PRESS RELEASE

Date: March 20, 2007

South County Family YMCA

Contact: Mike Norton, Branch Manager

Phone: 941-475-1234

miken@engymca.org

NEW SARASOTA SHARKS SWIM COACH HIRED IN VENICE

After a two month long national search for a replacement Head Swimming Coach for the Sarasota Sharks Venice training site, the South County Family YMCA has hired Coach John Bruenning, a Sarasota native. Applicants applied for the position from as far away as Australia and there were several excellent candidates.

John Bruenning returns to the Sharks from George Washington University where he was head assistant coach the last five years. During his time in Washington DC, John coached his swimmers to multiple individual conference titles. In five years with the Colonials, his swimmers earned Conference MVP and “Rookie of the Year” honors, and twelve school records were broken.

John grew up swimming in Sarasota for Sherwood Watts at age 7 and competed for the Sharks through high school. While training with the Sharks, John was a high school All-American, and multi-event finalist at Junior and Senior Nationals. He currently holds Shark team records in the 200 Free, 500 Free, and 400 IM.

A 1998 graduate of the University of South Carolina, he earned a bachelor of science in Business and Sports Administration. John was a standout swimmer for the Gamecocks from 1994-1998 and captained them his senior year. While competing in the Southeastern Conference, he was named team MVP three times in four years and still ranks in the top ten of school history in the 200 Free, 500 Free, 200 Back, and 400 IM.

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, John has been hired to oversee the entire South County Family YMCA aquatics program. This includes staffing, operating a highly successful learn-to-swim program, camps and aquatic exercise programs, and daily operations of the YMCA’s two aquatic facilities in Venice and Englewood. Coach Bruenning is also being considered as the next swimming coach of the Venice High School Indians program.

Mike Norton, manager of the Englewood YMCA facility, and past Venice YMCA Aquatics Director stated, “In hiring Coach Bruenning to fill this position, the YMCA has moved away from keeping the director’s position and the coaching position separate. This allowed us to hire a much stronger coach and will help create a closer relationship between the learn-to-swim program and the competitive swimming team. Our goal in Venice and Englewood is to provide a structured, consistent and systematic program that develops swimmers from their initial swimming lesson to competing for the local high school programs and on into college.”

Coach Bruenning will take over the South County Family YMCA aquatics programs on Monday, March 26, 2007. If you have questions regarding the Sharks Swim Team or other programs, you can reach the Aquatics Department at 492-9622, ext. 129.