For Coaches, It’s Matter of Style : Mt. Carmel’s Boys, Poway’s Girls Win Swim Meets

The man who has built the strongest high school swimming program in San Diego County stood with his arms crossed as he observed his team.

Like a gallery of ducks, the Mt. Carmel High swimmers reflected off the coach’s sunglasses. The coach reflected, too.

“Poway may beat us tomorrow in the girls’ (races), but we’ll see in June,” Coach Steve Eisler said.

Thursday’s meet between the rivals met expectations. Mt. Carmel won the boys’ event by 49 points. Poway won the girls’ event by 17.

But Eisler, Mt. Carmel’s coach since the school was built in 1975, won’t be predicting half-victories in June. He expects Mt. Carmel to win its seventh San Diego Section boys’ title. And, although he is less certain, he expects his team to avenge last year’s two-point loss to Poway that cost the school its sixth girls’ title.

But he’s not the only one aiming high.

Two days before the meet, Poway Coach Dennis Moore observed his swimmers. Eisler and Moore, who are friends, don’t resemble each other in any other way except one: Their coaching styles are reflected successfully by their teams.

A look at each, starting with Mt. Carmel:

“I’ve been very proud that the last 12 years everybody has had a chance to participate here,” Eisler said during practice.

But Eisler made cuts for the first time this year. The team has 90 swimmers. In years past, as many as 110 have been kept.

“I’m not at all satisfied with the team idea,” Eisler said. “That’s why we started up the cuts. So far, I think cuts have been successful. They’ve been necessary.” Eisler paused. Two swimmers clung to the gutter. “Get off the wall,” he bellowed.

He continued.

“Everybody has to work hard, no matter what sport you’re going to do. The difference in swimming is you have to work harder. There’s no huddle. There’s no standing around in center field. There’s no five guys like in basketball.

” No matter how much you try to change it, it’s still very individual.”

And Mt. Carmel has two individuals who create quite a wake. Last year, Lars Jorgensen won a silver medal at the Pan-American Games and set a section record in the 500-yard freestyle. Teammate Heather Merten set three section records. Both are improved, Eisler said.

Although swimmers come and go, Eisler, an Iowa-bred graduate of the Air Force Academy, remains to guide firmly.

“It’s do your best--or else,” senior Rob Bruns said of Eisler’s style. “Actually, a lot of people don’t understand him. He’s tough, but he gets a lot out of you.”

Not that Mt. Carmel lacks enthusiasm, but it reflects the individual nature of the sport and its stern coach.

“We try to be a little more of a team,” Bruns said. “Not many of us swim together, though, in practice.” The team used to travel to practice together before a pool was built on campus in 1983. His first eight years as coach, Eisler arranged for the team to swim at various pools--”bathtubs,” he says--en route to five section titles. Finally, after his politicking, cajoling and screaming, he got a $1-million pool.

But memories remain. At times, Mt. Carmel used Poway’s pool.

“They didn’t like us over there,” Eisler said. “We’d get over there and the pool would be locked.”

Now he has a pool, 11 titles and “a more mellow attitude,” he says. Yet Eisler still demands excellence.

“I have to pull back,” he said. “They’re just kids. You don’t do some things. You don’t swear, you don’t hit them about the shoulders, though some of them need a good thrashing--they’ve long since needed it. The parents don’t, the school doesn’t . . .”

Of the loss to Poway last year, he said, “The girls don’t care about that. That’s the problem. Nothing from Poway, but we would have won if six or seven girls would have worked harder.”

Senior Erin Mathews said: “I think we were happy to get as close as we got.”

Four starters are gone from the girls’ team this year. The boys’ team could be as good as the team in 1983, Eisler said. That team scored a record 357 points in the section meet and was ranked No. 6 nationally by Swimmers World magazine.

At Poway High there are swimming twins (freshman standouts Inga and Ericka Keithly), swimming brothers and sisters (six pairs), swimming cheers (“Hey Mira Mesa, we’re gonna face ya”) and swimming inspirations (special education student Kristina Wahlmeier).

But mostly there are swimmers. One-hundred and twenty of them. Moore’s approach is you try, you swim.

During practice, there are seven swimmers per lane waiting while others swim. Look at the platform atop each lane--there’s another queue of seven.

Mostly, look out.

“Sometimes there are collisions,” said Moore, who moved to Poway from Oregon two years ago. “But in the water, it doesn’t hurt much.”

The numbers push all to do their best, Moore said. And the size creates a team spirit, sophomore Sarie McFarland said.

Example: Wahlmeier, a junior who uses laughter when the words won’t come.

She has captured the hearts of her teammates, who have cheered her since the first day of practice.

“My sister calls me the washer ‘cause I move and splash, but I don’t move (forward),” Kristina said as her sister, Danielle, laughed. “I try.”

Said McFarland: “We all think it’s special that she swims.”

Wahlmeier has cut 34 seconds off her 50-yard freestyle. But that’s not all.

“I can’t tell you what a difference this program has made in her attitude, her speech and her self-image,” Kristina’s mother, Irene, said. “When the teacher asked if she could try out, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know if she could swim. I didn’t even know if everyone on the team would accept her.”

Moore would happily accept a repeat title from his girls and a top-five ranking in the section from his boys.

“Actually, we were surprised when we won last year,” McFarland said. “I’m sure (Mt. Carmel) was surprised. It’s going to be hard. There are other good teams.”