Who wouldn’t love their coach to say “this” about them.
“Charlie is an amazing kid who brings an entirely different perspective and vibe to our team. It is wonderful to see him interact with the guys,” says Skyline swimming and diving coach Mojo Murrett. “He makes me smile everyday.”
Meet Charlie Hazzi.
Only a sophomore, Hazzi was a member of this past season’s successful Skyline swimming and diving team that finished sixth at the Division 2 MHSAA State Finals. While he didn’t swim at the state finals, he was still an important part of the team – like all the Eagles on the roster.
“Everybody did great at States,” said Hazzi, who also was a member of last year’s D-2 State champion team. “Last year’s swim season also was successful. I reached my personal best in every event I swam during the season.”
Hazzi first jumped into a pool at a young age.
“I got interested when my parents signed me up for Goldfish Swim School,” he says. “I was really enjoying it, then I joined Club Wolverine in January 2017. I was getting better. I like swimming because we have a lot of meets and it is fun to race other people you don’t know.”
Swimming for Club Wolverine and the Skyline Eagles is a very high level and requires commitment and dedication to the sport. And Hazzi wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The challenges of early morning practices are waking up on time, packing your school backpack, worrying if I forgot something at home, falling asleep at school, and showering after practice,” he says. “The challenges of afternoon practices are having enough time to eat dinner, having piano lessons every Wednesday, worrying about homework, and studying for tests.”
But as soon as he steps on the pool deck, Hazzi is able to find his “mojo” rather quickly.
“What motivates me is seeing Coach Mojo, Coach Paul, Coach Kent, and my teammates Jack Staunton, Ben Edlund, Lewis McCammon, Andi Xi, Albert Gu, Luke Jordan, Sawyer Thompson, and Owen McKelvey six times a week,” he says.
It’s the coaches and the swimmers he credits for Skyline’s incredible success over the years.
“We have wonderful coaches here at Skyline,” he says. “Besides coaching us in swim technique, they teach us life lessons in sportsmanship, respect and compassion.
“This year’s team is a little smaller than last year’s team. We are hoping more people will join next year. It was a great group of people who encouraged and supported each other.”
Charli, 16, is the son of Lara Chahin and Elias Hazzi. He excels in the classroom with a 3.969 GPA and also is a member of Skyline’s French Club. He also plays basketball and the piano and enjoys traveling.
And while he’s still a few years away from college, he says he would like to keep swimming and is interested in studying math and computer science.
