Swimmers, Take Your Marx

For the past two years, Coach Marx has maintained her competitive edge through coaching.  In her playing days, she set a school record for the Mullen girls’ swim team in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of :24.76.  She helped lead the Mustang lacrosse team to the 11th best team in the State.  She took an 11th-hour hobby she started her senior year in high school and parlayed it into a potential college scholarship at Stanford University before an injury forced her to step away from the sport.  That's the thing about injuries; they can hurt a bone, muscle, tendon, or ligament, but seldom can they reach that competitive gene.  That part of Coach Marx is alive and well, and she has exercised that gene the last two years by coaching Mullen’s girls’ swim team and lacrosse team as an assistant coach for both programs.

Now she is in charge of running her own program, the girls swim and dive team.  The old adage states that it is one thing to be an assistant coach; however, it is altogether quite different to be the person in charge.  It will not faze her one bit.  Coach has already demonstrated exceptional organizational skills administering most of the peripheral stuff for the program.  She knows deep down what it takes to set and achieve goals, and she, undoubtedly, knows how to work hard.  The bow on this present is her intimate knowledge of the inner workings of this Lasallian institution.  All of that speaks directly to the welfare of the girls on the team and the success they will have as swimmers.  Coach knows how to push, yet she knows how to care.  Mullen’s athletic director, Melynda Brown, echoed those sentiments, “We're thrilled to announce Jenn Marx as our new girls swim and dive coach. Her dedication, experience, and deep understanding of our program's expectations make her the perfect fit. As an alum, she embodies the spirit of Mullen like never before, bringing a fresh perspective rooted in our culture. With Jenn at the helm, we're eager to see our team soar to new heights after a promising 8th place finish last season. Here's to a bright future ahead!”    

It is always important to have people that are in charge at Mullen to want to be at Mullen.  In other words, it is not just a job for them but, instead, is the devotion for all that is Mullen and is the life force that drives their very pulse.  Coach Jenn Marx bleeds blue and gold.  “I think it’s helpful that I can tell kids about my specific experiences and tell them, hey, I’ve been right where you are.  I know their traditions, and I know what it means to go on a KAIROS.”  And, though she operates on an even keel, that does not dilute the excitement she feels being the new girls swim coach, “Overall, it is really exciting.  I had a lot of great coaches at Mullen swimming and playing lacrosse.  I want to be that same type of coach for the girls”  In the meantime, she is busy assessing what graduated from last year’s 8th-ranked team, and what she has to look forward to with what returns and is gained with the incoming. “I think we lost twelve seniors from last year’s team, but I’m really excited about next season.  I’m excited to see what the interest is from the incoming class.”  That is typical coach’s thoughts and worries year after year as they assess the health of their program.  This much can be stated as fact.  It will not matter if you are the best swimmer on the team or you are learning your first swim stroke, Coach Marx will coach you up and care about you.  That’s the legacy Coach Marx brings to the program.