The Big Lake Swim/Dive team is being coached by Amber Jodlowski for the 2022 season. She has 32 swimmers and divers on the squad and an amazing coaching staff which includes: McKenna Peterson,  Hannah Storm and Heather Peterson. 

Jodlowski previously was the middle school swim coach for Big Lake five years ago. She moved into the assistant coach for two years before she took a break to attend paramedic school. To her fortune, as soon as paramedic school concluded, the head coach position at Big Lake opened up and here she is!

Jodlowski has three captains this year. Jenna Nygard, Jadyn Kluk and Britney Krumrei.

“All three of them are seniors and they have been doing an amazing job being leaders for our team,” said Jodlowski. 

Jodlowski has high hopes for her athletes this year as she prepares the team with practices and workouts to start the regular season in top form.

“I see every team as our biggest rival,” she said. “I like to go into every meet thinking we are there to try everything we can and put our best out there to compete.” 

Jodlowski is keen that she is devloping a youthful and small team this year but with each practice she sees improvement. 

“Monticello will be an exciting meet,” she says. “Stacy Biegler is the head coach for Monticello and when I was in high school swimming, Stacy coached me for six  years.” 

Jodlowski says Biegler coached her into the swimmer that she is today and admits it will be exciting to compete against her former coach this year and beyond.

Jodlowski says she started swimming in the seventh grade. 

“While trying to figure out what kind of swimmer I was, I kept racing,” she said. “Starting in ninth grade, I went to the state throughout my four years of high school.”  

Jodlowski hopes that kind of experience will help her connect and teach her athletes to build goals and work hard.

“Each year I kept getting better throughout state,” Jodlowski said. “By my senior year I was All-State in the 50 free.” 

After her senior year. Jodlowski went to Minnesota State University Moorhead on a scholarship to swim for the Dragons. She was a top sprinter for them throughout her time there. 

“I fell in love with swimming through my years of swimming and still love it to this day.”

Through her experiences, Jodlowski believes she can mold her team into something pretty special.

“The hardest thing to teach in swimming is for the girls to believe in themselves,” she said. “I believe in every one of my girls to swim their best and try new events. I’ve learned that believing in yourself is the best way to excel  in swimming.” 

Jodlowski says if one can’t believe in oneself, it’ll be harder to reach one’s goal. 

“Teaching the girls to believe in themselves is really something they need to find within themselves.”

“My coaching philosophy is more than just in the pool,’ she says. “The girls I coach are hard working and motivated. They want to excel in swimming and diving and reach their goals.”

Jodlowski says she goes into every practice and every meet with every one of the athlete’s goals in mind. 

“I coach to have them reach their goal,’ she said. “It might be something simple as being in all varsity events, lettering this year or more advance goals such as a state participant  or being an all state athlete.  I will be there for each swimmer and diver to achieve their goal.”