When I first saw swimming at the Olympics, I knew I wanted to go into that sport. I joined swimming my sophomore year of high school and to this day I don’t regret because of the amazing coach I had: Jennifer Leider.

Walking through the pool doors everyday around 2:45, I see Jen talking to the swimmers, other coaching staff or both, talking about either school, chatting about boys or just anything the girls on the team could thing of.

Even though she coached the Varsity girls and I was on Junior Varsity, I got to know her as an individual, coach and a teacher. Whenever I had troubles with school, boys or anything else I could count on her to give me an honest opinion about what I should do about it.

She always had her own sense of humor the girls would love because it brightens their day. I remember when the season ended and she started coaching the boy’s junior varsity swim team. I would come in during exam week and she helped me study for my US History exam. She wasn’t even my teacher! She put history into terms I would understand and wouldn’t try to explain the cold hard facts and stick to them; she would relate them to people and things in the twenty first century so that I could get a better understanding of the topic.

She is committed to her students and swimmers and I think she should win the Educator of the Year Award.