'It's been fun': Ben Smith turns in teaching for coaching

JAMESTOWN — If you are trying to locate Ben Smith, try the Jamestown High School swimming pool. At the beginning of the school year, Smith, a former history teacher at Jamestown High School, decided to step away from teaching to coach swimming and diving full-time. ADVERTISEMENT "One of the things that I like about swimming is that it is the only sport that is a lifesaving sport," Smith said.

"I think that it is really important to give people the chance to be safe around water. There is a lot of people, not just in our community but globally who don't feel safe around water. "It's a team sport but it is also an individual sport," he said.



"We don't have an all-star. We have relays and kids can try different events. There is always something you can work on to be better in swimming.

" Smith is the head coach for the Jamestown High School boys and girls swimming and diving teams, the University of Jamestown swimming and diving team and the Prairie Rose Aquatics club swimming and diving team. "I decided to try it and see if it worked," Smith said. "It's given me a lot of flexibility in my day and in my schedule so I can be with my family.

"With teaching, your hours are kind of set and with coaching your weekends are kind of taken up so I didn't have a ton of time to spend with my family," he said. "Now, I can go and have lunch with my kids and my wife and that means a lot more than a salary." Smith has been coaching in Jamestown for 17 years — primarily at the high school level.

"Coaching is coaching," Smith said. "If you are a good coach you can coach anyone — it doesn't matter if you are coaching the developmental group or Olympic swimmers. Everyone has the goal to get better and everyone wants to have fun.

Those are the two main things that I focus on. I carry those two things through all of my teams." ADVERTISEMENT Smith wrapped up the JHS boys swimming and diving season last weekend.

The Jays had 11 swimmers compete at the 2025 NDHSAA State Swimming and Diving Meet. The boys set three new school records at the state meet. Finn Moser, a freshman for the Jays, finished the race in 4 minutes, 50.

60 seconds. The previous school record was held by Lief Rasmussen. Rasmussen swam a 4:57.

94 in 2005. Zach Hanson, Moser, Kaden Fabian, Noah Lynch were responsible for breaking two more standing records. In the 200 freestyle relay, the foursome finished with a 1:29.

22 beating the previous record by 1.98 seconds. Later, in the 400 freestyle relay, the boys turned in a time of 3:16.

76 — a whole five seconds faster than the previous record. As a team, the Blue Jays placed seventh at State, recording a team score of 147. West Fargo won the state title with a score of 357.

Jamestown had 11 swimmers qualify for the state meet. Smith was named the 2025 NDHSCA Boys Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the meet. Smith was named the WDA Coach of the Year at last week's West Region Swimming and Diving Meet.

Jamestown went 7-0 in conference and 10-1 overall. The boys isn't the only team that has seen success under Smith's direction. "My first official season at the college — we had a great year," Smith said.

"This year we had the largest team in school history, we had a winning dual season and placed the highest at conference we ever had. ADVERTISEMENT "We broke countless school records, 10 athletes got qualifications for Nationals and we sent three girls to nationals this year," he said. "It was really fun.

We have athletes from seven different countries and 12 different states. It was a great first official season." Two of Smith's college athletes — Mya Wimer and Jada Shorter — are from Smith's home state of Texas.

"I always grew up around water," Smith said. "I wasn't super athletic so I didn't excel in team sports or contact sports. Then I found swimming and really loved it.

I started doing that in high school." After high school, Smith went on and swam collegiately at the University of North Dakota. After his time in Grand Forks, he came to student teach at Jamestown and was asked by longtime JHS head swimming and diving coach Marney Shirley to coach at the club level.

"I love it here in Jamestown," Smith said. "The community is awesome. There is a ton of support.

Even though swimming isn't the most popular sport when you think of athletics, we get a ton of support for the club, the high school, the college — it's great." Smith will be with his club team at its state competition this weekend. After the winter session of the club season concludes, Smith will be overseeing the Jamestown Public Schools elementary swimming program.

After that — he'll finally get a break — kind of. ADVERTISEMENT Swimmers who compete with Prairie Rose Aquatics train all year round but swim competitively for a winter and summer season. The JHS girls and UJ will begin practices in August.

That's when things get a little crazy for Smith. "We have a morning practice every day that is about an hour and a half long for the college women, then the middle of the day can be recruiting calls or planning workouts or hanging out with my family, then in the afternoon we have a second session for the college team and then we have our club kids and after that we have our high school kids. "I would not be able to do this without my assistant coaches," he said.

"They are awesome. They are just as invested as I am. They love the sport just as much and they love coaching kids just as much too.

I try and help organize everything but it's not me — I am just happy to be a part of it.".