Coaches Corner - Ron Kontura

Reflections on the 2004-05 Season

Looking back at the season, two moments stick out that will be with me forever.

- A cold, rainy Saturday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Complex in February.

On this day, California Swimming and Diving fans were soaking wet in the stands, but refused to leave because of what they were witnessing. What they saw was the fastest dual meet in NCAA history, and the California Divers sweeping both boards to help lead the Bears to victory over Stanford. A victory which gave The University of California Swimming and Diving team their first Dual Meet National Championship!

- Minnesota in March.

At the NCAA Championships, I saw Louie Gagnet, finish his career with a 9th, 10th and 17th place finishes in the 3m, PL and 1m events, becoming the greatest diver in Cal Diving history. My other recollection is of the Cal Relay teams breaking NCAA records in 2 of the 3 winning relays.

All this added up to too much excitement for a first year coach. What a GREAT year it was to be a Golden Bear Swimming and Diving fan. May this become the norm for each year I am at Cal.

The 2005-2006 Season

This season will see us have 5 divers coming in from Connecticut, Illinois and California; three of which are High-School All-Americans. These athletes will bring a new look to the California Diving program. I am very encouraged about their talent level and look forward to seeing how they perform this summer at the junior national meets.

Our goals for the 2005-2006 seasons are to build upon what was started last year. I am in the process of creating a vision for California Diving that exceeds the expectations of the athletes and challenges them to work towards becoming National Champions! It will take a tremendous amount of time and effort to get there, but I can see the foundation beginning to form.

I look forward to seeing all of our great Cal Aquatics fans on the deck this season.

Go Bears!