Swimming
By Mary Jane Souder
Bob Bantley was an all but automatic choice for captain of his swim team this season.
The Upper Dublin senior is personable, he’s outgoing, he’s positive, and he also happens to be one of the state’s top swimmers.
But it’s much more than that.
Bantley is one of those special athletes who understands the responsibility that goes hand-in-hand with being a leader and role model.
“You definitely are held to a higher standard,” he said. “I remember when I was a younger kid looking up to the older boys and really idolizing them.
“There were some great seniors my freshman year, and I remember throughout club swimming and throughout swimming in the summer always having such a high respect for the older kids, always marveling at how fast they were and the integrity they had.”
To say Bantley has filled the shoes of those who have gone before him quite nicely would be an understatement. Consider only his response when when coach Geoff Scheuer needed someone to transport a 13-year-old swimmer who had just missed out on a Junior Olympics qualifying time because his counter miscounted in the 500 free at a USA Last Chance meet.
“At that moment, we tried to scramble to get another meet to get him into to get another shot,” Scheuer said. “Our first thought was, ‘Ask Bob,’ so I called Bob up and explained the situation to him.
“His only response was ‘What do I need to do?’ He got a bunch of the other high school boys together, and they went to this kid’s house the next day, picked him up, drove him to the meet, checked him in, warmed him up, got him into the race, and he got the cut. Bob could not have been more excited to be a coach to this kid for the day. It was really tremendous.”
It’s a story that underscores Bantley’s passion for his sport as well as his desire to lead.
“I just wanted to be the best captain I could,” he said. “Just going with the older kids can get them fired up. I think he dropped 12 seconds on his 500, and I know he just wanted to be the best.
“I really wanted to give these kids memories that could last a lifetime and try and make a positive difference in their lives.”
Scheurer, for one, isn’t a bit surprised to see Bantley embrace his role as captain.
“I had many talks with him about how it was his role to take,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “I think he was very into that idea of being the leader and he was very enthusiastic about that.
“He had a lot of ideas about what he wanted the team to be, and he knew he had to lead them in that direction. It’s great to see a kid who has that kind of thought in his head. They know what they want the identity of the team to be, and they’re willing to step up and lead it that way.”
Bantley’s resume in the pool is an impressive one. He recently was named the Outstanding Swimmer at the District One AAA meet where he helped lead the Flying Cardinals to their second district crown in as many years, capturing individual golds in the 100 and 200 freestyle and two more as part of relay teams.
“I think he did exactly what he set out to do,” Scheurer said. “He went in seeded first in both of his individual events, and the two relays were seeded first.
“From day one of the season, that was part of the plan. For him to actually win all of those events in addition to leading the rest of our swimmers to the success they had – districts were great, but it really was sort of another step with the ending point being states.”
Bantley’s success didn’t just happen. It is the culmination of countless hours spent working at his sport.
“In the sport of swimming, you can’t just rely on natural talent,” he said. “You really have to put work in.
“If you look at some of the more athletic players in the world like baseball players or football players – they could touch the field and hit home runs and score touchdowns. They don’t really have to put in that pure physical practice.
“In swimming, there’s no getting around it. It’s a sport where the work you put into it directly pays off. It’s not just all talent, it’s a lot of work ethic.”
If there was a defining moment in Bantley’s career, it might well have been at last year’s Cardinal Invitational at Upper Dublin.
“I didn’t have the strongest work ethic my freshman and sophomore years,”Bantley said. “At that meet, I saw some of my friends really doing well, and I thought to myself, ‘What do I have to do to reach that level or to beat them or just be better than I am currently?’
“I just started to be more focused and started working harder – not just putting in the effort but working smarter, being a more dedicated athlete, watching my diet and just trying to be overall a better athlete.”
It didn’t take long for Bantley - who has been part of USA Swimming - to reap the dividends of his more focused training regiment. He returned from states with four medals last year, capturing individual medals in the 200 free (third) and 100 free (seventh). He also was part of two relay teams that medalled – the 200 medley (second) and 400 free (fourth).
Bantley’s sights are set even higher this year, and he is seeded first in the 200 free.
“There’s definitely a lot more we can do at states,” he said. “A good amount of guys weren’t rested for districts, myself included.
“I have put in a lot of work this season. My taper has just started. I’m really trying to do everything right.”
Bantley has been a life-long swimmer, but until he reached high school, he was actually a six-sport athlete, competing in swimming, lacrosse, soccer, water polo, tennis and golf.
“I wasn’t really too focused on one sport,” he said. “I just had fun doing them all.
“Geoff Scheurer, who has been my coach, called out to me and said, ‘You really have potential to do some big things. I really want you to swim year-round.’”
Bantley didn’t need a whole lot of convincing.
“Even when I was younger, swimming was my favorite,” he said. “It wasn’t really a hard decision. I always heard how Upper Dublin swimming was doing great things in the pool, and I really wanted to join in and excel with the swim team. They have great role models, and at that point, I wanted to be one of those kids.”
Bantley has accepted a swimming scholarship to Penn State University, choosing Penn State over Virginia.
“For a long time, Penn State was my dream school,” Bantley said. “Throughout middle school, I wanted to be a Penn Stater.
“Virginia is a great school, no doubt about it, but I just really liked Penn State from the beginning.”
Bantley, who will go in undeclared, is leaning towards a business major.
“Upper Dublin does a community study, and all the seniors get to spend their last few weeks out in the community,” he said. “I’m spending that time at GFK Pharmaceutical.
“I spent a day there with my aunt who is involved in the company, and I just really like the whole business field.”
In the immediate future, Bantley has some business to take care of in the pool, and all eyes will be on the senior star when he leads a Flying Cardinal contingent to the PIAA Class AAA state meet at Bucknell.
Bantley welcomes the challenge.
“He’s very outgoing, and he enjoys being the center of attention in a good way,” Scheurer said. “He wants to be the man, and he wants everyone to think of him as the man, but it’s totally in a good way.
“He’s not too cool for anything. It’s just like, ‘Hey, I’m here.’”
Whatever the outcome at the upcoming state meet, Bantley will leave behind a legacy of excellence both in and out of the pool.
