Spy Profile: The Life-Changing YMCA Coach George Higley

John Wooden, considered the greatest NCAA basketball head coach of all time, once said, “A good coach can change a game; a great coach can change a life.” Wooden’s name may not crop up around town, but the name George Higley does. Higley, the Talbot County YMCA (TCY) swim coach, has been credited with significantly impacting the lives he’s touched.

Higley grew up in a swim family. He and his three sisters competed on swim teams, and his father was a college swim team coach. After school and a move to Virginia, Higley swam and did some coaching for a Masters program (competitive swimming for adults 18 years and older). He started working for Sodexo (a job he still holds), got married, and eventually moved to the Eastern Shore, where, for the past 34 years, he’s been the TCY Stingray’s coach. “I like long-term stuff,” he said. “Thirty-four years coaching, forty years on my job. I guess I’m a long-term type of guy.”

But it all started when his kids were taking swim lessons at the Y, and he got them involved in the sport he loved. He began as an assistant coach and eventually took over the team. Under Higley’s leadership, the group went to their first ever Districts meet, their first Regionals, and finally got to swim in the Nationals. Since then, he says, many swimmers have placed in the top eight at their District meet, and at least one swimmer has been going to the Nationals for the past 20 straight years. Just this past week, a freestyle relay team qualified for the Nationals. Additionally, numerous swimmers he’s coached have gone on to swim competitively in college.

Just how many swimmers have there been, we wondered. In doing some quick calculating, Higley told us that in the first year as head coach, there were 30 kids. After that, it expanded to an average of 90 to 100 per year – multiplied by 34 years. That’s a lot of kids. He speaks proudly about some of those kids — adults now — who have gone on to graduate from the Naval Academy or are submarine officers, others who work in fire departments or are teachers.

The record board at the Y, Peachblossom pool, is a tribute to all of them and the team Higley nurtures. Even though it’s been updated many times, there are still unbroken records dating back to the late 90s. He credits the YMCA, which he calls the ‘hub of the community,’ its staff, his assistants, and the swim families for their commitment and dedication. But it’s the kids that still surprise him.

Higley chokes up when talking about the resiliency of the swimmers, those that swam and made it even though they were sick or injured. He is particularly proud of the team that stayed together despite the pandemic. “Everything was getting canceled,” he said, “there were no championships or meets being run. These kids could have said, ‘OK, now we’re going to do something else.’ But they didn’t; they all stayed together.”

With strict safety parameters and the Y’s approval, the teams kept swimming. “We competed virtually against other USA/YMCA Swimming teams across the country. We did that for a couple of years, and then we finally went to West Virginia for our first in-person meeting.”

The important thing is the memories being created, Higley feels. “They may not remember how fast they swam, but they will remember being with friends. In the end, it’s not about me; it’s about them and the pursuit of their goals.”

Debbie Gardner, Communications Officer for Talbot County Public Schools, is among Higley’s many fans. She’s seen his impact on her children when her family moved to Talbot County and were looking for ways to connect with the community. Her oldest son, then seven, took a swim clinic at the Y from Higley and decided to join the team. Her two other children also joined when they came of age. Gardner became a team mom volunteer, a position she still holds today, even though she no longer has children swimming with the team.

But she’s not the only one still involved. That seven-year-old is grown up now and volunteers as an assistant coach, as does her daughter. Gardner volunteers because she believes in the sport and the spirit of giving back. But most of all, she admires what the Coach has accomplished. “He is a champion of the sport and how it helps kids develop as human beings. He wants kids to succeed and progress in the sport. But more important to him is that they have a good experience and see good examples in terms of character and leadership, and team spirit. For Coach, it’s an important part of his own fulfillment as a person to have this connection with kids and know that he’s impacting lives beyond the times you see on the record board.”

Besides providing a broad and full experience on the team, Higley is also very dedicated to YMCA swimming, specifically because of the character that the YMCA mission brings to the table. “It’s a lot easier to navigate,” he said, “when you have a Y that comes along and says, ‘OK, do what you need to do for these kids.’”

And that’s a commitment that Wendy Palmer, Executive Director of the Easton Family YWCA, is happy to make.

Palmer met Higley 15 years ago when her daughters swam for TCY. She remembers how he always encouraged the kids to do their best and have some fun along the way. “Which is why,” she said, “everybody’s so drawn to him. He’s such an unbelievable coach! Even those who didn’t stick it out with swimming still remember Coach Higley and their relationship with him.”

Palmer also knows that Higley is uncomfortable being acknowledged or credited for the swim team’s success. “I really feel there are heroes in our community that just go unnoticed,” she said. “And you know, all the families that have worked with him and have seen him take such great care of their kids are going to agree, ‘yes, it’s about time others knew about this man.’”

Like Gardner, she attributes Higley’s enthusiasm and love for the sport as a motivating factor for the group’s accomplishments. “I feel the biggest thing is how he inspires the kids to feel joy,” says Palmer. “They don’t dread coming to practice; you can hear the enthusiasm when they enter the doors. When I sit in my office, across the hall from the pool, I hear the music pumping and the happy voices. The kids are glad to be here.”

So, after all this time, how much longer is Higley expecting to stay? “I told my wife I’d stay until our daughter graduated, and that was 12 years ago. So maybe a couple more years, but I don’t know. It’s these kids; they just kind of keep you coming back.”

To learn more about the TCY program, go to: https://ymcachesapeake.org/swim-team

Val Cavalheri is a writer and photographer. She has written for various publications, including The Washington Post.  Previously she served as the editor of several magazines, including Bliss and Virginia Woman. Although her camera is never far from her reach, Val retired her photography studio when she moved from Northern Virginia to the Eastern Shore a few years ago.. She and her husband, Wayne Gaiteri, have two children and one grandchild.