The Hylton swim team is excited to have their new head coach, Jorge Bohabot, on board to help coach the team to many victories this season.

Bohabot first began swimming in 1984, in Lima, Peru, and was fortunate enough to have many more international swimming adventures to come.

“I represented the Peruvian National Team, the Copa Pacifico, in Manabi, Ecuador in 1988 and Santiago, Chile, in 1991 in the 50 Free, 100 Free, 400 Medley, and 400 Free relays,” said Bohabot.

The word “Free” is short for freestyle, and it is a swimming technique that Bohabot swam for 50 meters, 100 meters, and 400 meters. Medley is also a swimming technique that combines four different swimming styles in one race.

Bohabot has been involved in swimming for the last 26 years. He first got involved in swimming as an alternative to medicine for asthma he developed as a child. He didn’t let his condition stop him from swimming and developing long lasting friendships with the members of the many swim teams of which he has been a part.

He swam varsity for the Georgetown University Hoyas and competed in the Big East swim tournament in the 1994-1995 season. He is also an assistant coach for the Virginia Masters Swim Team. Bohabot first began coaching last November, and members of the swim team are excited to have him on board.

“I think the team will be more successful this year because the coach seems tougher and more excited. He also seems pretty cool,” said senior Lauren Olson.

Bohabot has introduced new exercise techniques to the team, such as dry-land training. The incorporation of this form of training will help the team to build the muscle they need to swim. The coach wants to focus a lot more on core exercises and stretching the team’s upper body muscles.

“The benefits from core training include an increase in balance and coordination, improved flexibility, and an overall increase in physical strength,” explain Bohabot.

Alongside Bohabot will be his sister, Miryam Bohabot, who will be the new assistant coach. She will lead most of the dry-land part of the new training program the team will be trying this year. Miryam is a spinning instructor, a fitness boot camp instructor, yoga practitioner, and a finisher of the Ironman Triathlon, which included swimming, biking, and running. The team believes all of her accomplishments make her a great asset to the team.

“She works at LA Fitness and seems to be in great shape. I think she is going to be really tough, but I think that will be exactly what the team needs this year,” said junior Jose Alvarez.

Many members of this years swim team are hoping the new addition of the Bohabot siblings will lead them to many more victories. The new head coach is incredibly enthusiastic about being part of the Hylton Bulldawg family, and he was taken by surprise at how many students had taken an interest in swimming.

“We had an excellent turnout at registration. We printed out 45 applications and according to what I heard; these would be ‘more than enough.’ Boy was this wrong. We ran out of applications and not only that, we were asked for more. You could sense the excitement in the room,” exclaim Bohabot.

The swim team is looking forward to welcoming their new coaches and growing to improve their skills for a successful season.