“It’s just such an honor and pleasure to be here”

MOSES LAKE — Jason Hart had numerous stops on the road in his coaching career, which eventually led to him taking over as head coach of both the boys and girls Maverick swim teams.

Having coached the Moses Lake Manta Rays from 2005-2006, Hart said his past experiences in the community, along with being good friends with Tony St. Onge, made coaching the Mavs an enticing opportunity.

“When I coached up here before, it made me feel at home,” Hart said. “Even back then I didn’t live here, but I’d walk around and know people. Everyone was nice and friendly – you don’t get that in Tri-Cities. That small-town vibe is pretty cool.”

Despite coaching Moses Lake, Hart doesn’t live in the area – he commutes to the school every day from Tri-Cities.

“It’s interesting because I used to deal blackjack for so many years, so I worked graveyards, and now I wake up at 5:15 in the morning,” Hart joked. “And it’s okay because what I do is I get up and I get going, the drive goes and I have an hour to get ready to see people.”

How does Hart keep himself entertained over the nearly three-hour commute each day?

“I love sports, and I love Metallica,” he said.

Along with being the swim and dive coach, Hart also teaches aquatics classes at Moses Lake High School. Hart teaches three aquatics classes that vary in experience levels, where he enjoys getting to know Moses Lake students who don't participate in school sports.

“When you coach, you really get to know all the kids that are able to go out for a sport,” Hart said. “Not every kid can go out for a sport for various reasons, and for me, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know all the kids who don’t compete (in athletics).”

Even on days when school is off and the Mavericks still practice in the pool, Hart makes the drive.

“It’s been good so far – sometimes we don’t have school and we still have practice, I still come up for practice,” Hart said. “We have practice Saturday at 8:15, we don’t have school but I’m still coming because it’s part of the job.”

Having joined his first swim team when he was 6 years old, Hart competed on a handful of teams in the Tri-Cities area before moving on to swim at Central Washington University. With the Wildcats, Hart was a team captain and four-time All-American in freestyle.

While Hart described his swimming career as “good, not great,” he began his coaching career in Ellensburg while he was still a student.

“I knew walking out of there that I wanted to coach, and I was even coaching while I was there,” Hart said. “Just some of my friends, I helped out around Ellensburg a bit with some individuals.” From Ellensburg, Hart moved to coach as an assistant for the Tri-City Channel Cats. It was there when he found his love for coaching from the start.

“I protect this part of my life with all my being,” Hart said. “It’s my passion, coaching. It was right from the get-go.”

In his first season with the Moses Lake girls teaml, the Mavericks placed fourth at the 4A state meet in November.

“When (MLHS Athletic Director Loren Sandhop) hired me, he said ‘I would like you to build a dynasty,’” Hart said. “That could be a whole lot of things, but we both know that athletes come and go. I would like to see both programs become top-ten in the state every year. We have aquatics classes, we have a fifth-grade program, we have the Manta Rays – we have some other things going on in my head that I’m picking up on to grow aquatics here.”

Previous stops in Hart’s coaching career include three stints at Southridge High School in Kennewick, coaching a club team in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho where he took seven swimmers to Junior Nationals, three club teams in Tri-Cities and a club team in Walla Walla.

“I hope I’m living up to their standards,” Hart said. “I got this job for a reason, my coaching resume has some teeth to it. What the girls did is from their hard work and their dedication, and I also have the same thing here going with the boys. They’re dedicated, they work hard and I just try to find some crazy, implicit energy to pump into them.”

Hart said it’s the people of Moses Lake – not just the swimmers on the team – that excites him about the future.

“It’s the people,” Hart said. “Really warm, caring and hardworking – almost business-like, and that shows in their kids. Not just the kids here (on the swim team), but in the school.”

“It’s just such an honor and pleasure to be here, it really is,” Hart said. “I got my degree last year, a break came my way, and I took it. I think it’s going to be a good thing, not just because of the job, but the people are pretty cool.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.