The Iola Seahorses have a new coach — but a familiar face — as Ottawa University sophomore and Iola native Elza Clift has returned and will serve as assistant coach this summer. She joins head coach Marcia Davis as well as fellow assistant Bethany Miller, a recent graduate of Iola High School.
But there’s more to the story. Clift is the third generation of her family to coach the Seahorses. Grandmother Phyllis Nelson was the team’s first coach, back in 1988 when the team was founded thanks to the efforts of Nelson and Becky Carlson.
Elza’s mom, Sara Clift, and aunt, Keri Nelson, were also Seahorse swimmers who later transitioned to leadership roles. Sara coached during her summer breaks while in college in the late 1990s.
And now Elza, whose younger brother Reed is a lifeguard this summer and younger sister, Wren, is on swim team, follows in the same path — or lane, as swimming goes.
ELZA, who competed as a Seahorse beginning in elementary school, sees the opportunity to help coach the Iola Recreation Department program as a chance to return home as well as give back to a team she was a part of for more than a decade.
“The kids know how to swim, but coaching them to swim competitively is cool,” Clift said. “I love my hometown and couldn’t be away for long. I knew I was going to come back and work. This is my fifth year working at the pool. I love it here.”
After graduating as one of Iola’s valedictorians last year, Clift continued competing for the Seahorses before going off to college. She is now on Ottawa University’s softball team, where she plays infield and pitcher.
She got her first taste of mentoring swimmers while in high school. Younger swimmers naturally gravitated to her, looking for advice and training tips.
“I love helping them, and I like to help foster that competitiveness inside of them,” Clift said. “I just want them to be their best. If I know I can get them where they can be, then that’s something I can be proud of.”
Clift said coaching has a two-fold effect for college athletes. By guiding younger athletes, she sees commonalities in how athletes and coaches communicate even in different sports.
“Not only can you relate to the people you’re coaching, because you’ve been in their position, but you can relate to your coaches and I can see where my coaches are coming from,” Clift said. “If I’m correcting someone on something, I might see that I need to work on that, too. It helps me look deeper inside myself and also coaching kids.”
For Clift, the first couple of weeks with the Seahorses flew by. Their first meet is next Wednesday in Chanute, and a lot of work remains. Getting the Seahorses seaworthy is never an easy endeavor, but she feels confident the team will perform well in their first test of the summer.
“It’s definitely been a challenge, but after the first week I got pretty comfortable and learned everyone’s names,” Clift said. “Now, they’re like my kids and I love teaching them. I care for them a lot and I want them to do their best. It’s been cool watching them grow. They’re nervous, but I’m not. I know they can do it.”
