I have spent almost my whole life swimming, and with that comes coaches coming and going. But once I reached high school, I was able to stick with the same coaches—yet there was one coach that really helped me out. That is Coach Kimmy G. Her real name isn’t Kimmy G, it's Kim Grimes. 

I have known coach Kimmy G since middle school but never had her as a teacher. She would run certain study halls for kids who needed a bit more help in some of their classes. She would always get me and my best friend’s names mixed up—that would be an ongoing joke we had with her throughout high school. She never got mad at the fact we teased her for getting our names wrong, she laughed with us. The joke grew the relationship. 

Never in my years of swimming have I had a coach like her; she would push us so hard, wanting us to become the best swimmers there were. She continued to push me through sophomore year, yet through all the hard work was such a big milestone, breathing was not easy for me, this situation was hard to just walk over. 

That year I would be told that I had bruises all along my chest caused by a tear in muscle which made it hard for me to breathe. Yet the day that it happened coach Kimmy G was there for me, comforting me. “Take slow deep breaths,'' she said, while making sure I was focusing on her talking and nothing else. She called my mom prior to me going to the ER making sure that I was going to be okay to keep swimming. With the ER visit we figured out that I had a torn chest wall. The time she took out her day to call my mom and checked in with me, really stuck with me. 

Junior and senior year I didn't directly have her as my coach. She still pushed me. Yet senior year came around and another serious issue occurred: my hands and feet locked up downwards not being able to move them. During that whole time of not knowing what was happening coach Kimmy G stayed by my side,making sure I was staying warm and holding my hand once it was able to move around.These actions she did for me helped me calm down and realize no matter what she was always there for me. 

These are the moments that I will cherish deeply, knowing that during these times Coach Kimmy G stayed by my side and helped me walk through the milestones. She is the nicest and most caring person I know. She is working two jobs at Merton Middle school and as an Arrowhead High School coach. Even if she had a bad day she never portrayed her frustration onto us. I am beyond grateful to create such beautiful memories with her. 

I am sad to say goodbye, but through these four years coach Kimmy G has changed my time while  swimming on the Arrowhead Swim team.

Thank you coach Kimmy G.