Gulf High girls swimming team loses its founder

By IZZY GOULD

Linda Cassidy's 16-year career as Gulf's girls swim coach ended Tuesday night with her retirement from coaching. Her husband, boys coach Doug Cassidy, also retired after 11 seasons.

Both planned to leave Gulf after the 2005 season, but groundbreaking for a new recreational complex accelerated their retirement.

Gulf's home pool will be ripped out of the ground to make room for the facility. The project should begin in late spring and will force Gulf to practice and host home meets at an alternate facility next fall.

Cassidy, who is the aquatics supervisor at the New Port Richey city pool, will devote the coming months to preparing for the transition. She also wants to complete a degree in business administration.

That leaves little time for coaching.

Word of Cassidy's retirement began to circulate last month. She opted to keep her plans private until after the New Port Richey City Council agreed to move forward with the project.

"I've already told the school I'm not going to coach next year," Cassidy said. "I can't leave my job to go to another pool and coach. You just can't say to your employer, `Bye, I'm going to go do another job now.' This is what puts food on my table. This is the job I stay with."

Cassidy is credited as the founder of Gulf's swim program. She took a proposal before the Pasco County School Board in 1984 for a pilot program.

Despite that, she wasn't hired to be the coach. It wasn't until 1989 that Gulf approached her about taking over the team.

Cassidy, a Clearwater native who started the community team in 1983, has coached all types of swimmers and divers during her career.

There was Tony Frangello, who finished third in the 100- yard butterfly at the 1985 Class 4A state meet. He went on to win two national junior college championships at Brevard Community College before finishing his career at Georgia.

Jessica Lampkin placed second in the 50 free and third in the 100 free at the 2003 Class 2A meet. She is now a freshman at Florida Atlantic.

Gulf was 11th at the meet, its best finish in school history.

But she finds most of her satisfaction in comments like those from three freshmen - Lauren Crosby, Jaime Bauer and Maghan Wilson - from her 2004 team.

"They said, `You really taught me a lot and made me realize things about myself, things I never thought I could do, I did.' That was one thing I always tried to teach them."

Pasco County has lost a pioneer. Cassidy could be considered the mother of swimming here.

Cassidy often led Sunshine Athletic Conference swim meetings. She had no problem hosting meets, and did so this year during the SAC and Class 2A-District 5 meets. And she's happy to mentor coaches new to the profession.

"She's been a tremendous asset to swimming in her community," Land O' Lakes coach Barbara Hayes said. "She will be sorely missed. She's taught me a lot. She's been a good peer and a good friend. Those are big shoes to fill.

"She's been very helpful and taken the leadership role. Who next? Good luck."

Cassidy won't be too far from a pool. When the project is complete there will be four new pools a few steps from the current deck.

And if Gulf needs a hand, she has offered to help. She thinks she could help schedule meets, even run them.

"I loved almost every minute of it," Cassidy said. "I've enjoyed hopefully making a difference in kids' lives. Swimming doesn't have a lot of rewards. There's something about it. I even question why kids do this. It's not like being a football star.

"There's something about it that's a personal satisfaction."