5 Major Swimming Headlines Kick Off 2015 — The Week That Was

Happy New Year everyone! The first few days of 2015 weren’t without some major swimming headlines, as a shocking death and an Olympic champion’s trip to the United States are getting people talking this week. For this edition of “The Week That Was,” we are counting down the top five headlines of the past few days, starting with number five. This “Week That Was” is sponsored by Swimoutlet.com, the Web’s Most Popular Swim Shop.

The Week That was is supported by AgonSwim.com

5. Germantown Academy’s swim team continues coaching shakeup. Germantown has been a well-regarded swim team for decades under the guidance of Richard Shoulberg. But after Shoulberg was demoted from head coach to coach emeritus with a plan to retire in a few months, the coaching staff for the team has been inconsistent. That continued last week with the news that three assistant coaches have left, leaving current head coach Jeff Thompson with a reduced staff as he hopes to guide the school through yet another transition.

4. Jack Bauerle coaches first swim meet in a year. The drama surrounding Georgia swimming head coach Jack Bauerle appears to be at an end, as the renowned coach was able to work directly with his athletes Saturday as the Bulldogs swam in a dual meet against South Carolina. If you need more proof that all is well with Bauerle and the University of Georgia, look no further than the team’s website. Bauerle’s name is back on the coaching roster as head coach and he’s given credit for last Saturday’s win against the Gamecocks. As a bit of a refresher, Bauerle was suspended for pretty much all of 2014 after it was discovered that he took inappropriate action to get a swimmer added to a class after the registration deadline. An NCAA committee gave Bauerle a fine and suspended him for nine competitions this season. He will not be able to actively recruit for the remainder of the season, but with the early signing period already passed, it’s likely that Georgia has the athletes it hoped to get for next fall.

3. Swimming World Magazine officially removes East German women from Swimmer of the Year list. It’s been years in the making, but Swimming World Magazine has finally removed any mention of an East German female swimmer from its roster of World Swimmers of the Year. First awarded to women in 1966, East Germany won the award for the first time in 1973, with Kornelia Ender earning the accolade. Since then, East Germany’s women had been awarded Swimmer of the Year nine times, and we now know that they earned those through illegal drug doping. Those names have been replaced by athletes who, in many cases, won Olympic silver or bronze medals behind East Germans. The International Olympic Committee appears to have dug in their heels in regards to not rewriting history, but we are happy to announce that such swimmers as Shirley Babashoff, Wendy Boglioli and Enith Brigitha are now World Swimmers of the Year. Our list on swimmingworld.com will be updated in the coming days.

2. Swimmer Jake Miller commits suicide. Depression is believed to have led to the death of 18-year-old state champion Jake Miller last weekend. Miller was found dead of an apparent suicide in Normal, Illinois, about a month after he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Louisville, and a couple of months before defending his state titles in the 200 IM and 500 free at the Illinois championships. Friends gathered Sunday evening for a prayer vigil as they shared stories of Miller’s generosity and positive impact on the community. The cause of his depression is not known, but we at Swimming World hope this shocking news sparks conversations on swim decks and in living rooms around the world with teenagers suffering from depression as they get the help they need. And our thoughts and prayers go to the Miller family and the Redbird Swim Club in this difficult time.

1. Tae Hwan Park visiting SwimMAC Carolina. Late last night – early morning in Korea – the news broke that Olympic and world champion Tae Hwan Park was flying to Charlotte, N.C., to visit the elite team at SwimMAC Carolina with the hope of making the team his new training base. An article on a Korean news site indicated that Park would not continue working with longtime coach Michael Bohl and was interested in Dave Marsh’s program as the 25-year-old tries to put a subpar 2014 behind him in preparation for the world championships, and next year’s Olympic Games. We have not yet received confirmation from SwimMAC about Park’s visit, but if it is true, Park will chase Ryan Lochte up and down the pool each day as the two set up for a rematch in the 200 freestyle. The last time those two raced each other, Park tied with Sun Yang for silver in the 200 free at the 2012 Olympics while Lochte finished fourth. Marsh has plenty of international stars in his elite team at SwimMAC, including Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of the Bahamas and Dion Dreesens from the Netherlands.

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