Photo of high school male swimmer, female swimmers and their coach standing on the pool deck.

Mountain Hearts Wellness Center facility manager takes pride in teaching the next generation of swimmers

Adam Widner has always felt at home in the water.

The Mountain Hearts Wellness Center facility manager began taking swimming lessons when he was 5 years old and instantly fell in love with the sport. He enjoyed it so much that he continued to take lessons every year even after he had already learned to swim.

Now, in addition to running the wellness center and offering fitness instruction, Adam also is tasked with teaching the community’s next generation of swimmers. Adam teaches swimming lessons three times a year at Mountain Hearts.

It was during a summer session five years ago that Adam learned from one of his former swimmers that the Ashe County High School swim team didn’t have a coach. Adam didn’t have any experience with the swim team, since they didn’t have one when he was in high school, but he had years of experience teaching swimming lessons.

As the summer went on, the Huskies still hadn’t found a coach; and at that point, Adam decided to step in. Adam began coaching the Huskies in the fall of 2021 with six swimmers.

“I didn’t want the team to go away,” says Adam, who has been teaching swimming lessons for 20 years. “I have always had a love for swimming, even at a young age I needed to be in the water.”

While the team hasn’t grown substantially in number, Adam takes pride in watching his team find enjoyment in swimming while further improving its skills.

“I am very proud of how much each team develops every year,” Adam says. “We have a short season, and the students come in and work hard and have always gotten better.”

During the season, which begins November 1, the Huskies practice twice a week at Mountain Hearts Wellness Center and twice a week at the Alleghany Wellness Center where they spend time working on their starts. Ashe County typically participates in 6-8 meets throughout the season, and while the Huskies don’t have enough swimmers to compete with some of the larger schools that they face, Adam encourages his team to instead focus on what they can individually control.

“The biggest piece of advice I share is that we can’t worry about what other teams are doing,” Adam says. “All we can control is how hard we work and how we improve on a daily basis. I try to make sure they support their teammates and are always having fun and not taking it too seriously.”

The Huskies finished their regular season on January 22 with several swimmers earning new personal best times throughout the season. Adam will now turn his attention back to Mountain Hearts. The facility will host its spring session of swim lessons March 2 through April 30. Registration will begin at 6 p.m., February 19. Additionally, Adam is hoping to schedule some summer and fall practices for those students who may be interested in joining the swim team.

“I am continually trying to promote the swim team and find new ways to get more children involved,” Adam says. “Swimming has taught me so many things, but I think the most important thing it has taught me is to breathe and relax and keep moving forward.”