Jessica McCoy, "Coach Jess", is a swim coach who resides in Midland, Texas. She is married to her husband of 7 years, Matthew McCoy, who is a native Midlander. Originally from Austin, Texas, Jessica misses the wildflowers of the hill country, but West Texas is now her permanent home. When she is not coaching, she is busy caring for and doting on her two children. 

 

Jessica swam for 22 years where she competed both nationally and internationally on the nationally-ranked team and University of Texas' club team-Texas Longhorn Aquatics (TXLA). Inspired by her experience at TXLA, Jessica began her coaching career at 13 years old as a Junior USA Swim Coach. With this start, Jessica was able to develop a love for coaching, specifically to instill confidence and joy within her swimmers. 

 

As Jessica's swimming career grew, she became ranked as a USA Swimming "Top 16" swimmer, placing nationally in more than eight events. She also participated in two different relays that made USA Swimming National Age Group Records that maintained their standing for 5+ years. 

 

During Jessica's senior year of high school, she was recruited by the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Rice, LSU, Purdue, Columbia, Yale and TCU before signing a swimming scholarship to Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 2010. Jessica swam for SMU for three years before retiring from swimming to complete her two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English Literature and Sociology. She credits her love of coaching to the consistent support that both Eddie Reese and Chris Kubik at the University of Texas at Austin provided during her time at TXLA and during her time swimming at the collegiate level at SMU. 

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After completing undergrad, Jessica obtained a Graduate Certificate from SMU's Cox School of Business in Accounting and Finance. As of May 2024, she has received her M.Ed. of Sports Management from the University of Texas at Austin with the goal of applying her education and expertise to reduce drownings in West Texas on a larger scale. 

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Jessica also works diligently to participate in continuing education by taking courses through USA Swimming, American Red Cross, the United States Swimming School Association and the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. She is also a certified American Red Cross CPR/AED/First Aid course instructor with the ability to train and certify aquatic professionals in these credentials. 

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Coach Jess' coaching style can best be described as compassionate, patient and adaptable. Jessica is passionate about coaching children without using fear as a motivator. Instead, she uses evidence-based curriculum to support parents and to help children reach their highest potential.

 

In order to write Head Above Water Midland's curriculum, Jessica collaborated with professionals such as Licensed Professional Counselors, who specialize in working with children and adults. Her life experiences and education both in and out of the pool equip Jessica to coach children in a way that promotes not only confidence and safety, but also empowers them to make safe choices in and around water. 

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Being adopted greatly influences how Jessica views the world. She hopes that her coaching can help equip and empower all parents with the tools they need to keep their children safe while simultaneously equipping children with lifelong water safety and swimming skills.

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