Pilot Aquatic Club of Knoxville Hires Larry Shofe as New Head Coach

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, July 5. PILOT Aquatic Club of Knoxville is pleased to announce that Larry Shofe of the Sarasota YMCA Sharks has signed a four-year contract to become the new head coach of the club. He and his wife Rosemary will be moving to Knoxville shortly, and he will begin full time coaching duties on Aug. 1, 2008.

In addition to winning YMCA Nationals for each of the past two years, Coach Shofe led the Sarasota Sharks to become the first-ever YMCA club and the first club in the State of Florida to achieve USA Swimming Gold Medal Club status. Prior to heading up the Sarasota program, Coach Shofe was the Head Coach at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. He has been named Florida Swimming Senior Coach of the Year five times and was awarded the distinction of USA Swimming Developmental Coach of the Year twice. He has coached numerous Senior National Qualifiers and most recently took five swimmers to the Olympic Trials competition.

"It has been an agonizing decision for my wife Rosemary and me to leave Sarasota and accept the position in Knoxville," Shofe said. "However, I believe that the opportunity available in Knoxville is one of the best in the country for a swim coach. The completion of the new aquatic center at the University of Tennessee, the sponsorship of the team provided by Pilot Corporation, the large number of kids in Knoxville who participate in summer swimming through the GKAISA program, and the talented group of swimmers comprising the current team make this opportunity in Knoxville an exceptional one. I look forward to offering many swimming opportunities to the Knoxville community."

Pilot Aquatic Club is also a USA Swimming Gold Medal Club, one of sixteen in the country. The team currently has 181 swimmers and practice at the University of Tennessee.

Special thanks to Pilot for contributing this report.

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