Brodrick Fitch Continues to Give Back to the O'Dea Brotherhood

SEATTLE- Broderick Fitch continues to embody what it means to be an O’Dea man. An O’Dea graduate of 2015, Fitch returned to O’Dea after attending college at Seattle University and The University of Washington.

Since returning back to O'Dea in 2020, Fitch has taken the role of a strength and conditioning coach, swim coach, health teacher, the hurdles coach for the track and field team as well as becoming the Waterford house dean.

While Fitch is involved in so much now, during high school swim was his main focus outside of school work.

Fitch stated, “I started swimming at O'Dea for a few reasons. The first is I was not good at wrestling and needed to compete in a winter sport. Basketball definitely wasn't on the table for me, so I wanted to give high school swimming a try. The second is, I grew up swimming in summer league races so I had a background in the sport and thought it would be good for my body to be in the water, especially after football season.”

In addition to Fitch now being involved with the O’Dea swim team 8 years later, he has also held a vital role in the strength and conditioning program of the Irish sports teams.

“I don’t enjoy either more than the other, I think each coaching opportunity has its own unique reasons why I enjoy them. Strength and conditioning is one of the most honest areas of coaching because it’s you versus gravity. No matter who the athlete is, they can’t hide under the bar."

"Coaching Swimming is a little different and I enjoy the challenge of it. I am constantly forced to find new ways to coach and use my vocabulary to help our guys improve in the sport," says Fitch

Since his arrival on campus the student atletes of O'Dea have taken notice and seen the impact he has made on them.

Air Force basketball commit, Miles Clark, had this to say about Fitch, “Coach Fitch is a great addition to the weight room his energy is infectious. And it’s nice having more than one person guiding you through the exercises”

With all people who achieve success, their traits are learned through experiences whether that be people, or impactful moments.

Fitch stated, “Coach [Tom] Schutte is the main reason why I got back into coaching swimming at O'Dea. He is one of the best coaches I have ever had, and I know he wants to win Metro and be one of the most competitive programs in the state. His leadership and coaching helped me develop into who I am today and if I can have even 1% of the impact on our guys as he did with me, I would be proud.”

Fitch has taken the mindset and leadership skills from Schutte and used them to make an impact and develop young student athletes.

Army West Point lacrosse commit Ethan Linsay says, “Coach Fitch has been a mentor for me in the weight room. His mindset on lifting translates [to] so much more than just the weight room and his willingness to give advice only boosts my performance.”

The addition of Fitch to the O’Dea weight room and swim team has been an incredible addition and he ultimately looks to continue helping the sports teams of O’Dea continue in a dominant fashion, especially the swim team.

The fans of O'Dea shouldn't have to wait long to see Fitch's impact as he thinks highly of the 2022-2023 swim team.

“I think this team can be Metro Champions. We are young and we are a little smaller than in year's past, but that doesn't mean we aren't competitive. The guys we have are hungry for that Metro banner. We are going to train hard and compete every week.”