As diving coaches across the country fear for the future of their programs, John Ames—who spent 23 years as the head diving coach for Georgia Tech—has gained another measure of control over the program. Since August, Ames has served as the Yellowjackets’ interim swimming and diving head coach. On Monday, Feb. 24, the school announced it would remove the interim tag, making Ames the permanent Toni M. And Richard L. Bergmark swimming and diving head coach.Â
Ames first took over the swimming and diving programs last summer when Courtney Shealy Hart resigned after 15 seasons with the Yellowjackets to “pursue a new professional opportunity outside of sports.”Â
Ames has coached for the last 32 years. Before arriving at Georgia Tech, he coached at George Washington and Western Illinois. He’s also served as associate head coach at the Montgomery Dive Club and head coach at the Atlanta Diving Associate. He has an extensive career, though this marks his first season having swimmers under his stewardship.
During Ames’ 23 years as the Georgia Tech’s diving head coach, that arm of the program soared to new heights. The top ten scores in all three diving events have been earned since his arrival in 2001. He has also coached multiple divers to the NCAA Championships, including Cami Hidalgo, who earned bronze on the 3-meter board in 2021. Her effort is the best NCAA finish by a Georgia Tech woman in program history.Â
It’s unusual to see a diving coach at the head of a collegiate swimming and diving program. And while the Yellowjackets season is not yet over, the team has already achieved success this season. Some of that success has been on the boards; Max Fowler won the men’s 3-meter title at the recently concluded ACC Championships and was the team’s only conference champion. But, they’ve also been seeing results in the pool. Berke Saka won silver in the 200 IM at ACCs. Together, swimmers and divers helped the men’s team place 9th in the new-look conference, earning a top-10 finish even as high-powered Cal and Stanford teams made their conference championship debut.
Between the men’s and women’s programs, the team has set nine program records so far this season. The women’s team has almost completely rewritten their relay records, setting new school bests in all but the 800 freestyle relay.Â
“We’re thrilled to elevate John Ames to our permanent Toni M. And Richard L. Bergmark swimming and diving head coach,” said J Batt, the school’s director of athletics in Georgia Tech’s press release. “John has done an outstanding job throughout his 24 years at Tech, first as the most successful diving coach in program history, then in leading our men’s team to a top-25 ranking as interim head coach this season. Our swimming and diving program is in good hands with him at the helm.”Â
Next, Georgia Tech turns its attention to the NCAA Championships in March. At the men’s meet, the Yellowjackets aim to turn that top-25 ranking in the CSCAA polls into a top-25 finish.Â
Congratulations, John!
probably not what Tech fans waited 15 years for
Wait, what?
I’m sure he’s a fantastic diving coach, and certainly long-tenured at GA Tech. Not throwing shade on this diving coach at all. He’s probably great.
But let’s face it, diving comprises 3 out of the total 21 events at the championships (and most invites/duals). Folks, there’s a reason the diving coach is never the head coach of the entire program. Associate head for more money and stature? For sure. He’s undoubtedly earned it. But how is he going to knowledgably supervise a staff (5 swim) coaches who are coaching 50+ swimmers? Or make big decisions about recruiting (swimmers)?
The head coach is a leader and a manager. If he can lead and manage the swim coaches, then what’s the problem? Do head swim coaches tell dive coaches how to coach diving? No, they leave them to do their own thing. Is a diving coach incapable of also managing and leading?
He’ll manage the swim staff just as well as a swim coach would manage a dive staff.
I like it, makes sense if you can actually think outside the box our sport is stuck in. Let the coach who coaches less athletes and has potentially more time available to deal with admin duties. Allow everyone else to just focus on swimmers and recruiting swimmers. Do you have to be a swim coach to balance a budget? Schedule travel? Go to meetings? Etc.- no, there is just an ego about only swim coaches being head coaches. The Miami route? What did that end up with? Multiple Olympians, olympic medalists, and a program that was a perennial top 25 at NCAAs.
John has been around long enough he understands what he needs to understand about swimming, and will put… Read more »
I agree that you don’t have to be a swim coach to balance a budget, schedule travel and other admin. duties. I guess the question is how will training plans/philosophies be explained or implemented to recruits. I imagine they’ll make an assistant an associate head so there aren’t too many cooks in the kitchen.
Could be used to give an assistant and associate head title and allow them to learn all the admin responsibilities that go along with being a head coach or it was a move the school felt they needed to do to keep the diving coach.
You think that is why they named him Head Coach? I don’t!
More like a “Director of Swimming” overseeing it but really letting his assistants coach? And he coaches diving too of course…
John is an amazing member of the Georgia Tech swim and Dive program. As an alumni, I am glad to see him getting this opportunity. For all who are wondering, John is not coaching the swimmers. As far as people able to logistically plan out a college season, there is no one better than John. Go jackets
I mean, it’s one way to save money – have one Head Coach for swimming AND diving 🙂
I think this is a bad decision. Yes, a dive coach can handle the administrative side of being a head coach, but you need authority and leadership on the swim side. There’s a reason why no other programs have done this. Sounds like the athletic department is being lazy and/or doesn’t want to pay for a new coach.
I also see this having a negative impact on recruiting. The ad should seriously reconsider.
I hear you. On the other hand, in his one year as interim coach, GT had at least as good, and on the men’s side probably better, year than they did the previous season with a swim coach in charge.
I’m here for the experiment, at least. I think it all comes down to how you allocate the salaries/resources.
I go to watch at least a couple of GT meets a year. They’ve had better energy on the pool deck this season. Even a little energy in their way too empty stands. They’ve also had way better publicity from GT Athletics – like putting up giant beautiful display photos of the swimmers in the pool and at the football stadium when they were nowhere before. I’m not sure if that’s the change in leadership or just that swim gets a higher profil in an Olympic year.
To use the term “swim coach” in association with the name “Courtney” is a stretch at best.
You see it in track and field al all the time. Akron’s former long-time coach was also one of the best pole vault coaches in the country.
I agree. Swimmers want to know their head coach and the coach’s philosophy and approach. GT probably recruits more based on GT’s academic ratings so it may not be as terrible for recruiting at GT as it might be elsewhere. But not a good sign. I *hope* they at least tried to talk Mike Norment back from UGA to be head coach. Otherwise what a miss for the program!
Many programs have a Head Diving Coach while a swim coach is the boss of that Head Diving Coach. Why can you not have a Head Swimming Coach while the dive coach is the boss of that swim coach?