Andrea Sorg again named Division II Coach of the Year

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

Oak Harbor boys and girls swim coach Andrea Sorg was a great swimmer back in the 1990s, competing for legendary coach Bob Van Horn as the Rockets won eight consecutive Sandusky Bay Conference titles from 1993-2000 while establishing the program as one of Ohio’s best.
Sorg, now in her 21st season leading both teams at her alma mater, might be reaching legendary status herself. This year, she was named the Division II OHSSCA boys coach of the year, three years after earning the same award for coaching the girls team.
She’s also seen the boys and girls team win a bevy of SBC Bay Division titles during her two decades of coaching.
Alyse Sorg, her daughter, who just finished her career as a senior, talked about what her mother has done for the swim teams.
“Her getting the award at state, we were blindsided. She has grown a program. She’s excited about it. She always pushes everyone past their limits, always encourages people to give more and believe in themselves,” said Alyse Sorg. “This year was our last year together. She’s always been my coach. I’ll train with her in the summer, but it won’t be the same. We sometimes butt heads.”
Andrea’s son, Austin, who won the state title in the 100 yard butterfly and was fifth in the 500, talked about the dynamic that comes when being coached by a parent.
“I had to come to the reality that my mom is going to be my coach and is one of the greatest coaches that I’ll ever be coached by,” he said. “And I’ve put in the work the last couple of years, and it’s getting me somewhere. I’m glad that I’ve worked this hard.
“It’s just the love she has for swimming because she used to swim. She is constantly interacting with the athletes during practice, and she is teaching life lessons during practice, even though you don’t realize that until you sit down and actually think about it. She’s very personable with our athletes; she gets to know us well.”
Jeff Sorg, Andrea’s husband and an assistant coach with the team, talked about the demand she puts on herself as the head coach.
“Before any of our kids started swimming, she missed spending time with them, but they would go hang out at the pool and go to the meets. The high school kids always loved when our kids would be around. Our kids would love it, too, because they were hanging out with older kids. They got to see how hard of a worker and the passion that their mother coached with,” he said. “It has taught our children that success comes with hard work.
“It kind of passed the passion of coaching on. The older two kids have started to love coaching younger kids. Alyse and Austin have both helped coach the younger kids in the summer swim program. One of Andrea’s biggest sacrifices is that she gives up time to do stuff for herself. She is one of the most selfless people I know. She devotes so much time, so she doesn't get much 'me time.' So many of her past swimmers have thanked her for her dedication and teaching them so many life lessons,” he said.
Jeff Sorg said that swimming has brought the family together.
“Swimming is a great family sport. It is kind of nice that sometimes they are all competing at the same place, which gives us a chance to be together more. Everyone in the swimming community is like a family. This sport takes so much dedication to be good that the people you spend so much time with become your extended family,” he said. “With our whole family involved, it is nice to be able to spend that time with them on the pool deck. I guess we all share the passion for the sport and it is so fun to be able to enjoy it with them all.”
The Sorgs have a third child, Avery, who is 10.
Shirley Lajti, Andrea’s mother, talked about watching her daughter grow into being such a great leader.
“We think she’s done a wonderful job teaching, coaching, being a mother and good citizen,” said Lajti. “She’s instilled a great work ethic in her swimmers — you don’t always get the results you want, but you learn from it, and sometimes you learn more from the bad endings than the happy endings. But you get up the next day and start all over again.
“She works very, very hard, and she loves it. If her children and her family weren’t swimming, it wouldn’t be as easy to do this. From October to February, it’s swimming. She’s carried on the same work ethic as a swimmer, teacher and coach. It’s been so nice to see her get the awards; she doesn’t just coach the kids, she cares about them. They understand and appreciate it. She receives gifts from the parents, who appreciate her — she spends a lot of time with them during the season. We couldn’t be more of her,” Lajti said.
Sorg was named the head coach of both the boys and girls swim teams shortly after graduating from Bowling Green State University in 2003.
“I more or less fell into the position. I knew I always wanted to be a teacher and helped Coach Bob Van Horn coach the Rocket Swim Club, our summer recreation team, during my last two years of high school. I would be curious to know if he saw something in me that emitted a strong knack for coaching or if it was just a summer job for me,” she said. “When I took over the high school program, I was the fourth coach in four years. There were two coaches between Coach VanHorn and me. I saw the position as a way to get a teaching job, however I never treated it as just a means to advance my professional career. I've always been one to throw myself fully into anything I do. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
“After I took the position, I asked my brother to be the assistant and we then sought guidance and wisdom from Coach Van Horn. He sat down with us and helped us brainstorm and gave a loose season framework. We blossomed from there. The vision was always to bring the best out of my athletes and take them as far in the state tournament as possible. After a few years under my belt, I understood that vision actually meant coaching young adults in life. It meant teaching athletes responsibility, a strong work ethic, leadership and mental toughness. I learned success was a byproduct of doing all of those things the right way. As a teacher, there are some limits to teaching those real-world skills. As a coach, there really aren't. I am able to teach life lessons, reward hard work with success and additional responsibility, have tough conversations with athletes if need be, teach leadership and teamwork and sometimes have tough love.”
It’s been quite a journey, she said.
“In the beginning, I was always insanely jealous of the large success of other coaches and teams. Being a small team and a new coach, that success seemed unreachable. It wasn't until last year when walking out of the district meet with two team runner-up trophies in hand that I realized I had the team I used to envy,” Sorg said. “What a proud realization for someone who always strives for more.
“Swimming is the vehicle for me to teach all the life lessons I want my athletes to learn,” she said.