Head swim coach Michael Ashby, intends to retire at the end of the 2025 swim season after coaching Canyon Ridge High School swim for four years. He plans to retire due to an upcoming move to Utah next year to finish his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University in Provo.
The team has been looking for a replacement coach, but one has not been found. There are few swim coaches in the Magic Valley.
During his final season, Coach Ashby plans to continue working the swimmers hard and help them meet their personal goals in preparation for the swim team’s Districts in Idaho Falls on November 1st.
Coach Ashby believes improvement “starts with the coach” and that he should be “the example of being present and motivated.” This approach, combined with rigorous workouts, has helped the team meet its new 6A competition.
The women’s team placed first at their home meet, second at both their Pocatello meet and Jerome invitational, and third at their Idaho Falls meet, while the men’s team placed first at the Jerome meet and third at their home meet. The combined team placed first at the Jerome invitational and second at their home meet.
“My goal would be that everyone on the team reaches their goals… if, as a coach, I could help lead everyone to a point where they feel the season was successful, then I would feel successful as a coach,” said Coach Ashby.
Varsity swimmers Chaz Attebury, Logan Gregoire, Isaac Reid, and Eli Reid have set a new school record for the Boys 400-yard Freestyle Relay. Chaz has also set new school records for the Boys 50-yard Freestyle, Boys 100-yard Freestyle, and Boys 100-yard Breaststroke.
According to assistant coach Shana Hoge, “[Coach Ashby has been focusing on] really helping the team to compete well at that 6a level… a higher level, which I feel he has been succeeding at… we have been at the top of the list whenever we are in our [local] conference.”
The swim team has undergone many changes since Coach Ashby was hired, including lengthening practices, implementing a stricter varsity system, and scheduling more meets with diverse teams from around the state.
“I’m specifically very sad [he is leaving] because he knows what he’s doing, and you don’t often find people like that in the high school swim world,” said varsity swimmer Gracie Bucher.
