LINWOOD — A group of parents, former athletes and fellow coaches gathered April 12 during the Mainland Regional High School Board of Education meeting in a show of support for Mike Schiavo, the girls swim coach who recently was the subject of an undisclosed complaint.
Speaker after speaker noted how Schiavo, who has taught and coached swimming at the Mainland Recreation Association in Linwood and both Holy Spirit High School and Mainland, instilled discipline, dedication and good values in thousands of youth from around the area.
Some parents said off the record that they had heard rumors that the school board was going to terminate Schiavo’s contract after a swimmer filed a complaint against the coach.
The team went 12-2 last season, becoming the first MRHS girls team to make it to the NJSIAA Group B state championship game, where they lost 109-61 to Summit. On their way to the state final, the Mustang girls won South Jersey sectional title, only the second in program history and the first for a Schiavo-coached team.
Chief School Administrator Marrone reportedly held a meeting with parents and some swimmers at the school, with Athletic Director Mike Gatley participating via conference call, regarding rumors that an HIB report had been filed against Schiavo and that it was not the first time.
Dr. Aixell Mercedes-Perez, a pediatrician with a daughter on the team, was first to speak and later characterized by others as spearheading the support effort.
“Most of us parents come here to complain about the teachers, the coaches, the administration, the taxes … we are not here to complain. Instead we are here to ask all of you to give our girls swim team coach another chance to coach our girls,” Mercedes-Perez told the school board.
She warned that a lot is at stake and urged a measured approach.
“We are at the verge of destroying the career of a very successful, passionate coach because he may have yelled at the wrong kid,” the Linwood resident said.
She said the parents “are aware that Coach Schiavo may have made some comments, may have raised his voice, and that may have upset some few swimmers and their parents this season and the previous season,” but argued that “two or three incidents over the course of a nine-year career I do not consider a repetitive pattern when there is absolutely no intention to undermine, humiliate or purposely harm a child. That is not considered emotionally abusive coaching, otherwise every coach would be emotionally abusive.”
Mercedes-Perez asked what has been done to ameliorate the situation and proposed creating a swim team wellness committee.
“Let’s create a code of clear expectations. Can we at least try to work it out and help relieve some stress off the shoulders of the swimmers and the coaches? We can improve communication among the swimmers, the parents and the coach. If in the end nothing worked, at least we tried our best,” she said.
Mercedes-Perez argued that Schiavo’s positive contributions must be taken into account when deciding his future.
“In order to be just, you must listen to both sides and not concentrate your efforts on just the complaints and ignore all the great things that the coach does every single day for our students and athletes,” she said, presenting a petition she said contained signatures from 20 of the 27 swim team families.
Linwood resident Joe McGroarty said Schiavo coached his five children over three decades and “I cannot say with any stronger conviction that any attempt or any thought that Mike is not qualified or an appropriate head coach is simply wrong.”
“I truly believe that Mike’s best interest has been for the sport of swimming, not to get kids to the Olympics but for the sport of swimming,” McGroarty said. “I can’t think of a more qualified swim coach in this area.”
Terry Rahter-Mattingly of Somers Point, a retired head swim coach at Egg Harbor Township High School, said she has coached with and against Schiavo, including 22 years at the MRA.
“I think it would be a shame to not have him continue because he is a phenomenal coach,” she said.
Betsy Bateman said Schiavo has never acted inappropriately with her children.
“At no point do I think with my kids that Mike was disrespectful. Did he have to reprimand them? Of course. Did they deserve it? Of course. But Mike has been an incredible influence on my children. He not only taught them about swimming but about discipline and respect and things that matter in life,” the Somers Point resident said.
Casey Lowry, who identified herself as a former collegiate swimmer, said she has known Schiavo for the past 20 years.
The Linwood Board of Education member said she worked as an assistant coach with Schiavo at Holy Spirit High School and the MRA and that he was her daughter’s first swim coach at the age of 6.
“There are very few coaches who dedicate as much time to fostering a sense of team and belonging than Mike does,” she said. “I noticed it never mattered to Mike whether you were the superstar that was breaking the records or the swimmer in lane 5 that secured that third-place point, you were all equally important to the team.”
Lowry said Schiavo has had a dramatic effect on swimming throughout southern New Jersey.
“Clearly his accolades speak for themselves. To list them all, we would be here for quite some time. But a simple glance at the school record board and you can see that almost every one of those swimmers began their swimming career at the MRA with Mike,” she said, noting her daughter would be a freshman next year.
“My family and I look forward to having Mike as her coach,” she said.
Schiavo’s assistant coach, Northfield resident Heather Sickler, said Schiavo “has been a pillar of my life for 23 years.”
“It was Mike’s passion for the sport of swimming, desire to teach, motivate and instill a love for the sport that inspired me to pursue the sport of swimming at Mainland Regional and then in college at Rowan University for four years, and then to return to Mainland to pass on my knowledge and passion to the next generation of swimmers,” Sickler said.
She noted the many ways Schiavo builds camaraderie among the swimmers, despite the constant turnover of graduates.
“I have never experienced this type of team building during my time at Mainland from 2004 to 2007, nor during my time at Rowan from 2007 to 2011,” Sickler said. “I have limited natural swim talent and was not a standout in the sport. Mike didn’t care. He taught, encouraged and complimented me on my work ethic and dedication, he reminded me of my importance to the team. He continues to treat all swimmers of any level with compassion and inspire them to do their best.”
Perhaps more to the point, she said in her nine years as his assistant, “I have never witnessed any action from Mike that would warrant removing him from the program.”
Melissa Goldstein, a Margate resident whose daughter is a school choice student, said unlike many of the others, she does not know Schiavo well “but I do know the effect he has had on my daughter.”
Goldstein said her daughter was joining a new school where she knew few people and that the coach “embraced her, introduced her to everybody and gave her so much confidence.”
“She didn’t think she would really contribute to the swim team. She truly believes, whether she is right or not, that she was an integral part of how the team got to the state finals, that she has something to contribute and that she’s a great swimmer,” Goldstein said. “From an outsider’s perspective, all of our experiences at Mainland have been fabulous but he is up here (holding her arm up), and he really has raised the bar for our opinion of Mainland.”
Reached by telephone, Schiavo acknowledged he was the subject of a complaint but said he doesn’t “think it would be smart to make any comment.”
He expressed appreciation to those who spoke in his favor.
“The grassroots support was appreciated,” he said.
Board President Jill Ojserkis told those assembled that there was nothing on the agenda regarding Schiavo’s contract.
Chief School Administrator Mark Marrone declined comment but provided a statement later in the week.
“As always, the district will investigate concerns brought before the Board of Education and address them as appropriate. The district also listens to and takes under advisement the opinions and statements expressed by community members and stakeholders made during public session. The district will not comment on issues of personnel but takes the input and concerns of the public very seriously,” Marrone stated in an email.
–By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
