A familiar face has a new job at Central Bucks East.
Roberta Lichter, the aquatics manager for Central Bucks School District, is taking on the additional duties of head boys and girls swim coach for the Patriots.
Lichter stepped in to fill the vacancy this season, which is underway.
“We couldn’t let them not have a program,” Lichter said. “I have a great team behind me and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
“I don’t usually get to do a lot with the kids, other than filling in from time to time, so I’m looking forward to getting back on the deck and working with the kids on a regular basis.”
A native of Texas, she is a graduate of Trenton State College, now the College of New Jersey. This is her first varsity head coaching post, but she has plenty of coaching experience at the club level and has been the chair of the Suburban Aquatics League for the past 15 years.
“I’ve managed club and SAL so I’ll take those skills and apply them to East,” she said. “I’ll make a few changes here and there but I want to see if we can just set it up for whoever does come in eventually. I want to give them a good blueprint.
“Part of my role as the aquatics manager is to support the high schools in whatever way they need. I was having so much fun creating programs and growing the program. We just finished a renovation at the pool at CB South and it’s gorgeous, and a couple of years ago we did one for the pool at East.”
She has lots of help on the deck. Emma Rosenthal, who swam for the Patriots, is back as an assistant. Rosenthal is also the field hockey coach at CB East. Kevin McCann, another former standout for CB East swimming, is helping out as well as former William Tennent swimmer Sarah Alps.
Last year, Lichter brought in New Zealand native Geoff Hawksworth to coach the U.S. program at Central Bucks, and he is contributing.
“He’s really knowledgeable and he’ll be doing our dryland and practices,” she said.
In addition, former head coaches Tom Kane and Ed Walsh are lending a hand.
“Tom is the keeper of the stats and he’s going to be our announcer, and Ed will be helping to coach,” Lichter said. “I think Emma and I will do most of the lineups together. She really knows all the kids and she coaches them in the summer so that’s very important.”
Her husband, Paul, is the junior varsity girls soccer coach at CB East.
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