BANGOR — Dave Barnett, who has assisted Phil Emery with the boys swim team at Bangor High School for several seasons, has been named to replace the legendary coach.
Emery, who was inducted into the Maine Sports and Swimming Halls of Fame, retired after this past season after a remarkable 46-year career at Bangor High.
He guided the Rams to 26 state Class A championships.
Barnett, an English teacher at Bangor High and the faculty advisor and coach for the Bangor lacrosse club team, is an excellent choice according to Emery.
“I recommended him very highly,” said Emery. “I’m very, very pleased. I couldn’t be happier.
“He has been my assistant for five years. He is very knowledgable and very demanding,” he said. “He relates extremely well to the kids. He has a very strong swimming background.
“He swam age group in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and for Huron High School, which is a major swim power,” said Emery. “He then went to Boston University on an athletic scholarship.”
“I’ve got huge, huge shoes to fill but I’m willing meet the challenge and see what can happen,” said the 51-year-old Barnett. “I’ve been coaching with Phil for five years and I see how things are done the Bangor way. I’m excited about it.”
Emery said Barnett had been working with the Lane Six swimmers on their stroke development this season, but Emery felt they needed to do a better job with their distance swimmers so he assigned Barnett to them, “and our distance swimmers all had their best times at the end of the season.”
“Sam Carlson went under five minutes in the 500 freestyle, and he was just the third swimmer to do so in my 46 years,” added Emery who also received the Hall of Fame Award from the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association.
Lane Six swimmers come to the Bangor High School program with very little experience, and they are mentored by Emery and his staff and evolve into productive members of the team.
Barnett said he intends to maintain the Lane Six program “because it gives kids an opportunity to try something new.
“It’s fun to see a kid go from flailing all over the place on the first day to racing by the end of the season. They may not end up winning a race at the state meet but every kid drops time and gets better through hard work and the preparation they go through,” said Barnett.
Barnett said the swim program has benefited from an “outstanding feeder system” including the Hurricane and Barracuda Swim Clubs, and noted that they are “vital to what we do.”
Barnett said he has learned a lot from Emery.
“He has always been the master of training the athlete to be ready to compete at all times, especially at state meets,” said Barnett who added that intends to train “all the swimmers to be able to do every stroke. I want them to be able to move out of their comfort zone. It will help them become better athletes.”
Barnett and wife Lisa have three children: Grace, Sam and Emma. Grace and Sam were multiple-time state Class A swim champions in their events at Bangor High and Grace also swam at the University of Maine. Sam was on a state championship soccer team at Bangor and just graduated from BU. Emma plays for the Bangor High girls soccer team.
Steve Vanidestine, Bangor High athletic director, said Barnett was approved by the Bangor school committee Thursday night.
“He is a very dedicated teacher and is very popular. Whenever the principal has a student looking for support, Dave is one of the first teachers they call on. He is so positive with the kids,” said Vanidestine. “He will bring a lot of energy and experience to the program.”
Vanidestine noted that Emery’s ringing endorsement of Barnett weighed in his decision, and Barnett is “very good at teaching proper mechanics to help the kids go faster.”