February Newsletter
Dear WETS,
Big XII Feb. 21-24 Starts Today
Come and support both the Men and Women at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Please check out the schedule and how to follow or watch live HERE The UT Sports information department does a great job promoting swimming and diving. Sure, makes our job writing this letter much easier than the Zerox and bulk mail days!
Then the Big Show
- Women’s NCAA, March 14-18, Ohio State University
- Men’s NCAA, March 21-24, University of Minnesota
WETS DEWS
Longhorn Swimming and Diving is something we should all be proud of. WETS appreciates your donations to keep us afloat and promote Longhorn Swimming and Diving past, present and future. Check out the WETS website to see if you are listed as a Dews payer for 2018 … and if not… Please DEW!
A wonderful way to honor great Longhorns is through The Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. Send a donation, come see the museum at the swim center and by all means SAVE THE DATE for the 2018 induction of Kris Kubik, Troy Dumais & Doug Gjertsen April 6th in Austin at the swim center. You won’t want to miss the reception and dinner honoring them along with Texas aquatic legends Tom Landgraf and Doug Ingram. Full information on the 2018 induction can be found HERE!
OUTDOOR POOL?
Looks like it is finally going to become a reality!
UT Men’s Assistant Coach Wyatt Collins reports: The biggest news that we’d like to share has to do with a project that we have been working on over the past few months: an outdoor pool and dryland diving facility! After a series of meeting with the Athletic Directors. The upshot of that was Athletic Department was not only greenlighting the project and pouring their resources into fundraising, but also fast tracking it with the utmost speed. With the new basketball arena looming in the distance, New AD, Chris Del Conte wants to have his plate clear to dive into that project with no distractions. Because of that, Swimming and Diving is the No. 1 priority and they want to get it done quickly so they can turn their attention to the arena.
The pool will not be a competition pool, but, will rather be a training facility that gives both programs greater flexibility for workouts and lane space. As you can all imagine, it is a huge recruiting aid as well. In addition to the pool, Matt and the divers will be getting a state-of-the-art dryland/dry board facility to not only give the divers more space and provide a safety net in case anything ever happens to the diving well itself.
Finally, we will be constructing new locker rooms and a team lounge area to bring to program into the 21st-century. As you can all imagine, we as coaches are incredibly excited for a number of reasons, but the biggest is knowing that our Athletic Department is investing in both of the teams for the long run. I know that this has been a long time coming for alums as well, and it certainly would never have been possible without all of your efforts over the years in the water and on the boards.
Frank Erwin Awards and WETS reunion.
Save the Date: September 21st-22nd for our annual get together. Jill Sterkel is putting together the schedule for the weekend of the TCU football game so stand-by for more information. In the mean-time please help Frank Erwin Awards committee chair, Debbie Risen Hurwitz by nominating worthy candidates you feel have contributed significantly to Longhorn Swimming and Diving. More information about the award, past recipients and a nomination form can be found Here!
WET SPOTS:
We are saddened to report the passing of Hylmer “Moose” Karbach. He was team captain in 1949 and a loyal WETS supporter. He was honored with the Frank Erwin award in 1993. A few years back, I asked him how earned the nickname? He admitted to being a novice when he joined the team after World War II and swam with his head up. Tex told him he looked like a moose and should hide those big ears! He learned to put his head down and became conference champion.
A teammate of Hyls, John Faber (pictured with the 1943 team) sent us some great pictures from the 1940’s. He was a member of the team before and after World War II. One of the last living legends from this great era. At age 92, he reminisced about all the great times he had during his UT years and even divulged the secret to his “Great Escape” during the 1947 Aqua Carnival. He remembers vividly weekend workouts building Camp Longhorn…We appreciate the great foundation these pioneers gave us.
Ian Crocker and Laura Wilkinson who were part of the Class of 2017 International Hall of Fame Class, but were unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey, will be honored May 19th in Ft. Lauderdale. They will be honored with the Class of 2018.
Our Dallas Texas Exes do such a wonderful thing to raise money for cancer research with the Swim Across America program. Team Longhorn was down in numbers last year, but strong in fundraising – third overall – so we will need to hit the recruiting trail for next year. In the photo are Kirk and Alecha Stackle, Jeanne Cunningham, Kent and Andrea Dickson their daughter, Lydia Chase and her daughter, Campbell and Bob Kitzman. Not in the picture but a huge part of Team Longhorn is Daniel Watters
Where are they now? It was great to hear from and receive WETS dews from Longhorn Legend, Dave Walters. He now lives in Venice, California and is a full-time firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department. The desk job did not allow him ample time for surf trips. Dave recently completed a 32-mile Pacific Ocean, prone, paddleboard race off the coast of Venice Beach.
Former Longhorns have come up big in support of the Eddie Reese/ Kris Kubik Legacy fund. So happy to report that the Mike Brown/ Matt Scoggin Scholarship has been established. Our diving program has been the elite program in the country for forty years thanks to their leadership. Every chance you get, please thank them for their arduous work, dedication and Longhorn Spirit.
Many of you remember and participated in the campaign that Tex and Jeff Heller put together for the outdoor pool in the mid 90’s. Sure looks positive with a lot of support and we are sure more will be needed.
If you have any fun news; send it my way. Hope you can make it to conference in Austin, the NCAA meets, the TSDHOF dinner in April and of course our September reunion. Love and support needed for our swimmers and divers!!
Swimcerely,
Bill Robertson
Bill@camplonghorn.com