 My name is Marion Bell, and I am the Alabama 4-H State Ambassador President for this year and Mr. Gary, would you like to introduce yourself? Yes, I'm Gary Taylor. I'm the Head Swimming and Diving Coach here at Auburn University and I really, really appreciate the opportunity to meet with you, Marion. Thank you so much for doing this. So I have a couple of questions to help you who think they might be interested in your field of work to learn more about it. So my first question is, what is a typical day like for you as the Head Swimming and Diving Coach? It's typically non-stop. So I'm usually, you know, when we're, when we are in a, in our season and a typical day for us, obviously, you know, first and foremost, we've been very atypical over the last five or six months, and I hope everybody out there is doing well, but a typical day on my end, usually up by about 4.30 or 5 in the morning gets, gets the university in the morning between 5 and 5.30. Our athletes tend to practice twice during the day, most days. So we've got work out in the morning, and then, you know, between the, between basically 8 and 2 or 3, they're off at classes, and I've got a number of, you know, office duties that I have to take care of, whether it be emails or communication, doing what we need to do on that end to, to, or I'm doing on my end what I need to do in order to be the leader of the staff and the program. And then we're typically back on deck in the afternoon between 3 and 5 o'clock most afternoons, and then shortly thereafter, my day starts to, starts to wind down, and I usually get home about 6 or 6.30, and sometimes if you're, if you're in the busy part of the season, we may have recruiting calls in the evening, other phone calls between staff, but, you know, very much, I think most head coaches at this level would tell you that it's kind of a go, go, go, and there's not a lot of downtime, but that's a pretty typical day for me. Cool. So my next question is, when did you know that you wanted to become a swimming and diving coach? So when I was, when I was in college, you know, I grew up a swimmer. So I started swimming when I was 7 years of age, stayed in the sport high school, and then swam at the University of Minnesota, and got my degree there in sports management. To be honest, I got my degree thinking I might go into some form of marketing, maybe work with professional teams, had no inkling or desire, you know, no inkling that it'd be a head coach, no desire to be a head coach, and I got into it right before, right about the time I finished school, I started coaching a little bit in order to kind of help out my own program. And I found out really, really, really quickly that I had a passion for working with the students, student athletes in the high school and club levels. I enjoyed that connection. They kept me young, they kept me enthusiastic, and it was a lot of fun to help and see them reach their, you know, reach their accomplishments and feel excited about themselves. So I think from that standpoint, I kind of got the, it hooked me early on, and I don't know that when I started, I'd necessarily thought this was something I was going to do full time, but I got the hook pretty quick early on and I've been in it virtually every day since. Very nice. So my next question is like, what are some critical skills that you use to do what you do? You know, I think, you know, I coach or I try to coach and work by a motto of enthuse to learn, eager to work, desire to win, and then we talk about being all into Auburn. So that's a motto for myself, my team, our program moving forward. So, you know, everybody wants to know like the magic, kind of the, what's the magic serum? What's the, what's the easy route and the, you know, what's the outside the box answer? There must be an easier way to do it. And there's really not. I think, you know, most people want that quick, fun response. Ultimately, it comes down to I think doing those four things on a daily basis. If you're especially in a team setting, so enthusiastic to learn, that that's growing yourself as a coach, learning from others, learning your student athletes, connecting with them on their end. It's being coachable, a willingness to be vulnerable and say, I don't have all the answers and I want to know more and then a willingness to live in the uncomfortable and challenge yourself when you hit certain benchmarks, you don't stay where you are, you continue to grow. So that's a growth mindset. The second piece to that, eagerness to work isn't just, you know, walking into the, into the door every day and just swimming back and forth. It's having a purpose and being aggressive and going out to attack the practices or attack the purposes and ideals that you're working on. You know, not, not just going through the motions, but making sure, again, you're there with a purpose and a desire to win to me doesn't necessarily mean, you know, it doesn't necessarily mean getting your hand on the wall first or hitting that perfect 10.0 dive. It's really more or less, you know, it's more or less being the best person you can be being the best student athlete, best person you can grow into. So, you know, never sell yourself short, high expectations, push towards those each and every day. And then finally, I talk about being all in for, all in for Auburn, all in for our program. So if you're doing your job well and you're doing it well, because you care about the other people that are around you, you care about your teammates, your staff, and you care about the AU, the swimming and diving program, you're going to go above and beyond for people you love and care about that love and care about you and respect you. So, you know, for me, it's not bells and whistles. It's not outside the box. It's not easy answers. It's, it's doing those basic things. So learning, working hard, desiring to be your best and doing it within kind of that, that team and family atmosphere and concept. I think those are what lead to tremendous results and outcomes. Awesome. And so you mentioned this earlier, but what is your educational background and how does that help you do what you do? You know, I, you know, after graduating high school, I went to the University of Minnesota. I earned my undergrad in sports management. I did not go to grad school, which to stay in age is really pretty prevalent for most. So even my peers, there are a number that have graduate educations and it's become a lot more imperative in the current world. So, but with that being said, I mean, I worked the club level for eight years in Minneapolis and then Atlanta. I've been on a pullback at the college level now for 12 years. And then here in Auburn, this will be upcoming will be my third year. So I think from that standpoint, I talked about early on, enthused to learn a vulnerability, a willingness to live in the uncomfortable. And I think I had my undergrad education, but I really cut my teeth and better understood what I was doing on a daily basis by being hands on, getting your hands dirty, learning from those that were around you. I'd like to say, and I think this is a, you know, I think this is really important for young people to understand in this day and age saying, I don't know, and I don't have the answer as seen as a major weakness. And really, if that's, to me, it's, I think it's actually a major strength to say, I don't know. And I'm looking for the answers and going and asking people who've done it before, who have been there, maybe sharing advice with you, I think that's really important. And then being hands on on a daily basis, you also learn from your student athletes and, and your coaching peers that are directly around you as well. So you learn from the experience, that's how you grow. So learn from peers around you, be willing to ask questions and not always know, you're not going to always know all of the answers. So go find people who've been there, done that, who've grown in the profession. And I think that's the best way to learn, you know, by, by getting your hands dirty and asking questions, not being scared to say, I don't know, and I'm willing to look for the answer. Awesome. What is the most rewarding part of your job? I think, ultimately, seeing people achieve their goals and aspirations, I know people that have worked incredibly hard to achieve outcomes. I think that has been, you know, I think that's been, I think that's it. Seeing someone that's, that's, you know, my, my, my, I enjoy seeing people touch the wall or achieve something diving wise. And, and, and they know that they've worked hard for it. It's been a goal of theirs and, and even achieving a goal, but sometimes going beyond the goal and achieving things they didn't think were possible. And sometimes I like my, my favorite is, and I think this is a little bit of a lost art to stay at age. It's, it's the willingness to keep at it when, when things haven't gone your way. So, so my, my personal favorites are the ones that have overcome adversity or they've put in good work, but it didn't come immediately. And it took them a season or two to achieve it at their highest levels. And for me, it's, whatever, you know, I've got to say, what it's easy, easy. So when everything is going your way and you're working up, it's easy to stay with it and stay motivated. But, but the real challenge is knowing that there's going to be peaks and valleys, whether it be a sport, life, school, whatever it might be, and sticking with it at that point. So seeing student athletes overcome pitfalls or frustrations or just a little bit of animosity in their life or their career, seeing them overcome that and achieving their goals, that's probably my favorite. Because I think that's a life lesson and something they'll take within their own character and utilize in all aspects of their world after, after they're done with swimming and school. And my last question is, do you have any advice for youth that are interested in coaching or being a swimming and diving coach? Certainly, I think, you know, I don't think it's imperative that you have an elite, an elite, elite background as, as a swimmer. I think really it's just having a passion connecting with student, student athletes or sorry, just, you know, kind of, I think ultimately, you just, you don't have to have an elite background, but you, it's got to be something you're passionate about working with people, you know, from, from that standpoint. And so I think the ability to, to ask the questions, get on deck, not be scared to, to reach out to coaches and take care of stuff from that standpoint goes a long way. And so, you know, studying about it in school, but then also getting the experience on the swimming into things, diving as well, like teaching in your communities, teaching lessons, learning from coaches that you, you work with and learn from, just, just giving back. I mean, I think that's really important in, in growing your understanding from that standpoint. So, Can you, well, those are all my questions. Is there anything else you'd like to say? Yeah, ultimately, I think, you know, on our end, I, I would say in the coaching profession, a lot of us get into it because we love to connect with people. We like people. We enjoy being around others and seeing them aspire to be something greater and having an opportunity to help them get there. I know, you know, there are definitely things about my position that are job like emails and, you know, taking care of little things here and there that, that aren't quite as exciting, but I think most have to deal with that one way or another. However, in my position, I get the opportunity to work with 18 to 22 year olds. I get to recruit. I get to connect. It's a lot of fun. It's not really a job. It really is a career. And, you know, I would say for anybody out there, whether it be swimming and diving and that, that profession or others, it's, it's keeps you on your toes and keeps you connected. You have fun. And it's really enjoyable from that standpoint. So that, that would be the end of it. All right. Well, thank you so much. We really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Certainly. You're, you're very welcome, Mary. And I appreciate it. Thank you.