Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-11-20
Bill Bachrach,
chair swimming

n0Sa. nv Nc Gtllvray,
Harry Hebner, anu Mike McDermott.
The triumph Of Miss Bauer, a II
year old. Chicago miss. who broke the
mems record for 440 yard back stroke
by winning in Bermuda in the remark
able time of 6:24 called attention to
the big coach, who now claims he can
float higher and sit lot1get in d rock-
ing chair than any one else in the
business.
Miss Bauer Wins Fame.
Miss Bauer has won for herself the
fame Of being the first OF her sex to
break a mans record at any athletic
sport. and her fame In the swimming
division is only SECOND to that of
Weissmueller. who at tho time of gos
records and who may have added a
couple .Aore since that time.
Back2ach seldom sWims any more
When they want to flush the surface
Of the big tank at the Illinois Ath-
letic club, Bach jumps in, raises the
level of the tank five or six inches,
lets\the surface water drain off, then
returns to his rocking chair and his
work of developing promising young
sters into world beatees. (
Otherwise he seldom goes into the
tank-and his methods ,of making
champions are simple and straightfor-
ward, work, work. work-with verbal
corrections of faults in style.
He believes In only n theory of
making champions, and that is that it
Is hard, constant work and steady
swimming that makes them. II do
not make swimmers" he said, as he
watched half n dozen young aspirants
for honors swimming back and forth
in the tank. Good swimmers can lie
developed, but great swimmers sare
born. and not made. Anybody can be
a good swimmeSIf he in willing to
champions Are born. Many fellows
would be good swimmers II they were
not too lazy, but MANY of thenn, and
some-with great. natural ability, arr
too lazylto stick to -it.s
Hard Work Makes Swimmers.
"The. thing that makes champions
In anything is hard work, day In and
day out. / make every, person Whu
COMES to me. swim q quarter.~of a
mile every day, l don't hurry them
Oh hold a. watch on them. 1 let then,
take their own Stime.f No one car
swim a quarter Of a mile every. day
n not ~ifnprove-and the way I find
champions Is to watch the swimmers
day by day and see which ones are
calming speed and showing the will
to win. 1T they do not show the am
billion. they are not going to be great
swimmers.
When they come out Of the tank
I talk with them. tell them what mis-.
takes they make In style, and give
them what advice I<tan. !.
II did not make either Miss Bauer
or Johnny Weissmuelier great swim
mers-they were born that way. The
way l found. Johnny was odd One OF
my pupils, a pretty. good swimmer
himself, kept telling me about a kid
he had met swimming at the Oak
street beach on Lake Michigan. He
wanted that l should let the kid como
down and Masked M to watch him
SWIM.
Discovers Weisstnucliet.
I"ThatN was in october, 1920. AS
soon as / saw him / knew he was a
great swimmer. but he didn't like tt
work any too well. It was hard work
Keeping. him workihE-I must have
lost a couple of hundred pounds doine
It.. In fourteen months afder he start.
ed In his first fleet he broke Thirty:
| eight words records. not counting to:
night. and he may smash g few while
Ne are talking.
Miss Batter was different. I. we
started a class for girls, ana she came
In when she was IA years old. After &