After swimming at Michigan State University, where he competed at the Big Ten Championships and qualified for the Junior National U.S. Open, Kirk Ziemke, current varsity boys swimming and diving Head Coach, began coaching at a high school without a pool.
Swimmers at Addison Trail, the high school where Ziemke previously coached, had to travel to a local health club where they were allowed less than two hours to practice after school each day, according to Ziemke.
“You learn how to condense and make a practice really efficient,” said Ziemke. “Sometimes, you know, you take for granted having a pool.”
He said the lack of pool time made it necessary for him to create a dryland program. According to John Catalano, Glenbrook North Athletic Director, the program is recognized across the state and focuses on increasing a swimmer’s maximum rate of oxygen consumption.
Over the seven years Ziemke coached at Addison Trail, the team went from having no state qualifiers to having 17 state qualifiers, seven state finalist swimmers and four Scholastic All-American swimmers.
“The first state qualifying team dropped six seconds in the [200-yard] medley relay in order to get to state,” said Ziemke. “It was the first time in the history of the school that anyone had ever qualified for a relay.”
However, Ziemke said he wanted a new challenge and thus applied for a coaching and teaching position at GBN.
“The North Shore is kind of a swimming mecca,” said Ziemke. “You always want to compete against the best. And so that’s what I came here to do.”
Senior Josh Khazanov said when he learned Ziemke would be his new swimming coach he immediately searched his name online. Khazanov said he was impressed after finding out that “[Ziemke] was an amazing swimmer.” Khazanov has attended the morning swim team workouts since the third week of school, and he said he is confident Ziemke can help him drop time in his 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard medley relay.
“If you are talented, tough and can work hard, I feel like the program that I have can get you to the places you want to get [to],” Ziemke said.
Catalano said that timing was perfect for Ziemke. The previous boys swimming coach, Josh Runkle, accepted a coaching and teaching position at New Trier in March, creating an opening for the position. Multiple committees, including ones for both the teaching and coaching position, were involved in hiring him. Catalano said Ziemke “bubbled up to the top for all of them.”
“Just because you are a great swimmer or whatever does not necessarily mean you will be a good coach,” said Catalano. “[Ziemke] has a strong background in swimming and a successful background in [coaching]…and I think he will bring a little different flavor to our program. I think [the swimming program is] ready for his style of coaching.”
Ziemke said his plan for the upcoming swimming season consists of dryland workouts twice a week.
“At the end of every workout [the swimmers] put their hands in and say ‘work’ on three,” said Khazanov. “[It represents that] the work we put in will get us the results we need.”
Ziemke’s older sister, Kristen Ziemke, said her brother has a unique coaching style and “coaches with a kaleidoscopic effect,” meaning he does not just train his players by having them solely practice in a pool. He also focuses on their strength and condition, sleep patterns and nutrition.
Kristen Ziemke said the journey her brother made from when he first learned how to swim to where he is now is remarkable. Their father learned how to swim when he was 30 years old and Kristen Ziemke said because of this, he made sure they were strong swimmers at a young age.
“[Ziemke] was a very good coach without a pool,” said Catalano. “And now he has a pool, more than he has ever desired, and a feeder program, which he has never had before.”