Cobb Cherokee In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Winning a state championship - regardless of sport or classification level - is a monumental and difficult accomplishment, requiring sustained excellence, skill, perseverance and even a little luck as a team progresses successfully through a gauntlet of challengers.

But winning four straight titles? Insanely incredible. Such is the good fortune of Glenn Meeden, head coach of the Lassiter High School (Marietta) girls swim team.

In each of the last four seasons, Meeden has guided the Lassiter girls swimming program to the summit, seizing a state championship in Georgia Class 5A. And he has them poised for a run at a fifth consecutive crown.

“This is my eighth year here at Lassiter, and my 14th year of coaching overall,” Meeden says. “The swim program has been very successful here at Lassiter well before I arrived, and it continues to grow. I have been very blessed by seeing the girls team win the state title in swimming in 2005 and from 2008 to 2011.”

Such an astounding run of success might give some coaches an inflated sense of self. Certainly, head coaches are crucial in building and guiding a winner. But ask Meeden the secret to the program’s title streak, and he’s quick to deflect attention from himself and give credit to the talent and competitiveness of his team.

“The key for winning these four consecutive titles is that you simply have the best competing for the team,” Meeden says. “This doesn’t mean that one has to go out and win this certain event or that event, but rather, everyone has a job to do, and that job is to place as high as one can. Each team member contributes toward the point total and helps each other out.”

Lassiter began its season in October but is seeking to mount yet another championship drive. According to Meeden, the team started off “somewhat low key,” but are putting things in place to defend their county swim title at the end of January 2012 and to compete for the state title for both the boys and girls squads. As of the start of December, the girls team is ranked ninth in the nation at Lassiter’s level of school enrollment.

Currently leading the Lassiter girls is Sarah Williford, team captain, who performs in the 200-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle. Meeden also coaches the boys team, led by Drew Cuttic, one of the team captains and performer in the 50- and 100-free, and junior Jimmy Yoder, who competes at a national level in his club swimming and already has three Olympic qualifying times from his tryout for the 2012 USA team.

For Meeden, the success of both the Lassiter girls and boys swimming teams is a reflection of the individual and collective character of the athletes he coaches.

“All of the swimmers and divers are simply the best at what they aim to do, whether it’s in the pool or in the classroom,” Meeden says. “They have exceptional character and an extremely rigid work ethic. Any of the folks on the team know that they are part of something special, and that the expectation is that they are going to contribute to helping the team achieve success at any level. They know that they are swimming with the best, and they step up their performance in order to be looked on as one of the best.”

Meeden acknowledges that achieving the Lassiter girls swimming team’s a level of excellence is a result of talent, grit and persistence. Each year is different, and the recipe for a state title can vary depending on the team’s talent and personality.

“Our girls have been winning it (championships) through any means needed,” Meeden says. “One year, they knew that they weren’t necessarily the fastest, but they simply held on and finished high enough through all the events and won by numbers. Another year, they simply steamrolled through the state meet, and - I’m not making this up - didn’t even need to swim the last two events, and they still would have won. They simply are smart girls who eye what needs to be done and do it.”

According to Meeden, the program’s success has fostered great team chemistry and a culture where team members encourage each other and pick each other up after a setback.

“I can give you a great story about this,” Meeden says. “In last year’s state meet, one of our girls, swimming in an event that she was favored to place high in, got disqualified in the finals. She felt so bad about it, like she let the team down. Nonsense! The rest of the girls cheered her up and went out and placed even higher and higher in the events that still remained. They rallied around her for the remainder of the meet, and it was terrific to watch.”

Another essential trait of a champion is conditioning. Meeden stresses the importance of conditioning and acknowledges that he is fortunate to coach athletes who stay in great shape throughout the year by competing in other sports.

“The club swimmers that we have on the team maintain a rigorous workout program, and many of our non-club swimmers and divers are involved in other sports,” Meeden says. “They stay in shape via those sports, including football, cross country, competition cheerleading, baseball, track, lacrosse and soccer.”

One stereotype of the successful head coach is that of a rigid taskmaster and boisterous disciplinarian, obsessing over every intricate detail and having no hesitation to get in his or her players’ faces. Meeden prefers a more positive and less pressured approach, one where he encourages his athletes and gives them a real stake in team decisions.

“I continue to support them. I’m their biggest cheerleader,” Meeden says. “I never try to say too much of a pessimistic nature toward them, especially at big competitions. Rather, I try to cheer them on and seek a positive outlook always.

“I let the captains run a lot of the meets and make up the lineups. You need to have ownership from within in order to succeed in a lot of things in life.”

The influence of a coach extends far beyond the parameters of the sport itself, as Meeden sees it. He seeks to build rapport and trust with team members and stays engaged with their pursuits and interests away from swimming, showing that he cares for them as students and as people, not just as athletes.

“I always try to be supportive and to let them know I’m around if they ever need me,” Meeden says. “I am going to do whatever I can to help them achieve their goals for the team. I think a coach needs to be visible and around at other sports or events that their athletes are involved in. Show interest in the kids and in what they are doing. Stay involved in events at your school, period. Showing that you care goes a long ways in the eyes of your athletes.”

Part of showing such care and concern involves emphasizing the importance of academics. Meeden is no different.

“I maintain a watch on their grades,” Meeden says. “I try to be proactive in terms of their grades and tell them that they are students first, and that no matter what they do on the competition field, it is what goes on in the classroom that matters the most.”