Sean C. Morgan
Sweet Home Swim Club Coach Rene Kirkland moved to Southern California Thursday, leaving behind a club that will miss her dearly.
Local swimmers and their families held a farewell party for Coach Kirkland Wednesday night at the Home of Mike Rassbach and Tracii Hickman. Swimmers signed a T-shirt with a photo of the swim team.
?It?s kind of a sad day but also a happy day,? Rassbach said. While swimmers are losing their beloved coach, they are also happy for her as she makes a new start. ?That?s one of the steps that help us grow, so we?re happy for Rene.?
Coach Kirkland had one duty left to perform at the party. She had to present awards from the previous weekend, a 17-team swim meet where Sweet Home finished 10th.Out of 72 swims for Sweet Home, 67 were best times.
?I have enjoyed each and every minute of you,? Coach Kirkland told those gathered. ?I?ve got lots of pictures, so I?ll never forget you.?
Coach Kirkland has been coach for the Swim Club for 12 years, Craig Martin said. She?s ?a big part of our swimming family. One of the things you guys will always cherish are the memories. While she may not be here with us, we?ll have memories.?
Martin presented Coach Kirkland with a plaque thanking her for ?making a difference for our kid and our community.?
Sweet Home High School Coach Doug Peargin has known Coach Kirkland since she started swimming at age seven.
?She?s been a major part of the program,? Coach Peargin said. She is a fundamentalist and technician who fine tunes swimmers. ?It?s going to hurt our program to heave her leave and try to replace her.?
?You can always come home,? Coach Peargin said to Coach Kirkland.
?We really appreciate everything you?ve done,? Rich Birky told Coach Kirkland. She turned the club around. Prior to Coach Kirkland, the club went through several coaches and hard times.
Coach Kirkland now lives in the Ventura-Oxnard area. With friends already in the area, it will make the move easier.
Coach Kirkland has two jobs she is looking at. The first is a sales and fitness consultant with 24-Hour Fitness. She already was offered that position. She also was hoping for an offer from Mervyn?s to work in assets surveillance and security, a complete change of direction for her. If she is offered the job, she will manage a group of employees who work in the stores as secret shoppers catching shoplifters among other duties.
The job would be ?totally off the wall from what I?ve been doing,? Coach Kirkland said.
Coach Kirkland is making the move for financial reasons and because she has never left Sweet Home. She has always been here pushing youths to do the same, to get out, go to college and do something.
?I?m still looking for my dream job too,? Coach Kirkland said.
Coach Kirkland has a degree in exercise and sports sciences from Oregon State University.
She will miss the kids the most, ?being with them at swim meets and seeing the looks on their faces when they have a successful swim, when their faces light up and knowing the work I put in affected them.?
Coach Kirkland expects she will probably remain involved in coaching somewhere.