After all, the word is uttered often in Hawaii to say both “hello” and goodbye” in the Aloha State.

That’s where educator Janet Falk will be headed at some point in her vacationing future.

You see, her husband David “Trey” Falk offered her a deal — if she bid her position as Tongie Tidal Waves coach farewell, she could say hello to a Hawaiian getaway courtesy of her husband.

Janet finally agreed to the offer.

After 14 years of overseeing the local swim team, she handed over the stopwatch and the clipboard.

The team, parents and coaches had their end-of-the year awards meal last week at VFW Park and then headed to Tonganoxie Water Park for a end-of-season swim party.

It marked Janet’s final season-ending celebration as Tidal Waves coach.

“To be honest, I wanted to start transitioning last year,” Janet said about starting to move someone else into the head coach spot.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of the 2020 season and returning to the pool last year, Janet said the timing wasn’t good to just hand off that responsibility.

Janet was involved with the swim club at Bonner Springs some 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Tonganoxie Water Park opened in 2008 where the Chief Tonganoxie Pool had welcomed summer visitors for more than 80 years.

But with the new water park came a six-lane lap area.

Janet grew up swimming in summers not too far to the west in Valley Falls. And when the couple lived in Chicago before moving back to the area, their daughter, Lacie, now 29, was on a swim team at the age of 9 in the Windy City.

“I came from a very large family,” Janet explained. “One of the splurges, if you will, was mom wanted us to get a summer swim pass to the (Valley Falls) pool and not be swimming in the ponds.”

She took that passion for swimming — and the potential for swim meets in Tonganoxie starting in 2008 — and approached the city about starting a swim team.

She talked with friend Pam Maughmer, who at the time agreed to help out 14 years ago.

Janet’s intentions were to get the team established and then perhaps hand the team off to the Tonganoxie Recreation Commission. But the more she was involved with the team the more she realized how much work was involved. And so it became a family affair and the collective work of many Tonganoxie families.

Janet and Trey’s youngest child Alex was 5 when he got started with the Bonner Springs team. He then joined the Tongie Tidal Waves the next year and swam into his high school years.

He’s now 21.

Luke, 23 and David, 26, along with Lacie, also spent many a summers competing for the Tidal Waves.

“If they’re home, I just recruit them and they’re pretty receptive,” Janet said of her children helping out with meets years after they competed. “They don’t even bat an eyeball when I ask.”

The team started with 30 the first year and grew to 150 before the pandemic.

Team size was limited to 115 since the 2020 season was canceled to allow for more spacing at practice to help with social distancing.

Tidal Wave participation also blossomed into Tonganoxie youths competing at the high school level. Though THS doesn’t have its own team, Tonganoxie swimmers train with Piper’s team and then compete with the Pirates at high school meets.

Though Janet is departing, familiar faces will be taking over for the Tidal Waves.

Stephanie Shupe will be the team’s next head coach, while Gretchen Meitler will be the team’s “parent coordinators/manager/liaison/miracle worker/saint,” Janet said. Tana Walker will be an assistant coach as well.

The outgoing coach is excited for the team’s future, as Shupe has been assisting with the team for years “practically since I started doing it,” Janet said.

The Tidal Waves usually have four or five meets each year, with three usually at home. Tonganoxie had one of those meets canceled due to inclement weather this year, but when there are meets at the water park, they draw huge crowds.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Janet explained. “Our businesses do a tremendous job supporting all the different groups. Mine is no less than that.”

She mentioned Gambino’s Pizza as an example. Owner Ryan Boden “has done an amazing job for all 14 years,” Janet noted, with the restaurant’s sponsorship and support of the team.

Janet appreciated the work of parents through the years and all of their work on meet days and beyond.

And then there is her husband.

“His huge superpower is with all the tech support,” Janet said. “That is not my strongest suit. I’ve got a lot of strengths, but that’s not one of them.”

The TES educator knows that swimming has become a strength for many of her former swimmers who have gone on to be lifeguards at Tonganoxie and in surrounding communities.

“I really do love working with kids,” Janet said. “I just feel like it is important, being able to swim. Being safer around water and children. Drowning and water accidents are one of the highest death rates things during the summer.”

And then there’s the opportunity to be a round her students in the summer after working with them in the reading department at Tonganoxie Elementary School during the academic years.

Her other passion is reading because it’s the learning foundation for the other disciplines, whether it’s to solve a math problem, learn about social studies or conduct a science experiment.

Janet continues with her day job at TES when classes start back up next month, but she’s ready for the swim coach chapter to be closed.

“I didn’t have clear picture where it would go and where we would end up,” she said of starting the team in 2008. “I’ve truly enjoyed the 14 years of putting the swim team together and working with the families and to see so many return every year.”

She said the Tidal Waves open up registration on May 1 each year and after a week the roster normally has been full.

“That speaks volumes; I’m glad that I thought this would be a good idea,” Janet said with a laugh about getting a team started nearly a decade and a half ago.