Retiring Great Falls High, CMR swim coach Ed McNamee displays on 22-year tenure

GREAT FALLS — Last Friday, longtime head swimming coach at Great Falls High and CMR Ed McNamee introduced his retirement from the place.

This follows a profitable 22-year tenure main the Bison and the Rustlers.

“The program is in a spot now where it’s time to have a new look at it,” McNamee stated Thursday at Great Falls High School. “I’m proud of what we did, I really am. And I’m proud of what we accomplished. But what I’m most proud of is the relationships with the kids.”

Combined between the 2 faculties, McNamee received 9 group championships, completed as runner-up in 11 years and compiled 29 complete group trophies.

“It was a great experience, a great run,” McNamee stated. “If I was talking to myself from 2003, I would’ve told you, no way. No. That’s not going to happen.”

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Longtime Great Falls High, CMR swim coach Ed McNamee displays on profitable 22-year tenure

As one might count on, this resolution took a whole lot of time and thought, McNamee stated.

“Probably one of the harder decisions I’ve made in my life,” McNamee stated. “Swimming has been — outside of my wife, Erica — it’s the longest relationship I’ve had.

“I did not wish to outstay my welcome. I did not wish to not have the power to do it the best way it is speculated to be finished. That’s the underside line. When that got here to me, I used to be like, that is the precise factor to do. It’s not the simple factor. It in all probability wasn’t the great factor to do on a whole lot of ranges, however it was the precise factor to do.”

McNamee explains how he first became the head coach in 2003.

“When I used to be pupil instructing in 2000, that is after I acquired contacted to be an assistant coach,” McNamee said. “Then after two years of that, they simply mainly handed me the pinnacle teaching job prefer it wasn’t actually an possibility. It’s extra of like I used to be informed I used to be going to do it.”

Ever since, he has been a crucial piece of the sports growth across Montana.

“I’m going to overlook that facet of it too,” McNamee said. “Doing the issues to assist construct the game, as a result of we labored laborious to be sure that swimming was considered similar to each different sport.”

McNamee established the “4 groups, one household” motto.

“My youngest daughter Avery was born at 2:30 within the morning and I used to be at observe at 8 within the morning,” McNamee said. “That’s after I sort of understood like, hey, we’re all taking time away from our household, so this turns into your loved ones.”

McNamee will continue to serve as head baseball coach at Great Falls High and said handling both sports is not the reason he is stepping away from swimming.

“I do not suppose it’s going to actually set in till November time-frame,” McNamee said. “It’s a choice that I’m comfy with now. There are levels of grief, I assume, that I’ve sort of been via, however I’m wanting ahead to what the subsequent chapter is for them. Just do not know the place I slot in to that. I do know the youngsters are nonetheless there and I can nonetheless go to with the youngsters, and I informed them I’m nonetheless going to be there for them, however in only a completely different capability.”