Sarah Byers

I come to the Vitras with over 10 years of competitive swimming experience. In High School I was an All-American swimmer, New York State Champion and State Record Holder, as well as a Junior National Qualifier. I earned a scholarship to a Division One College, Miami University, where I was named the captain of the team my senior year. While in college during the summers I provided swim lessons for various age groups at the local YMCA. I was accepted to the AmeriCorps VISTA program upon graduating from college and moved to Vermont. AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty, VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization. Through this I was able to gain experience as the supervisor at a teen center and skate park. While in Vermont I was a youth snowboard instructor and a swim coach for the Middlebury College USA swim team. After my year of service I attended the University of Vermont to earn my master's degree in curriculum and instruction and while in school I had the opportunity to coach the Vermont Area Swim Team, another USA swimming team. For the past seven years I have been teaching Seventh grade Science right down the street at Verrado Middle School! While there I have coached the boys track team to a first place conference championship and the cheerleading team to a first place finish as well!! I love coaching kids and seeing them push themselves to new levels of achievement and realize the potential that they all have! My philosophy in coaching swimming is to focus on stroke technique so that your strokes work FOR you instead of AGAINST you, and most importantly, to have fun with swimming!