ARVADA — What do a paramedic, a truck driver, a hot-tempered pyromaniac and a swim coach have in common?
Joani Glidewell-Anderson, of course.
OK, so the pyromaniac thing is kind of a joke — Glidewell-Anderson teaches chemistry at Ralston Valley High School and just prefers the element of fire — but the rest is true. She was a paramedic and drove a tractor-trailer before making a bigger splash as coach of the girls swim team.
Last season, the Mustangs won the Class 4A state championship. And they are the odds-on favorites to ignite the water at Fort Collins’ Edora Pool Ice Center again next month.
Where on earth did they come from not only is a question Glidewell-Anderson poses in class, it also is a suitable question for the Mustangs, who have just two seniors and joined the 1987 Wheat Ridge squad as the only Jefferson County schools to win a girls team title.
“That is an excellent question. I’ve thought about it,” Glidewell-Anderson said before talking about Ralston Valley’s strong academics and its penchant for successful athletics.
The crux eventually — and blissfully — emerges.
“I am on cloud nine,” she said. “I spent seven years at Arvada coaching there and begging people to swim so we could have a team and teaching them to swim. Now, to come here . . . it’s just heaven.”
Anchored by standout juniors Katie Johnson and Arianne Lujan, who was unexpectedly dubbed “The Terminator” by the announcer at the recent Jeffco Invite, the Mustangs are a talented group of 38 swimmers and four divers, solid numbers that have translated into big scores for a program bumping up to 5A next season.
Most of the talent is home-grown. Fourteen swimmers, including top talents such as Johnson, Lujan, Paige Fischer, Kiana Carter, Ruthie Pappas, Jordan Quick, Rachel Snyder and Kaitlin Sorensen, compete for coach Brett Stoyell at the North Jeffco Swim Team based out of Meyers Pool.
“Katie and I have been swimming on North Jeffco since we were, like, 6 or 7,” said Lujan, who said it’s “kind of a compliment” being likened to a cyborg assassin from the future.
Johnson excels at the 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, while Lujan is strong in the 100 butterfly and the 200 individual medley, which she won last year at state by touching out Johnson by three-tenths of a second. Both are aiming for times consistent with the Junior Olympics and will compete at a national tournament next month in Plano, Texas.
The Mustangs amassed 267 points at state last year, 89 points ahead of Rock Canyon, which figures to push Ralston Valley harder this season.
“Katie and Arianne are pretty competitive, but they’re spreading it to the other girls as well,” Glidewell-Anderson said.
Said senior Katelyn Parsons, “We rise to the challenge.”
While it is cliche that teams all get along and hang out together, senior Jordan Quick has more tangible proof.
Team dinners, once sparsely attended, are now the coolest place to be. Teammates from different social circles now take the time to greet each other in the halls rather than pass with a cordial smile.
“We get each other,” said Quick, who got burned out on the 50 freestyle and now prefers the 100 backstroke and 100 free.
The Mustangs get a lot of that from Glidewell-Anderson and Rebecca Anderson, her 26-year-old daughter and co-coach. The two bring the same vision and passion, while their age difference allows them to relate to the swimmers differently.
Of course, the entire scene is one big chemical equation for Glidewell- Anderson. She loves logic and working problems out until she reaches the correct solution, even in the water.
“Lineups — who I’m going to put in what relay,” she said. “Every meet and every week it’s a puzzle, and I just love doing it.”
So who is Joani Glidewell-Anderson? A paramedic, a truck driver, a chemistry teacher and swim coach who loves to analyze the random nature of athletics.
And who are the Ralston Valley Mustangs? An out-of-nowhere program that could win its second 4A state title in February and give 5A superpower Cherry Creek a run for its money next year.
Call it smoke on the water.
Pool play
* In 2007, Ralston Valley became just the second team from Jefferson County to win a girls swimming title. The Mustangs won Class 4A. In 1987, Wheat Ridge won the one-class title.
* The last team to win consecutive team titles in 4A was Mullen, which won from 2003-05.
* Since Colorado opted for two classes in 1991, Mullen (1996-97) and Estes Park (1997-98) have repeated.
* Overall, Cherry Creek owns the top streaks. Since the sport was sanctioned in 1973, the Bruins have won from 1974-79; 1981-86; 1996-2000; and 2005-present.
