Hickory daily record., 1922-11-06
MAKER
HIMSELF IS
! No CHANP

! NJ CHA|V|P
By the Associated Press.
Chicago, Nov. 6.-Not long ago the
newspapers recorded the fact that Miss |
Sybil Bauer, 17-year-old Chicago girl
had swum the 44O yard backstroke in |
meet in Bermuda in 6:24, breaking, for
the first time in recorded athletic his
tory, worlds record held by a man.
The old mark Of 6:2S was held by
"Stubby" Kruger.
Behind that bare announcement is
the story of coach who can't swim
the 44O, or probably half that dis
tance, but who has brought out many
of the most famous swimmers in rec
ent years, Including Miss Bauer,
Johnny Meismueller, Norman Ross,
Perry McGillivray, Mike McDermott
and Harry Hebner.
He is William Bachrach, swimming
instructor Of the Illinois Athletic Club.
Once, in his early days, "Bach" was
la great "third place athlete" he says
Back in 1897 he made his only appear
ance in national swimming tourna-
ment, entering the 100 yard swim in
meet in Lincoln Park lagoon here.
There were four entries and Bachrach
won his one and only swimming medal
and when he finished third-after the
fourth man swan himself out and quit
at the end Of fifty yards.
| Now, weighing, by his own admls-
sion, .five pounds less. than a battle
ship" he sits in huge wicker arm
chair beside the LA. C. tank and
trains promising youngsters to break
all the swimming records from the Ber-
mudas to Honolulu. Once month or
so when they fill the tank up to eleven
feet for the water games, Bach"
drops in with mighty splash and does
a round or two, but that is about the
extent Of his own water work.
"Anybody can be good swimmer,
+ if he has the will to work and work
hard, Bachrach says. "He may not be
a champion, for it just isn't born IN
|some people to be champions, but Il
| he is willing to plug along day IN and
day out and stick to the deadly grind
he will be good swimmer.
sThe trouble is that lots of swim
mers, and sometimes those with most
natural talent, haven't, enough OF the
will to win to keep at il"
"What is the secret of your success
as a coach? he was asked.
sM aking them work day in and day
out. | require my teams to swim
Iuuarter of mile day. don't hold
Ia stop watch on them, they can take
their own time, but they must swim
lat least that quarter of mile! After
that they can play around the tank 1t
i they want to as long as they wish.
+ s.If swimmer swims 300 quarter
| tmiles in year that's Is miles. No
body can swim Is miles year with
out developing. They are bound to
learn something.
81 sit up here and watch them swim
their laps, and when they come out !
talk things over and point out their
mistakes and suggest Improvements
That's all there is to it.
"My principle is to get them young
Sybil Bauer came to US four years
ago when she wasn't quite ID years
old. We had announced through tbs
newspapers that we were going to or.
ganize a class for, girls, and invltee
swimmers to apply. She was In the
class. One day saw her using ths
I back stroke, and doing very, well witt
!. Iit. We talked it over and she decided
| she wanted to be the worlds creates,
back stroke swimmer. Today she is" =
Bachrach passes over his own. ma
bility to rank above the mediocre
swimmers with the explanation thai
| the best coaches don't swim much
| "That applies in other sports too,,
| he says. Zuppke down at Illinois was
never much of football player, but
look what a coach he is. When yo.
work around here all the time yot don
have the desire to swim much. It's llk'
being a chef. Nobody ever saw che
eat much, unless he was out at some
Ibody else's house"
Really great swimmers, "Bach" says
are born, not made. "You can't put {
voice in anybody he explains. "Thert
would be no use Of my going to sing
ling teacher to cultivate voice !
haven't got. But while everybody can
be a great swimmer, he can be gooe
swimmer, If he wants to work for it. :.
Most of the famous swimmers devel'
Ioped under his tutelage are products O
the Chicago public beaches and <
NJ C. A. POOLS Back in October 1920 :
boy on one Of his teams told Bach
rach friend who was swimming
at the Oak street public beach had beer
begging to be brought down to see tn,
/. A. C. coach. The swimmer asked per
mission to bring his friend in orde1
to put stop to his pleas.
| He brought him and his name was
| Johnny Weismueller. Between Octob.
er 1920 and August of last year Bach
. rach trained Weismueller. Fourteen
months ago he entered his first big
meet. Up to the present time he has
broken thirty-seven worlds records.