ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Family togetherness, from left, Matt, Hannah, Emma and coach Lisa Trahant.
By Katie Morrison
LYNN — Swimming runs in the Trahant family.
Lynn English swim coach Lisa Trahant met her husband, Matt Trahant, when the two were sophomores on the swim team at English. Matt’s now her assistant coach with the Bulldogs, and the two have gotten the chance to pass their love of the sport down to their daughters, Emma and Hannah, both of whom swim for English.
This year is special for the Trahants, because it’s the only time their two daughters will be on the team at the same time; Emma is a senior, and Hannah joined the team as a freshman this season.
Lisa and Matt both wanted their daughters to pursue swimming, but initially, Emma and Hannah were pulled in different directions. Emma’s main sport is soccer, but she’s a three-sport captain, swimming in the winter and playing softball in the fall. Hannah was interested in gymnastics, but took private diving lessons at the YMCA and practiced with the Bulldogs in the pool in seventh grade.
“They each had their ‘things,’ and there was no changing it,” Lisa said.
But while swimming isn’t the main passion for Hannah or Emma, they’ve grown to love it.
“I used to be like, eh, swim,” Emma said, shrugging her shoulders to convey her indifference. “But now, I love it. I’ll be sad when it’s over. I wish I had done it when I was younger, I’d be better now.”
Hannah and Emma both enjoy the sport, but neither has pursued it to the extent that Lisa and Matt did when they were younger.
“My wife and I swam on private teams all the time,” Matt said. “She went to nationals and all that, she was very, very good.”
But despite the fact that their daughters’ talents and attention are pulled in different directions, their parents are happy they’ve developed a taste for swimming.
“We’re so proud of everything they do,” Lisa said. “Every season we’re busy, and to watch them do everything, it’s been great.”
Coaching their children presents its unique challenges. Emma and Hannah say that their parents each bring a different dynamic to the team.
“Dad is nice but also strict, and mom is nice but easier,” Hannah said. “You need them both.”
But both say mom is the one they’ll go to if they want an easier practice.
“When dad’s here, it’s more swimming,” Emma said. “But with mom, you can get away with more.”
Lisa also has to navigate another conflict of interest. While Emma is a swimmer, Hannah is a diver, which means that Lisa has to judge her during meets. Separating the performance from the diver can be a challenge.
“It’s a hard balance, but I think it all works,” Lisa said, though she could recall a time when of the three judges, she gave Hannah the lowest score.
“I was like what is she doing, does she not want us to win,” Hannah joked.
On the other hand, when Emma is in the pool, it’s much harder to separate the person from the performance.
“I can see myself in (Emma) in me,” Lisa said. “Both of my kids are very competitive, but when she gets on that block, just her individual sport comes out of her.”
Lisa and Matt both say they value this time they get to spend with Hannah and Emma, and it’s a season they’ll both remember, but it is bittersweet with Emma graduating in the spring.
“The last senior night, last city meet, each time it’s closing a chapter and it makes me sad,” Lisa said. “I’m going to miss her next year.”
