Q&A
Coach Bob Kizer Head Coach New Trier Swim Club Winnetka, Illinois
BOB KIZER
Now in his seventh year as New Trier Swim Club, head coach Bob Kizer capped a phenomenal short course season that saw his boys finish first and girls fifth at the 2012 NCSA meet. by michael j . stott photos provided by bob kizer
Q. Swimming World: Did your time as a swimmer play a role in your decision to coach? A. Coach Bob Kizer: No, but my experience with coaches John Mason, John Weick and Denny Hill definitely influenced me as a coach. I had a desire to work with young people on a daily basis, and swimming became my vehicle. SW: Did you ever aspire to duplicate your brother’s 200 free state championship? BK: Swimmer self-confidence was not my strong suit, so I never believed I could reach that level. My brother, Jim, was a special athlete. He was rarely the most talented, but often the most successful because he had an unbelievable work ethic. SW: Did your distance freestyle success influence your ability to coach a phenom such as Reed Malone? BK: Coaching a swimmer like Reed has more to do with understanding the mind of a swimmer and being able to tap into his motivating factors. SW: Are you as intense a coach as you were a swimmer? BK: I have evolved as a coach. I used to be a screamer, but I have relaxed more with experience and age.
Several years ago, my goal became to put away “Angry Bob” and be relaxed and positive on deck. Now, I express my high expectations in a much more positive way. SW: Nationally competitive NTSC trains swimmers ages 6 through college. How are you viewed locally? BK: As a highly successful, very welcoming, fun place to join a team. And an organization that requires one’s best at all times, regardless of age or ability. SW: How is not-for-profit NTSC different from a for-profit operation? BK: The differences are off the pool deck. We would not operate the in-water part of our business any differently regardless of how we were organized as a business. We operate with a board of directors supporting our coaches who direct the program. SW: NTSC is a consistently top-five team in Illinois. What does it take to be a consistent top two or three? BK: Success starts with a belief that it can and will happen, followed by a commitment to do what is necessary to be successful. At NTSC, we don’t define success by meet place finish, but by the growth and experience of our swimmers. SW: How important is the Hour of Power to the NTSC community?
An All-American at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School (Mich.) and at Allegheny College (B.A., speech communications, ’84), Coach Bob Kizer had five swimmers qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials. He also placed two athletes on the 2012 USA Junior Pan Pac squad, one on the 2011 USA Junior World Championship team and several on past USA Swimming junior national teams. His USA Swimming honors include being named to the 2012 USA Junior Pan Pacs, the 2011 National Select Camp and 2011 NCSA national team coaching staffs. He has served Illinois Swimming in similar capacities. Kizer is on the USA Swimming Safe Sport Committee and is the Illinois Swimming Administration vicechair and rules and regulations chair. BK: The Hour of Power Relay is a unique event for NTSC. It honors former New Trier swimmer and coach, Ted Mullin, who passed away in the fall of 2006 from sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. Funds raised through this event support research at the University of Chicago into the causes and treatment of sarcoma in young people. In 2011, the number of participating teams exploded to 160 on two continents, including 107 college and university programs, 46 high school and club teams and seven students-abroad teams. In its first six years, the Hour of Power has raised more than $330,000. Our head age group coach, Rick Peterson, was very close to Ted and leads our efforts in the Hour of Power. Through Rick’s leadership, our swimmers truly get a chance to give back with no expectation of receiving anything themselves. They learn the importance of working together to achieve something — continued on 34 March 2013
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