The head coach of the Cougars for the last half decade has been coach Max Irwin. Coach Irwin, or more affectionately known as “Conch Owen” took over the head position after long time North Head Coach Dave Tanner resigned while in the midst of chemotherapy. As Max was appointed from assistant coach to head coach in his place, he continued to follow the 3 golden rules set in place by Coach Tanner before him:
- Be a gentleman
- Have fun
- Win
By following this 3-step plan, the North Cougar boys won their first sectional championship in 12 years. Max continued to carve out a legacy with the North Boys, winning the next 3 sectionals against competition such as: Bloomington South, Columbus North, and East-Central.
After last year’s sectional win, Coach Irwin announced at a team banquet that he would be having a “reduced role in the team.” This came as a shock to many on the team. “I was not expecting it at all,” said Will Whitaker, a senior on the North swim team, “I started to look around at everyone else, and we were all thinking about the same thing…is he quitting coaching?”
Luckily for many on the team, Irwin announced that he would be swimming alongside them in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. In his place, local coach Jeff LeBeau would be filling in and coaching the team.
As a former alumni of North High School, LeBeau has been involved in the North swim scene for a long time. He swam on the team from 1976 to ‘80, before taking his talents to Clemson where he swam from ‘81-‘85. “Swimming has been a big part of my life,” Coach LeBeau said. After swimming in college, LeBeau would later come back to Bloomington in the early 2000’s and coach Indiana Swim Club (formerly Bloomington Swim Club). At BSC he coached many generations of young swimmers in the area. “Many on the North team right now are kids I’ve coached in the past.”
This history with many of the swimmers is why so many are optimistic about the upcoming swim season. When asked about his former experience with Coach LeBeau, Will Whitaker had very positive feedback. “Swimming with him in the summer, I’d heard good things about [LeBeau] before. Now that I’ve had a summer of his coaching, I can see what the hype was about.”
LeBeau has always embodied the 3-steps of success that made North such an effective swimming program, and with additions from his ISC coaching days, he can fit right in with the Bloomington North Cougars.
Irwin will still coach the North team in between his training for Olympic Trials, and will return to the head coach position afterwards. Even with a new head coach, the Cougars are looking to repeat as sectional champions and continue the legacy set in place by Coach Tanner all those years ago.
