CHEYENNE — Mark Dobler spent 25 years coaching in Laramie County School District 1.
Much of that has been as a junior high head coach and a high school assistant. He also coached in Kansas City prior to returning to Wyoming, and helped coach club swimming. Dobler spent the past seven years as Cheyenne East’s boys swimming and diving coach.
He’s ready for a break, which is why he stepped down as the Thunderbirds coach earlier this week.
“Swimming can be a long season,” Dobler said. “We’re taking 16-18 weeks during the season, plus an offseason of opening the pool and doing some swims. That’s two-a-day practices where you leave home at 5 in the morning, teach all day and have practice until 6.
“You get home around 7 and start doing more on lineups and getting ready for three meets per week. … I’ve given a lot of time to this job, and it’s been very rewarding to get to meet all of these great kids and their families. But it’s time for a new chapter in my life.”
East finished 12th at the Class 4A state meet last month. It was the first time in Dobler’s tenure the T-Birds didn’t finish 10th or better. They were fourth in his first season at the helm.
“That first year was really memorable because we had a lot of kids I had coached and helped develop at the club level,” Dobler said.
East was without a home pool during Dobler’s first four seasons. The divers practiced at Cheyenne South, and the swimmers squeezed in at Cheyenne Central.
“He went through that time we didn’t have a pool and did a tremendous job of working with the kids and getting them time at Central and South while our pool was being built,” East athletics director Jerry Schlabs said. “He got the kids trained and went through that hard transition.
“He was very involved in building the new pool, working with the designers, East administrators and the district. He has done a ton of good things with us and our swim program.”
East had just three individuals beat state qualifying standards to compete at the 2024 Wyoming Class 4A state meet. The T-Birds upped that to eight this season. Five of those qualifiers are expected to return next winter, providing a solid foundation for East’s next coach.
“I went into this season thinking is was a bit of an unknown year,” Dobler said. “I had high expectations because I had seen a lot of the freshmen in junior high. Those guys and some of our other kids really stepped up.
“It was a really successful year, and I believe that the program is doing a good job of rebuilding traditions and headed toward good things.”
Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.