The history of competitive water sports in southern Africa
| Coach George Jacobson |
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A Testimonial by Mark Jankelow  |
I went to train with George on May 19, 1980, and I can honestly say that the decision to join The George Jacobson Swim Squad was probably the biggest one of my life. It is quite strange to think about such an important decision coming when it did in my life, as I was only 16 years old at the time, but it did. What is stranger still, is that now, at the age of 44, it is clear how important that decision was. But, at the age of 16, I was just following my life and did not know or understand the true ramifications of just how important decisions are in your life. I had been training with Jan Kooiman before going to George, and I was with Jan for my first two Currie Cups, or National Swimming Championships. Jan had brought me along and up the junior ranks to the finals at nationals, and I would probably have remained with him if he had not relocated to Pietermaritzburg soon after Currie Cup in 1980. My Dad had sent me to train with Jan because he felt he could not take me any further by training me himself. Dad realized correctly that I needed the competition of a professional training squad and the expertise of a professional trainer. Jan was well known for doing good things with Breaststroke swimmers, having coached champions in the past, like Ivor Gordon, so it seemed like a likely choice for me to select Jan as my coach. When Jan announced that he would be moving to Pietermaritzburg, he also announced that Rudi Spoor would be moving to Johannesburg to take over his squad. Jan asked us to wait for Rudi, and most of us said that we would do so. Jan told my Mom and Dad and I that Rudi was very good with Breaststroke swimmers, and that I would benefit largely from having him as my coach. I was quite prepared to wait for Rudi, but his arrival was delayed, and I did not want to continue to wait for him. At this time in my life I would take the month of April off from swimming. I would ride my bike, and overall remain active, but I would rest from the pool in April. I liked to get back into the pool in May, and by mid May we had not heard from Rudi Spoor yet. I was becoming anxious, so Dad decided to phone George to ask George if he would take me on as one of his charges. I remember being worried that George would not want to take me on, as I had heard from many of Mom’s friends who wanted their children to be coached by George that he had a waiting list of over 70 people, and that he was not taking new swimmers. George did not hesitate in taking me on though, and when I asked him why many years later he said that although he had a policy of not jumping over the waiting list, when someone wanted to join his squad who was swimming Currie Cup and had already made finals in their events, he would always take them. George once asked me why Dad and I had chosen him as a coach, and I remember telling him that my answer was twofold. For one, I had always liked George. Although I was with another swim squad, namely Jan’s, George would always go out of his way to congratulate me after I had had a good swim; oftentimes at the expense of one of his squad members. This always impressed me, as it showed me the type of character George possessed. The second reason I wanted to go and train with George was simply because he is a nice Jewish boy, like me. Our families were actually linked, as many Jewish families are. My late Grandmother’s brother had dated George’s late Mom before she even met George’s Dad. Thus, I joined George’s squad and my life changed for the better. I actually felt, remembering now, in the beginning that I was way behind George’s swimmers in the area of endurance and fitness. Jan had emphasized more sprinting and less endurance, and I think George recognized this in me from the beginning. I also think though that George quickly recognized my work ethic, my focus and my love and passion for swimming to be along the same lines as his own, and thus a unique bond and friendship was born. Soon after joining George’s squad I caught the flu virus that was going around and had to miss about a week of training. I remember feeling really bad about this, and worrying that George would think I was slacking in my efforts. I remember phoning George and telling him that I was sick in bed and that was why I was not at training. George just told me to get well and then come on back. I was quick to do so. In those days in South Africa there was one indoor swimming pool in Johannesburg, and that was in Hillbrow. All the swimming squads would have to cram into this one pool in the winter time, and we would have lanes at the pool maybe two to three times a week. We would have to cram 30 to 40 swimmers into two lanes and we would literally be on top of each other. I was fortunate that my high school ended about 40 minutes earlier than other high schools. Therefore, Mom would take me off to the Hillbrow swimming pool before George had his allotted lane times. George would be giving younger kids swimming and stroke lessons on the side of the pool next to the wall, and he would train me at the same time. I did this with relish, as it meant that I could swim uncluttered, as at that time of day the pool was relatively empty, and I was being trained by George almost exclusively. It was also good for the squad, as it meant that one less person had to be jam packed into the lanes. This was also a good thing for me, as it meant I could swim more times a week, allowing me to catch up on some of the endurance I missed out on while swimming with Jan Kooiman. After I had done my swimming, George and I would walk around the corner to a “Wimpy Burger,” and have something to drink. George could do this, as he had some time to kill between his lessons and his coaching. I thank Mom from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to do this, as she would work her busy schedule around me being able to talk to George. Mom was and is nobody’s fool, as she knew that it was good for me to be able to spend time with George. We would sit there, George and I, and talk about all kinds of things. Most of the time we would talk about swimming, but we would talk about life too. George would have two or three banana boats and I would have something to drink. We used to always laugh at this, as it was me who was doing the swimming, and George who was doing the banana boat eating. George justified his banana boat eating by training for the Comrades Marathon though. I remember a lot of the discussions George and I had at these times and I want to someday write them down. Although it was over 28 years ago that this happened, I remember our talks and their impact on me as if they had occurred just yesterday. It was during this very important time in my life when I realized that George was more than my swimming coach; he was my friend, my brother, my rabbi, my mentor, my advisor, and most importantly and very basically, my hero. George had done everything in life, especially in swimming that I wanted to do. I wanted to be like him, and I wanted to honor my life by doing so. As I write these words now, these so many years later, I realize, and not surprisingly, that they are still true; every single one of them. When the weather would warm up, we would move from the Hillbrow swimming pool to our home pool at the Wanderer’s Club. George would place us in lanes appropriate to our ability, and it was a big accomplishment and achievement to be placed in lane 9. I was not expecting to be placed in that lane, especially given that my Freestyle was not very good, and that I knew that a lot of the distance and endurance swimming we would be doing would be in Freestyle. I was very proud, pleased and surprised when George placed me in lane 9. George did this because he believed that even though it would be difficult for me in that lane, he believed that I would persevere. Thank goodness I did, and I think that one of the main reasons I did is that I did not want to let George down. I did persevere, and I became a fitter, stronger, and tougher swimmer. For this I not only thank George, but for some of the other swimmers who were in that lane with me, namely Erwin Kratz, Gerd Hipper and Heinz Weilert. Interestingly enough, but not surprisingly so, these three swimmers and I remain close friends to this day. George got me, at Currie Cup in 1981 in Port Elizabeth, to move up in the 200 meter Breaststroke from 8th place the previous year to 2nd. I also improved my personal best time from a 2:36 to a 2:29. I remember after the race, on the Friday night, George asking me if all that hard work, all the struggle, and all the Freestyle at the back of lane 9 was worth it. I remember smiling and asking George when we could start doing it again. George guided me to more finishes near the top at Currie Cup and to be able to represent South African Schools in Taiwan and Hong Kong in 1981; and my proudest achievement, representing South Africa in Israel, along with Erwin, in 1982. My times continued to improve and I eventually secured a swimming scholarship to the University of Denver in 1983. What always impressed me about George is that he was not one of the many coaches who we observed in South Africa who would try to keep their swimmers at home. George cared more for our development, and encouraged us, if the opportunity arose, to accept scholarship offers. I thank George for this, as I know that if he would have asked me to stay, I would have. While attending the University of Denver, I would return home to South Africa to train with George during the Thanksgiving and Christmas break. I found that I needed the endurance training George could give me, and I benefited from this, even though I was swimming in America. South Africa was not the most stable country at the time, and it is thanks to George guiding me to the point where I was able to be that I was able to leave South Africa and eventually become an American citizen. In April of 1984, while in my dormitory room at the University of Denver, I received a phone call from George. George knew I would be returning home to South Africa for the American summer break and he asked me if I would do him a favor by taking his squad for a month, so that he could attend the United States Olympic Swimming Trials and look for employment in America. I immediately told George that I would be honored to do so, and he thanked me. George made me feel very privileged that night, because he told me that I was the only person he could trust his squad to, and that if I couldn’t do it, he would not be able to make the trip to America. I did take George’s squad for the month and loved doing so. The experience only cemented the idea in me that I wanted to be a swimming coach and teacher. I was studying Sports Science at the University of Denver to this very end. I would take George’s lessons in the early afternoon, and his junior squad and his senior squads later on, while doing my own workouts earlier in the day. By this time we had covered our own small pool, thanks to George’s foresight and ingenuity, and this was the pool I was able to use. I also took care of George’s finances during this month, and would deposit money that would be paid to me by his clients. When George returned from America, I visited him at his home the night he got back. I handed back George’s folders and note pads, and we chatted for a few hours. When I got up to leave, George handed me an envelope full of cash and explained that he wanted me to have that as his way of thanking me for me looking after his squad. I took the envelope, but never opened it. I thought about the money George had given me for the remainder of the evening and reached a decision later that night. The next day I went to George’s bank and deposited the money back into his account. I had the account number, as I had handled his accounts while he was away in America. I still, to this day, do not know how much money George gave me, as I had the teller count it, and when the deposit ticket was returned to me I placed it into an envelope and sealed it. I would always go and visit with George before my workout. I would arrive an hour or so early for workout and talk to George as he coached the juniors before us. I got to the pool even earlier that day, and gave George the envelope with the deposit ticket in it when he got to the pool. He asked me what was in the envelope and I told him that I had re-deposited the money he had given me. When he asked me why, I told him that I could not take money from him. I told George that if one of my brothers had asked me to look after their swimming squads for them, I would have done it with absolute pleasure. I told George that as I could not take money from one of my brothers, I could not take money from him. As it is, George had not taken money from me for his coaching for quite some time, but that is not what motivated me for doing what I did. I could go on for hours and pages writing about George. I am sure that I will add to this testimonial as time goes on, and as more memories return to me. I will end now with something George wrote to me in 1982. As I mentioned before, I was honored and privileged to be selected to represent South Africa on a swimming team to Israel that year. The night before the team was to leave, George arrived at my home with a card for me. In the card, George wrote that he was very proud of me. He told me that nobody deserved the honor more than me and that few would probably appreciate it as much. George then wrote something to me that I will never forget, and I believe it to be one of the highest compliments anyone has ever paid to me. George wrote that I was the only person he had ever met who loved swimming as much as he did. I still cherish that comment to this day. George Jacobson is in a very unique position in that he has been blessed in his life to positively influence the lives of others. It is George’s modesty that prevents him from probably seeing that, but it is for me to tell all who will listen that I was and am only one of the many he has touched and influenced in a positive way. I sincerely wish that everyone in this world could have a George in their lives. I mentioned some of these things at my wedding, in my speech, and when I spoke about George, I mentioned some of the things I have written here. While I was doing so, I made a point to look at some of my friends who were in attendance who I had swum with in George’s squad. Gerd Hipper was there, as was Heinz Weilert, as was Lindsey Geddie, and Jon-Guy Cowper. When I spoke about George, all of these swimmers were listening very astutely and perceptively. Most of them approached me after the speech and thanked me for saying these things about George, and I could tell that they all felt exactly the same as I did, still do, and will always feel for the rest of my life. |
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Transvaal 4x100 Medley relay - Pretoria Nationals, 1982 Erwin Kratz, Mark Jankelow, Kobus Scheepers, Stuart Cromarty |
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Vaughn Aquatic Club
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