Beyond swimming, he learned to coach

James Sweeney arrived on the campus of Indiana University in the fall of 1987 prepared to learn under the guidance of legendary Hoosiers' swimming coach James ''Doc" Counsilman. And learn Sweeney did.

But Counsilman did more than teach the techniques that would turn Sweeney into a three-time NCAA All-American and three-time Big Ten champion during his time in Bloomington, Ind. Counsilman, who literally wrote the book on the science of swimming, taught Sweeney how to be a coach.

''Not only did he show me the correct way to teach an athlete in the pool, but he taught me the way to teach them outside of the pool," said Sweeney, who grew up in Reading and returned last fall with the goal of coaching in the area. ''It's about caring for your kids and developing them as young adults. It's teaching them to make the right choices. There's so much more than just teaching them how to swim fast."

Sweeney, the former head coach for the men's and women's swim programs at the University of Miami, was appointed director of competitive aquatics at the Andover-North Andover branch of the Merrimack Valley YMCA last month.

The 35-year-old coach officially started his new duties this week and will oversee development of the branch's three competitive swim clubs, the Hurricanes (ages 6-18), the Synchers (ages 6-19), and the Master's Swim Team. Sweeney will have more than 275 swimmers under his purview.

''Looking where we wanted the program to go, we were thrilled to bring in someone of James's caliber, both on and off the deck, to help our program grow," said Bobbi Berkenbush, senior physical director at the Adover-North Andover YMCA. ''He has the ability to lead us, not just with the Hurricanes, but with our synchronized and master's programs, which have both been to nationals this past year. With his expertise, we see a lot of room for growth and development in these programs."

Sweeney jokes that his family put him into the pool the instant he was born, but his passion for swimming began to take shape after he signed up for lessons as a youth.

As a high school freshman at Austin Prep, Sweeney decided he wanted to swim at a higher level and joined the Bernal's Gators Swim Club in Waltham to accelerate his learning.

When it came time to choose a college, it was really a no-brainer. Indiana has long been regarded as the top swimming school in the nation. Indiana has sent more than 50 swimmers and divers to the Olympics, with the likes of Mark Spitz helping those competitors combine for 31 gold medals. An IU athlete medaled in every Olympiad from 1952 to 1996.

Counsilman coached the Olympic squads in 1964 and 1976. With all his individual success through the years, Sweeney said he learned the importance of working as a team under Counsilman.

Those lessons should certainly help him in his new job. Paul Bennett, who served as head coach for the senior and junior programs this past summer, believes that Sweeney, who was an assistant, will get off to a fast start.

''There's not one specific area James specializes in, but, all around, he's technically proficient," said Bennett, who will stay as an assistant while focusing on his coaching duties at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. ''James is very good at motivating. He's only been with us since late April, but he's already developed significant relationships with our swimmers. They trust him, and that can be the hardest part of coaching. He already has athletes buying into the program."

Seventeen Hurricanes, the largest contingent to date, competed at the Y National Championships at the University of Maryland last weekend, and Bennett and Sweeney both were there.

''We did really well," Sweeney said. ''We have a young team, so no one placed, but we had some of our best times of the season. The future looks bright."

Especially with Sweeney at the helm. After graduating from Indiana, he returned home and was an assistant for the men's and women's swim teams at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he also earned a master's degree in sports management.

Sweeney moved on to be an assistant for the University of Miami in 1994 and four years later was promoted to head coach. During his tenure at Miami, Sweeney coached six All-Americans and eight Olympians. He was also a co-owner of Cane Aquatics in Coral Gables, Fla.

When it came time to find a new head coach for the Andover-North Andover YMCA, it was another no-brainer. ''We had well over 40 applicants, but . . . we were overwhelmingly impressed by James's credentials," Berkenbush said.

Now Sweeney is focused on the future.

''My goal is to simply help our programs keep improving," he said. ''We have goals like placing at nationals and to have more athletes qualify for junior nationals, but we're also focused on having fun."

And Sweeney knows that if he can help just one athlete the way Counsilman helped him, he's doing his job just fine.

Chris Forsberg can be reached at chrisforsberg@aol.com.