BELCHERTOWN — Matt Quinney’s name appears four times on the school record board at Chestnut Hill Community School. He swam the 200-yard individual medley and 100 breaststroke faster than anyone in Belchertown boys swimming history, and contributed to record-setting 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. He captured Belchertown’s first individual state title in the 200 IM in 2016 and won two relay state championships.
Those marks add authority to Quinney’s new role coaching the Belchertown boys team.
“I was worried it would be hard for me to establish myself as an authority figure they have to look up to and respect and listen to, but they’ve taken to it well,” said Quinney, who graduated from Belchertown in 2016.
He doesn’t have to point at his records to emphasize his expertise.
“They know,” Quinney said.
It’s Quinney’s first year coaching the Orioles after two years of coaching youth swimming in Belchertown and Ithaca, New York. He attended Ithaca College for 2½ years but is currently “taking a break,” he said.
The position at Belchertown opened after former coach Michael Cowles retired. Quinney and former Belchertown coach Nick Provost – who coached Quinney in high school – also applied. Girls coach Bill Wheeler also stepped down, so Provost and Quinney stepped up.
“I want to be a swim coach. Being able to work with my old team, it’s a great opportunity because this was a big part of my childhood,” said Quinney, who was studying physical therapy and coaching at Ithaca. “Being able to give back is meaningful.”
Though Quinney is technically listed as the boys coach and Provost the girls coach, they share many duties for both teams. The boys team is 7-0 and defeated Longmeadow for the first time in school history, while the girls team has gone 5-2. Quinney’s approach has evolved as the season progressed.
“It was a little rough at first. He was a little harsh at the beginning,” Belchertown senior Chris Chumbley said. “Once he eased into it, you realized he’s a good coach. He works hard at what he does. He talks to every single person to see what they can improve.”
The swimmers needed time to adjust to Quinney as much as he needed to adjust to them.
“He’s only 21 or 22, it’s hard to respect someone close to your age sometimes, but it’s definitely gotten better,” Chumbley said. “He has two records here at BHS, he was the first state champion at Belchertown. He came in with respect, but he’s earned it.”
What separates Quinney from Provost is his ability to clearly see the swimmers’ perspective and since he was one so recently.
“He knows exactly how we’re feeling when we’re swimming practice or having a hard day or given a big set we have to accomplish, he knows exactly what were going through and he can relate to us,” Belchertown junior Nate Dragon said.
Kyle Grbaowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.