When John Williams’ three sons heard he was going to be the new coach of the Hurricane Swim Club, they all had different reactions. One didn’t care where he swam. Another felt conflicted about leaving the Bangor Barracudas, the team with which the boys had been swimming. The third just wanted to be with his brothers.

But they’re all on board as Williams takes over the Bangor YWCA-based private team which is affiliated with US Swimming.

Williams was hired earlier this month to replace Tim Babcock, who resigned in late June. Williams, a 1988 Brewer High graduate, swam for the Witches when Babcock was the head coach there, and also swam for the Brewer Rec Swim Club, which became the Hurricanes.

Williams, an Eddington resident, is the grandson of R. Leon Williams, who started the Eddington-based R. Leon Williams Lumber Co. in the late 1930s. John Williams is currently a vice president in the company.

His coaching experience includes time at Brewer as an assistant and volunteer coaching with the Bangor YMCA’s Barracudas. Williams worked with the younger and less experienced swimmers last year.

There should be a number of changes for the team in the coming year. The most significant change will be that high school age Hurricanes may find it easier to swim for their high schools and the club team.

According to Jane Shapero, a Hurricane board member, Babcock’s rule was that Hurricanes could swim for their high school teams, but they were not allowed to miss a practice or a meet. With the big overlap in practice times, she said, swimming for both teams was “not impossible but difficult.”

Williams said he wants kids to have the experience he had as a Brewer High swimmer.

The Hurricanes are envisioning a flexible system for high schoolers where they might miss a high school practice or meet to swim with the club, and vice versa.

“I was fortunate enough to have an excellent experience in high school,” he said. “I’m in favor of that. Some families will make the decision on their own but the goal is to make it realistic for them all.”

There are student swimmers from Bangor High, John Bapst High in Bangor, and Brewer High on the Hurricanes. Williams said he has spoken with three head coaches (Bangor High has separate girls and boys teams and has yet to hire a girls coach) and all three are amenable to having Hurricanes on their teams.

Bangor High athletic director Steve Vanidestine said the school expects its student-athletes to be at all practices and meets, but in special cases such as swimming, exceptions can surely be worked out with coaches.

“Kids can’t just come to meets [and not practices],” he said. “That will not work.”

Shapero has two daughters who swim for the Hurricanes, including Kayle, who will be a junior at Bangor High this year. Jane Shapero said Kayle wants to swim for both teams next year but is waiting to find out who the coach is and how flexible the programs will be.

Williams also wants to increase the number of local meets the Hurricanes attend while still giving the better swimmers a taste of regional and national competition.

“I think we’ll keep the old Hurricane tradition with a meet out of state that the top swimmers go to,” he said. “We want to keep them exposed to that but not as much as in the past.”

Putting more focus on younger swimmers is also on Williams’ agenda for the year.

Babcock’s resignation came a few weeks before the Maine Summer Combined championships, which is one of the biggest meets in the state each year. Former Bangor High and Hurricanes star Amy Walls filled in while the team searched for a coach.

The Hurricanes are hosting two sessions to meet Williams and get to know the team. The squad will be at the YWCA pool Sept. 5-6, 4:30-5 p.m. Regular practice starts Sept. 9 at 3:30 p.m.