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09/09/2021 12:00 AMMatt Pohlman is ready to take the reins as Head Coach of the North Haven girls’ swimming and diving team this season after the retirement of longtime coach Martha Phelan. Matt is excited to come into a robust program with talented athletes all around, and he’s ready to lead the squad into the future.
Matt has a wealth of experience coaching swimming and hopes to bring some of that knowledge to the fore to help North Haven excel. Matt loved competing so much as an athlete, and he beings that same energy to coaching.
“I swam for Stratford High School and graduated in 1989. I’ve been coaching swimming since then. My high school coaching experience was mostly in the 1990s and 2000s. I was the assistant coach of the girls’ swim team at Staples High School. I taught physical education at Staples, as well,” says Matt. “What made me want to get into coaching was the experience of what I went through as an athlete, pulling together as a team, setting goals, accomplishing them, and seeing how far we can go when we all work together as one.”
Matt is familiar with the work that Phelan did with the North Haven program. Both of them work with USA Swimming teams, and Matt had the chance to watch Phelan’s work from afar. Now, Matt gets to see Phelan’s impact on North Haven up close and personal.
“Martha Phelan and I have been colleagues on the USA Swimming circuit for years. I’ve admired her program and the success she’s had. We’ve been in touch,” Matt says. “I knew the opening was going to be there, and I think it’s been a very smooth transition. I went through the whole interview process and met parents, administrators, and students. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity with this group.”
Matt has experience in building up programs. While coaching at Staples the team went from 13 swimmers and seven consecutive losing seasons to a team with 42 swimmers and earning 10th place at the State Open. Matt has enjoyed success both as an athlete and as a coach, and those experiences have been a huge part of his life. Matt hopes to put North haven’s athletes in a similar position as their coach.
“My swimming career was special because I started swimming as a freshman in high school. Most competitors have more experience than that. I swam for four years and improved a lot over that time. I earned a spot as a captain my senior year, and that year we had a winning season after three consecutive losing seasons,” Matt says. “We really turned it around. We were second in the league. We made states and scored points. It led to our team winning a league championship for the first time two years later. I was part of those teams as an assistant coach for a few years. I worked with the Westport YMCA and Staples, and that all kind of took off from there.”
Matt took to coaching in a similar fashion to he took to swimming. Matt voraciously consumed any information that he could find on how to improve his technique and record faster times.
“I love developing new strategies and techniques. There is so much info and schools of thought out there. I’m always looking for what works best for an individual athlete. It’s not one size fits all. It’s one thing working with younger swimmers, but working in high school, you have kids coming from a bunch of different backgrounds. They have great coaches in other areas and clubs. The kids are all so talented,” Matt says. “As a coach, you have different areas that you can impact: the starts, turns, relays, meet lineups strategy, and the training routine in general. I consider myself a student of the game in all those areas. We try to improve those in every season.”
Matt already has a few practices with the North Haven squad under his belt and he’s been impressed with what he has seen so far. North Haven seems ready to go out and defend their state title from 2019.
“We started last week, and we’ve been in the water for several days already. It’s been a great experience. The girls are amazing,” says Matt. “The leadership on the team is the best I’ve ever worked with. The program has been successful, and some All-American-level swimmers have come through there. There’s a lot of talent. The girls work very hard, and they are dedicated and excited for the season.”
This year the competition schedule seems back to normal as the world becomes a bit more comfortable with strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The fall season looks a lot more like a normal year for North Haven, and Matt can’t wait to see what the campaign brings for his athletes.
“I wasn’t coaching high school last year, but I was aware of what’s going on. We’re all excited to have a full schedule and full season coming up,” Matt says. “I’m excited for the team and seeing what they all want to do as athletes. The focus should be on them. They have great goals and that all comes from the senior leadership. They are a special group, and I’m excited to be a part of what they’ve built over the years. I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish together.”