Art Wiper named 4A Swim Coach of the Year

Stanwood High School swim coach Art Wiper (left) won 4A Swim Coach of the Year. Wiper is pictured with boy’s co-coach Nancy Rink. At this year’s boys’ state swimming and diving championships, Stanwood swim coach Art Wiper was named 4A Swim Coach of the Year, in a vote by his fellow coaches.

Wiper, who has served as co-coach with Stanwood High girls’ mentor Rita Brennan and boys’ coach Nancy Rink for the past five campaigns, is an unassuming, multi-talented man who, with Brennan and Rink, has helped escalate the local swim program exponentially each ensuing year.

“Art has been the driving force for Stanwood High School’s swim program,” Brennan said.

“He knew that without a strong year-round program in our community we would never be able to build a competitive high school program. He was instrumental in bringing the Steelheads swim team to Stanwood.”

Art is serious when he’s trying to get a point across, he’s patient when trying to teach a skill to a swimmer, and he always has a sense of humor, Brennan said.

“He’s the heart of our team.”

But you’d never hear it from him.

The notably modest teacher/coach graduated from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School after playing football and baseball there. He attended the University of Washington and, while pursuing his studies, played football.

Art served his high school alma mater for more than 33 years as PE teacher, guidance counselor, and athletic director, as well as coaching football, swimming and baseball.

In 2006, the new Roosevelt athletic field was named the Art Wiper Field.

“Art remembers everyone he ever taught or coached,” said Rink. “I don’t mean just their names, but who they were, what they did and their stats.”

Wiper has coached swimming for decades.

“I have known Art for 38 years, since I was 10,” Rink said.

He was the boss and coach at the Innis Arden Swim Club in north Seattle when Rink swam there with friends who were members. At that time, Innis Arden had the biggest summer-league swim team around.

“For the next eight years I would see Art a handful of times each year. He always remembered me and made me feel like I was one of his swimmers and part of his team, even though I wasn’t.”

When Rink swam as the only swimmer from Ballard High School, Roosevelt was the powerhouse swim team and Art was the coach.

“Art was always very nice and encouraging to me, even though he had a full team of kids there swimming for him. I think they won the boys’ and girls’ state championships, or were in the top three, every year I was in high school.”

One of his former swimmers, Shelly (Gidloff) Rawding, who is now a year-round swim coach in Oregon, remembers how he encouraged his football team to try swimming.

“When they tried, they learned quickly that swimming was a tough sport, and it brought a little respect to us all — especially the boys in their Speedo briefs, since jammers weren’t invented yet! ” An RHS grad in the class of 1980, Scott McClelland also remembers Wiper fondly.

“When I asked Art if I could join the swim team he asked me where I had started. I mentioned I learned to swim in a pool in Lima, Peru, where my father was stationed for Pan Am. He was so impressed that he let me join the swimming team despite my lack of experience,” McClelland said, explaining that he learned a lot about himself and about the value of perseverance from him.

Focus on fundamentals

“Art stresses every day in practice that the basics come first — things like tight streamlines, fast turns, breathing every three strokes,” said Brennan.

He tells the swimmers, if you aren’t doing it in practice, then you aren’t going to do it during a meet. When he sees something wrong, he immediately talks to a swimmer to get it corrected and then gives positive feedback when things look good.

“His teaching ability is his strongest asset as a coach,” Brennan continued.

Rink sees Wiper’s straightforward values as important as well. He teaches all students that they can excel, with training, determination and desire, and that athletes should have clear-cut expectations, be fair, and consistent, and that sports and competition are all about building character.

“He has always said that we don’t treat each kid the same, but with what that kid needs to be successful,” Rink noted.

That positive approach guides Shelly Rawding’s coaching as well.

“How to have fun while working and trying your best, no matter what,” she described Wiper’s strategy.

It’s not easy, though.

“Swimming is a pretty boring sport, training-wise,” Rink acknowledged. “You swim back and forth in a 5- foot-wide, 75-foot-long lane. The bottom of the pool is a constant blue and nothing changes.”

But, she said that Art creates workouts that get the yardage, approximately 2,500-3,000 yards per hour, but are fun and interesting.

“He makes the kids use their brain and body.”

Another aspect of Wiper’s coaching style is his thoroughness, she said.

“I am baffled by how much time and energy he puts into the strategy of a line-up,” Rink said.

When the Sparts swam against Lake Stevens, a perennial league power in their pool, that meant the Sparts had to make up for a major deficit, and Art figured out how to do it.

“Art made four or five line-ups before he was happy, and that allowed us to win the meet, 94 to 86. He not only knows how our swimmers will swim, but how the kids at our rival schools will swim.”

For Rink and Brennan, it’s an honor to work with Wiper.

“When I started five years ago, I was a brand new coach,” said Brennan.

“I was nervous to be coaching with someone who had so much more experience than me. Art has been such an incredible mentor for me. He has shown me through example what it takes to be a great coach.”

She especially appreciates Art’s favorite line: “Rita, you do what you want, but . . .”