University of Georgia Athletics
Colwill Happy To Be Back
October 04, 2018 | Swimming & Diving, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Sitting in his new office at the Gabrielsen Natatorium last month, Georgia diving coach Chris Colwill said he was starting to feel more at home. Of course it's not really a new office to him at all, having spent many hours in there when it belonged to his longtime coach and good friend, Dan Laak.
Working together, Colwill won five SEC diving titles, three NCAA titles and competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics — and earlier this year he was inducted into Georgia's prestigious Circle of Honor. It was a very successful partnership and just as meaningful was the friendship that developed over the years.
"We had a very strong bond and we're very close, so we did spend a lot of time in this office, trying to plan our future in the diving world, setting up goals — he did a very good job of maintaining the balance of friendship and being a coach," Colwill said.
After 31 years as Georgia's diving coach, Laak retired in June to take over as USA Diving's High Performance Director. When it came time for Tom Cousins Swimming and Diving Head Coach Jack Bauerle to for the first time in more than three decades look for a new diving coach, one name clearly stood out as a perfect choice.
"When I told Jack that I was retiring, I told him I think Chris would be a perfect fit to come in and replace me," Laak said. "I think if you just make a phone call you can convince him to do it. I really think it is a good fit. ... I think everybody's excited about him taking over for me."
A few weeks after Laak's retirement announcement, Colwill, who had been working with divers back home in Florida and for the family business, Colwill Engineering, was named as his replacement.
"We're fortunate to have him because of who he is and the kind of coach we think he can be," Bauerle said, "and for me, personally, I just like him. He was tough and I thought he would bring that same moxie and competitiveness to the diving program."
Bauerle was a great swimmer for Georgia back in the early 1970s, decades before any current Georgia swimmers were born. They know him as not only one of the top collegiate swim coaches but one of the best in the world. The 34-year-old Colwill, on the other hand, was still competing and one of the top Americans when most of Georgia's divers took up the sport. His final competition was the London Olympics in 2012.
"I think being recently retired, I'm still aware of what it takes to get things done from a diving standpoint," Colwill said. "I have a global perspective on this sport and it just comes down to how much each diver wants it; I tell them almost every day, if they give me 100 percent, I will turn around and give them 110 percent to help them achieve their goals."
Having a diver of Colwill's stature as Georgia's new coach is great for the program. Add in that he's a Laak protege and the transition the past few months has been very smooth.
"I'm already used to Chris being there and the kids are excited about him, which is important," Bauerle said. "I think change is hard for some kids, but the change to Chris, and knowing how he was so connected with Dan, I don't think we've missed a beat."
The Georgia women open their season on Oct. 13, at Arkansas. The men's opener and women's home debut is Oct. 26, against rival Florida. For Laak, a father of two sons who said he's often felt like a proud father of three when it comes to Colwill, that first meet at Gabrielsen Natatorium will be something special.
"I think it will hit me even more when the meets start and he's down there coaching and I'm up in the stands actually watching," he said, before adding that he may wind up announcing at meets or helping out at the scorer's table because "it will be hard for me to just sit and watch after everything I've done over there."
For Colwill, being back in Athens, back at Georgia, back at the pool he knows so well, it's like coming home for the Brandon, Fla., native.
"It feels great. Obviously, I had a great diving career here and I just think it's amazing that I can come back now as a coach," he said. "My goal is to do the best job that I can do and help the divers achieve their goals, to do the best they can at the NCAAs and beyond."
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
