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Volunteer Assistant Coach - Mary Jo Agner
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I was born with chlorine in my veins! I have always loved the water, thanks
to my mother, Phyllis Steimel, who saw to it that I was thrown into the pool at
an early age.
My swimming career began when I was 6 (unless you count the 2 years
before that when I swam with a Styrofoam bubble on my back!). I joined the
Whetstone Whales in Montgomery Village, Maryland. My first meet was quite
exciting – I had to be “rescued” by a senior swimmer because I failed to
surface after doing a fantastic backstroke start! From there, I went back to
swim lessons, and then back to the team.
From Maryland, I moved to Camp Lejeune when I was 10 and swam as a
Devilfish. My love for the sport continued as I experienced a wide variety of
coaches. (I believe I had about 18 different coaches in about as many
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months – you know how the military likes to move people around!) Well, my mother came to the rescue again
and began her coaching career. It was fun for me, getting to “coach the coach!”
When my father, Herb Steimel, retired from the Navy, we moved to Salisbury, NC. There was no swim team
here, so, what did my mom do? She started one, of course! That’s how the Rowan Aquatic Club was born.
(It was during lifesaving training that I met my husband, Tim Agner - how romantic!).
After 2 years with RAC-Y, I ventured off to UNC-Chapel Hill. With modest talent but strong desire, Coach Frank
Comfort allowed me to swim with the Tarheels. I can honestly say it was the most physically challenging
thing I have ever done. I swam for Carolina for 3 years before I started Physical Therapy school.
I graduated from UNC-CH in August of 1989, married Tim 2 weeks later, got a job at Rowan Regional Medical
Center 2 weeks after that, and started a family 4 years after that. Fortunately, both of my kids, Clark and Sarah,
have the same love for swimming that I do. Like I said, the chlorine is in our veins!
I now love coaching the younger children on the team. Watching them learn new skills, get faster, and enjoy
the thrills of being a part of a team are extremely rewarding to me.
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