said. "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's those 5 a.m. practices."

Cervizzi posted the position on the Web site of the Florida High School Activities Association (fhsaa.org).

"We've got a couple of teaching positions open, so hopefully someone with an interest in swimming can come on board," he said.

Central's top two swimmers in recent years, Nathaniel Brault and Elizabeth Medeiros, are graduating, but the cupboard hardly is bare.

Freshman Ashley Martin won the 100-yard backstroke in the GCAC meet and swam on the Bears' state-qualifying 400-yard freestyle relay.

A SECOND OPENING: Cervizzi has another position to fill for next fall: boys golf.

Alan Solomon has coached the team the last two seasons. But with his appointment as girls track coach, he wanted to avoid the rigors of coaching sports in all three seasons and will stick with wrestling and track.

"It's very exhausting to do three sports in a row," Cervizzi said. "I've done it before and can tell you there's just no break at all." Jim Widener, who coached the golf team from 1998-99, is at Citrus. Cervizzi said Central boys basketball coach John Sedlack had coached the golfers in the past but was "leaning toward no" because of the year-round time commitment basketball requires.

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