Coach Amy Estes has just recently come back to Azle from Hawaii and is the head swimming coach. Estes has been teaching for about 25 years, and she wants to keep teaching and coaching to reach people and wants to build relationships that will last a lifetime.  

“We teach because we reach people, Estes said, “We have good days and we have bad days but the good ones go for a really long time. If we can make a difference in one’s kids’ life then we have achieved something.”

When she was a freshman she started the swim team at the high school. Estes was very successful in her high school and college swimming career. 

“I started the swim program here at Azle High School my freshman year,” Estes said. “ I was a one person swim team, got all American, all state, and placed third at state.”

The team’s first ever meet was last Friday at Keller High School. This year the teams meets and practices have looked different due to COVID-19.

“Data shows that the safest sport is swimming, because you are in a vat of chemicals,” Estes said. “I social distance the lanes by six feet stopping on a different colored lane marker. When we get out, we social distance to the bus and we wear masks.”

The meets for this year have gone through multiple restrictions. There are only dual and trial meets, no invitationals. 

“This has hurt everyone’s swim season,” Estes said, “ Especially in a district where none of us have our own pools.”

For this year’s team Estes has increased the initial swimming distance for her starting swimmers and she has updated workouts. Estes believes that the 2020-2021 team will be very successful.

“A program that has expectations, goals, and each individual has a goal, I believe that we will do very well this year,” Estes said.