Gole brings title back
Jack Nicholl
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Sports
It wasn't only the attitude that worked in Truman's favor, but the decisions Gole made.
He approached sophomore Kate Aherne a month before nationals and told her he wanted her to swim the 200-yard individual medley - an event in which she did not have much experience. He even went as far as telling her he thought she could win it.
They found out on the first day of nationals he was right.
Aherne took home the only individual national title for Truman in the event. The result didn't take away from her other events, either. On the same day as the individual medley, she took fifth in the 50-yard freestyle.
Gole also made some last-minute switches in relays, some that paid off and some that didn't. He said he hates taking swimmers out of relays because of his experience in college but that he always will make decisions in favor of faster swims.
"I'm a very competitive person," he said. "I hate to lose, even if it's a friendly video game, or a game of darts or tennis, whatever. Whatever I am playing, I want to win."
Even with all the awards, it could be Gole's work ethic that stands out the most.
"His passion for the sport is incredible," freshman Carina Pautz said. "He eats, breathes, swims - swimming. That's all he thinks about, that's all he does, every moment of his day."
The hours add up. Some days Gole will be at the pool before five in the morning and not get home until 10:30 at night. The weekends don't provide any breaks either - Gole will spend his Sundays writing workouts for the next week, which he can individualize for every swimmer.
"To think of how much he works to how much he gets paid - it would be scary," senior Emily Greenwood said. "... We know when we go to a race that we have trained harder than any other team in the country, and we owe it all to him."
After losing the title a year ago, Gole said he came into this season with less pressure on himself because the streak had been broken. After the 2006 season, Truman lost some of its best swimmers, and Drury was able to pick up some top recruits, which put added pressure on Gole to win.
Even though the Bulldogs approached the season with a different attitude this year, they were focused the entire time, no matter how good Drury's swimmers were. Steck said he noticed it before the season started while talking to Gole.
"He was talking about the disappointment of getting knocked off by Drury, and I could tell right then he was focused," Steck said.
Gole will set high expectations for each swimmer, and he said he will blame himself first if the swimmer doesn't meet those expectations.
But if a swimmer isn't giving it their all, Gole will show it, and the swimmers all know it. It's just another thing that makes him the coach he is.
"If you're not giving 110 percent in practice, sometimes he won't talk to you if you didn't meet his expectations," Pautz said. "I mean, it makes us as swimmers, better people, better athletes, and it makes us winners."
He approached sophomore Kate Aherne a month before nationals and told her he wanted her to swim the 200-yard individual medley - an event in which she did not have much experience. He even went as far as telling her he thought she could win it.
They found out on the first day of nationals he was right.
Aherne took home the only individual national title for Truman in the event. The result didn't take away from her other events, either. On the same day as the individual medley, she took fifth in the 50-yard freestyle.
Gole also made some last-minute switches in relays, some that paid off and some that didn't. He said he hates taking swimmers out of relays because of his experience in college but that he always will make decisions in favor of faster swims.
"I'm a very competitive person," he said. "I hate to lose, even if it's a friendly video game, or a game of darts or tennis, whatever. Whatever I am playing, I want to win."
Even with all the awards, it could be Gole's work ethic that stands out the most.
"His passion for the sport is incredible," freshman Carina Pautz said. "He eats, breathes, swims - swimming. That's all he thinks about, that's all he does, every moment of his day."
The hours add up. Some days Gole will be at the pool before five in the morning and not get home until 10:30 at night. The weekends don't provide any breaks either - Gole will spend his Sundays writing workouts for the next week, which he can individualize for every swimmer.
"To think of how much he works to how much he gets paid - it would be scary," senior Emily Greenwood said. "... We know when we go to a race that we have trained harder than any other team in the country, and we owe it all to him."
After losing the title a year ago, Gole said he came into this season with less pressure on himself because the streak had been broken. After the 2006 season, Truman lost some of its best swimmers, and Drury was able to pick up some top recruits, which put added pressure on Gole to win.
Even though the Bulldogs approached the season with a different attitude this year, they were focused the entire time, no matter how good Drury's swimmers were. Steck said he noticed it before the season started while talking to Gole.
"He was talking about the disappointment of getting knocked off by Drury, and I could tell right then he was focused," Steck said.
Gole will set high expectations for each swimmer, and he said he will blame himself first if the swimmer doesn't meet those expectations.
But if a swimmer isn't giving it their all, Gole will show it, and the swimmers all know it. It's just another thing that makes him the coach he is.
"If you're not giving 110 percent in practice, sometimes he won't talk to you if you didn't meet his expectations," Pautz said. "I mean, it makes us as swimmers, better people, better athletes, and it makes us winners."
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