[Breeze]

Bauerle Visits Swim Practice

Retired UGA and US Swim Coach Comes to Cage Center

MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - It's not every day that one of the greatest coaches in the history of a sport comes to Berry College for a practice. Yet today, one of the most decorated coaches in the history of NCAA and USA Swimming came to The Cage Center as Jack Bauerle joined Berry head swim and dive coach Astrid Escobar on the pool deck for practice.

"It was an honor to be here. It's nice to be asked to come," Bauerle said as the Thursday practice was coming to an end. "I have so much respect for Astrid. She came and worked our camp a few years ago, and she just stuck out. I knew she was going to be a heck of a coach. The athletes were great and willing to learn, but that's also a reflection on Astrid and the kind of coach that she is."

Bauerle is someone that has earned deep respect from people across all levels of swimming. The Philadelphia, Penn., native spent over 50 years with the University of Georgia swim and dive program, spending his first season as a varsity swimmer in the 1971-72 campaign. He would take over women's coaching duties in 1979 and men's coaching duties in 1983. The longest-tenured coach in UGA history, 62 of Bauerle's athletes won a total of 175 National Championships. Chosen to lead the 2008 US women's swimming team at the Olympics in Beijing, Bauerle coached the American side to 14 medals, the most of any country at that Olympics. His time as an assistant coach with Team USA dates back to 2000.

"It's hard to truly capture with words what a truly remarkable experience it was having Jack on deck," said Coach Escobar. "You're talking about a man whose name is synonymous with the sport of swimming; he is someone who has regularly led athletes and teams to the pinnacle of success in our sport."

Bauerle's time on campus featured a meet-and-greet with members of the Berry swim team and Berry athletic department members, including athletic director Angel Mason and senior woman administrator Ginger Swann. Other Berry notables from outside of athletics, such as President Stephen Briggs and Director of Admissions Glenn Getchell stopped by to visit with the legendary coach.

But the real fun for everyone began at the start of practice. Bauerle spoke to the team for about 25 minutes, giving them words of guidance and encouragement as they prepare for the Southern Athletic Association Championships in mid-February, then beyond into the rest of their careers both in and out of the pool. After that, with Escobar by his side, Bauerle helped to run drills with the team, giving advice individually and as a group to the BC teams. An afternoon that was planned to be a pep talk and maybe a drill then turned into a legendary coach getting back into the arena and slipping into full coach mode.

"It felt great, because I really didn't think I was going to do it. I didn't even think about it, and next thing I know, that's what was happening," Bauerle said. "I guess in a sense, I've missed it. I missed being with the kids. They always want to get better, and it was fun. I just thought I was going to talk with the team a little and be with Angel and be with Astrid, but the next thing you know, it's what it was. I hope it was as much fun for them as it was for me."

It was a surreal moment for many members of the Berry swim teams, but those feelings were somewhat put at ease by Bauerle's demeanor. "I really liked him," said freshman Ella Quigley. "It was kind of intimidating to see all the stuff he has accomplished, but he is really humble too. He is really proud of all of the swimmers he's helped along the way, and he seemed really excited about helping us as well."

"It was interesting to see how quickly he saw details in our strokes," said junior Diego Torres. "It was interesting to see how fast he came up with the sets. He gave us good tips inbetween to improve our swimming and recover faster."

"He's a swim legend, so it was really cool to see him out there trying to give us some pointers," said senior Paxton Smathers. "It's very motivating to get back to practice."

Both Coach Escobar and Bauerle wanted to make an opportunity like this happen for the BC squads. Soon after Escobar took the head coaching position, Bauerle offered to come up some time. In November, Escobar called to try to take the living legend up on the offer. The timing enabled the two to make it happen at this stage in the season.

"Jack's a swim wizard, but he's so much more than that," Escobar stated. "As a young coach, it was so humbling to have a living legend spend the day working with me and my program just because he could. That altruistic spirit is rare and it is inspiring."

While it's a first-year head coach at the helm of the Berry program, Bauerle knows bright days are ahead with Escobar leading the ship. "What she's doing is great," Bauerle said. "It's going to take a while and it does take a while, but anything that's worthwhile does. Just watching and meeting with some of the administration, I know she's in good hands. She knows her stuff, and she's always willing to ask. She's a really good coach in that way, and she puts herself around people that she trusts."

In order to stay compliant with NCAA rules and regulations regarding practices, Bauerle signed the necessary paperwork to be classified as a volunteer assistant coach for the Berry swim and dive programs. While he won't show up on the team's roster or coaching pages, and this designation would probably show up about 2,000 pages into his career resume, the experience that Bauerle gave to the Berry program is something that can't be quantified or measured. "It's so much more than having an Olympic coach providing feedback to a group of athletes for a day," Escobar said. "Today was a moment for my team to witness that success comes by lifting up, championing, and investing in others. I'm so grateful that Jack came up here and gave his time to our program."