Transitioning from assistant to head coach overnight is never an easy task, but making the switch while beginning the championship season is an even bigger challenge. Two-year assistant coach Matt Berry has to assume this responsibility.
Berry was the assistant coach for the girls varsity swim and dive team (GVSD) last year for the fall season. He returned for his second season as an assistant coach this fall until the unexpected leave of former head coach Ryan Rich, which resulted in Berry being named head coach.
According to Berry, the hardest part of transitioning to a new coach is not getting stuck in the past as a team.
“It was a little overwhelming at first having the pressure of trying to support the girls as much as possible, especially going into championships. But overall I think it was a pretty smooth transition,” Berry said.
Berry’s coaching career began on a YMCA swim team near Quinnipiac University, where he attended college. There he said he became hooked on being a swim coach. According to Berry, he grew up swimming and has used his experiences as a swimmer to help shape his identity as a coach.
“I think it’s important to listen to the athletes. When I was growing up, it was a lot more of ‘do what you’re told.’ I like giving kids a chance to speak up and say what they want to say,” Berry said. “Giving them the opportunity to either pick an event or say, ‘Hey, look. I’ve done this too much, can I take a break from swimming?’ that type of thing.”
Senior and captain Mimi Aspi has been on GVSD since her freshman year and has had Berry as a coach for the last two.
“He would give us technical advice, but he wasn’t really one to yell at us or control us. But he was good with giving feedback after your races. He was really attentive at meets, and if you went up to him he would be really helpful,” Aspi said.
Sophomore Maria Soares de Brito has been on the team since her freshman year and said she was not surprised when Berry was named head coach because of the quick and unexpected leave of the former coach halfway through the season. She knew someone would have to replace him and that would be Berry.
According to Aspi, there are some subtle changes in coaching style with Berry in charge now, especially after the tough experience of losing their former coach.
“Matt has a different style of workouts, so that was different. Matt’s coaching is to do a lot more yardage and a lot more swimming when he does it. So it’s a little harder,” Aspi said.
As a captain, Aspi said the focus of the team shifted after losing their coach.
“Everyone was like, ‘Oh, what happened to our coach? This is so sad. What are we going to do?’ It was kind of a kerfuffle. But then he did a good job of bringing us back together,” Aspi said.
Berry was named head coach at a very critical point in the season. GVSD was going into the postseason and with that comes a lot of preparation. In his first practices as head coach, Berry said he had to dive right in when it came to getting the team ready for the meets ahead.
“We focus a lot more on putting a whole race together. Definitely focusing on just the small things that every race kind of comes down to. So not breathing into finishes, walking through a swim meet. So having to do a run-through of the meet,” Berry said.
Soares de Brito said she has put her trust in Berry for the rest of this season and that she knows he can do a good job.
“He was a good assistant coach,” Soares de Brito said. “I know he coached [at] Charles River Aquatics, which is a club team, so he knows what he’s doing.”
