Linda Cassidy, Gulf swimming coach, wins community award
This article appeared in the St. Petersburg Times on May 21, 2003.
By GREG AUMAN
Pinch a Penny? How about pinching 100,000 of them?
Gulf coach Linda Cassidy, respected as a pioneer for establishing competitive swimming in Pasco County, will be honored by pool retailer Pinch a Penny Pool, Patio and Spa Inc. as winner of the company's statewide coach in the community award.
"It's been a long haul, but it's nice to get some recognition," said Cassidy, 51, who will receive $1,000 and a crystal trophy at Gulf on Thursday afternoon and will be honored next month at the Florida Dairy Farmers Sports Awards in Orlando.
"I'm really glad swimming has taken off in the whole area, not just Pasco, but in Hernando and Citrus as well," Cassidy said. "It's good to see the sport I grew up with becoming more prevalent in other counties."
Cassidy grew up in Clearwater and was a star swimmer at Clearwater High but was surprised by the lack of facilities and teams when she moved to Pasco County in the early 1980s. She founded the Pasco Aquatics Club in 1983 and became the county's first high school swim coach at Gulf a year later. Now all nine county schools have programs, and she was honored as this year's Sunshine Athletic Conference swimming coach of the year after guiding the Bucs' girls team to a conference crown.
"She's the queen of chlorine, the guru of the pool," Ridgewood coach Sue Vien said. "When I first started my program, she was someone we looked to constantly, always helpful and someone we turned to for what we should do next. She knew what had to be done, made sure it was done right, and we all look up to her."
Cassidy, who was nominated by Gulf athletic director Paul Girardi, was chosen from five finalists, including Crystal River's Thomas Holme, Palm Harbor University's Lisa Bitting, Titusville's Natasha Kremer and Port Orange's Steve Lochte.
In addition to coaching at Gulf, she's the aquatic supervisor at the New Port Richey Community Pool, and her three children, Amanda, Abe and Annie swam at Gulf. Last summer, she taught her 4-year-old grandson to swim, and she doesn't see herself stopping as a coach any time soon.
"I love high school swimming," said Cassidy, who is working toward a teaching degree so she can teach in high school as well. "I think I'll be with it until I retire. My husband will ask me about it, but I'll always say no, I'm not ready yet. I enjoy it too much."
As for the $1,000, Cassidy said she might treat herself to a new haircut, but said the money will come in handy when her daughter Annie gets married in August.
She is proud of the award, which is given to one coach who "has enriched the lives of students and reached out and made a difference in the eyes of the community." But she is more proud of the progress she's helped bring to the county, seeing how much has changed in the past 20 years. As recently as eight years ago, only three county high schools had swimming teams, but now, they're everywhere, and that represents an invaluable gift for Cassidy.
"I wanted to have something for my children," she said. "I wanted them to experience what I had growing up."
