The Jesuit Swim Team has a reputation for being one of the best swim teams in North Texas. And Jesuit has added one new member to its family: head swim team coach Doug Moyse.
Since Coach Moyse accepted the position of head swim coach last year, he has not disappointed, leading Jesuit to place the highest at the state swim meet in the history of Jesuit Swimming, and confirming that Jesuit is the team to beat for years to come.
Coach Moyse became familiar with the sport when he was very young. Moyse shared, “[I] started Country Club swimming when I was six. And I started to swim year round when I was 13-years old.” Coach Moyse continued to swim competitively through high school and in the collegiate level. “I’ve stayed in touch with the sport ever since I started,” Moyse said. He also played competitive water polo through High School and college. “We took it pretty seriously, and our team was 2nd in the state four years in a row.”
After Moyse finished college and his professional swimming career, he started to compete in professional triathlons. Already in great physical condition, Moyse had no problem stepping up to the challenge of the event. “I was a good distance swimmer. So in the open water swimming, I had a pretty good ability to navigate through poorer swimmers and I got a pretty nice lead going into the bike. And that’s kind of enticing. I was also a good runner.” In one of Moyse’s first triathlon competitions, “I placed 155th out of upwards of 3,000 people. And I did that on two weeks of running. I had never run before. Ever.” After his early success in the competitions, Coach Moyse “tried to keep the triathlons going”, but he decided to go into the fitness industry and the idea of coaching a swim team was appealing to him.
Coach Moyse took the job as head Highland Park coach of the club swim team Dallas Mustangs in 1999. Just a couple of years later in 2001, Coach Moyse was offered the position as head coach of the Lakewood Country Club summer swim team. He also served as the head coach of the Cistercian swim team for 7 years before taking the job as head coach of the Jesuit swim team last year.
Needless to say, Doug Moyse knows his way around the pool, and the Jesuit swimmers feed off of his enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport. One of the three senior captains of the swim team this year, Michael Boyson ’16, commented, “I think Coach Doug brings experience. As a former swimmer, Coach Doug knows the ins and outs of the sport better than anyone else I know, and that is key if you want to have a competitive high school or club team.” Boyson ’16 also shared his thoughts on how he thinks Moyse attracts swimmers to come and swim for him and Jesuit. “I think that Coach Doug has a very amiable character, always trying to relate to the kids. Whether it’s him dancing to a new hip-hop song that comes on the radio or taking extra time to sit down and talk with swimmers about their technique, Coach Doug is a very personable man who works well with the team. He knows his swimming, and is very comfortable around Jesuit swimmers.”
Another swimmer, junior Abbas Hussain’17, shared, “Coach Doug brings a lot valuable experience that most coaches don’t have. As a former swimmer, he can relate to us while pushing us to ensure that each swimmer reaches their true potential.” Hussain’17 elaborated on Coach Moyse’s coaching experience, saying, “Coach Doug comes with his bag of tricks and a deep knowledge of the sport to ensure that the team keeps its outstanding reputation.”
Moyse not only encourages and teaches his swimmers, but his coworkers as well. Assistant coach and Spanish teacher at Jesuit, Madeline Maggard joined the coaching staff of the swim team last year, already knowing the sport, as she swam all four years in high school. Maggard has been influenced by Moyse and has noticed his impact on the swim team almost immediately, explaining, “Coach Moyse brings over 30 years of swimming experience to the team both as a swimmer and as a coach. He understands the physiology and psychology behind being the swimmer in the water as well as being the coach on the deck of the pool. In addition, he has a phenomenal memory of best times for all of the swimmers he coaches year round. It’s quite amazing.”
Coach Maggard echoed Abbas’ comments on Moyse, saying, “Moyse has a real flair for relating with his swimmers and positively motivating them. Moyes has a knack for keeping kids out of the danger zone mentally so that they’re not over thinking things. He keeps it real.” Maggard has learned many tips from Moyse. “I have learned technical instruction which changes as exercise physiologists share research about the sport.” Coach Maggard described the dynamic between her and Coach Moyse as balanced. “We complement each other I think. I don’t try to be him. He and I sometimes approach situations differently. I feel we have a way of blending out strengths so that together we are supportive of each other and of the team. We set goals, discuss success and failures and are always trying to strategize for the team’s success as well as that of individual swimmers.”
Other coaches and faculty members have noticed Coach Doug’s impact on the swim team and his friendly persona. Head Athletic Director at Jesuit, Steve Koch had nothing but praise for Doug saying, “Doug has some very good experience and he works very well with high-school age athletes. His personality is also a very good fit for what we do here at Jesuit. His has a deep, sincere passion for coaching swimming. Coach Moyse has raised the level of competition as well as keeping our core values of Jesuit athletics.” Mr. Koch wasn’t the only one who had praise for Moyse; Head Varsity Soccer Coach Charlie Delong has noticed the swim team’s success with Moyse as head coach. “He’s been quite successful as the swim coach, and I know that getting up at 4:30 every morning to coach high school and club swimmers is a driven person. The kids like him a lot, and he’s brought a lot of success.”
Doug Moyse has the team’s goals set high for this year, explaining, “Our goals are always to move forward. We want to win the district again, and I’d like to get 2nd at the regional meet. We have a lot of sophomores that were not allowed to compete at the district meet last year, that are now eligible to compete for us this year. We would also like to match our place from last year at state, 5th place overall.” With a long season ahead, the Jesuit swim team looks to their coach for guidance as they have their sights set for the state meet in the spring.
