By Joanna Chadwick

Derby’s swim and dive head coach, Jimmy Adams, is the VYPE coach of the month. 

In his 15th year as a coach at Derby, Adams won his fifth consecutive AVCTL I championship. 

He admits, though, that this one felt a little different. 

Derby’s top swimmer this year was Jared Hays, who finished fourth place in Class 6A in the 200m freestyle in February. 

“He puts in the work, he’s a great teammate and he just gets better as the moment and meets get bigger,” Adams said. 

Hays didn’t do it alone for the Panthers. 

“It was a full team effort, and it’s with a very new and inexperienced group,” Adams said. 

From Day 1, Adams instills the “Derby Way” in all his swimmers and divers. He harps on the idea that if they want to be successful, no matter if they are the fastest swimmer or the slowest swimmer, they must put in the same amount of effort every day. 

“We win as a group,” Adams said. “We don’t have the fastest guys, but we have the best team in the area.” 

This year’s team was a “tight-knit group,” according to Adams, who said they spent a lot of time outside the pool together. He admits that the group’s camaraderie helped them improve as they were positive and encouraged one another to improve to win yet another league title. 

“They held each other accountable for their workouts and races,” Adams said.