Westport/Weston Family YMCA Water Rat Swim Team Head Coach, Ellen Johnston, has been named as National YMCA Coach of the Year, according to the team’s official Facebook page.
Johnston has been a Water Rat coach for over 25 years, coming in as an assistant coach in 1986 until being promoted to a Senior Coach in 1990. Johnston then took over as head coach of the Water Rat team in 2012. Approximately 200 swimmers comprise the Water Rat team, which makes it one of the largest clubs in New England.
President of the Family YMCA’s volunteer Board of Directors conveyed, “Ellen exemplifies the Y values of honestly, caring, respect and responsibility every day, on and off the pool deck.”
In response to being nationally recognized, Johnston, a two-time winner of the Connecticut Senior Coach of the Year award, expressed, “It’s a tremendous honor that is a total team effort.” At this month’s YMCA Nationals in Greensboro, NC, the Water Rats Men’s team finished in second place in the competition.
I was lucky enough to meet Ellen when we coached together on a Zone Staff way back when. We were both Assistant Coaches with our present clubs. Ellen with one of the Columbia teams and I with Greenville Y Gators. They sent a couple of Asst.’s because none of the Head Coaches wanted to go. During that time I learned to appreciate and respect her love of the kids and the sport of swimming. This recognition is well deserved and a long time over due.
Congrats Ellen,
R.Scott Dunn
Ok. Fair enough. Did not know that.
Ellen is wonderful and not to take anything away from her but how could Michael Brooks not be named Coach of the year after his swimmers set multiple National records… Some of them by wide margins… :06 off the National record in the 400 IM.
Coach Brooks was named the YMCA coach of the meet so he was definitely honored for his swimmers’ successes.
It was such an honor to swim under Ellen. She was one of the most under appreciated coaches in CT but is finally getting the appreciation that is long overdue. Once a WRAT always a WRAT!
The men’s team actually got second.
Hi SwimCat12 – the official results page shows that they were 3rd, behind Sarasota and Somerset Valley. If you have results that show differently, please send it over and we’ll check it out.
http://www.ymcaswimminganddiving.org/2015SC/results/
It should be correct on meet mobile, the websites results are incorrect.
Thanks Swimcat, have verified and updated above.
Well deserved! Congratualtions, Ellen!