Grandpa's coaching proves to be beneficial

Heath Montgomery could've easily been turned off by swimming during high school. His grandfather was his coach, and arguments weren't uncommon. But Montgomery stuck with swimming, and now, as the only senior and co-captain of the IU squad, he not only competes in a variety of events, but also leads the team. \n"(High school) was interesting," Montgomery said. "It was tough, because my grandfather was my coach, and of course, you argue with your family more than anyone else, especially in a sporting situation. But it was a unique and interesting experience."\nAfter first enrolling in bowling classes as a child, Montgomery became fed up and credits his grandfather with not only introducing him to swimming, but with encouraging him to continue at it. \n"An ad for (swimming) was in the local newspaper, and my grandfather thought maybe it'd be a good, new experience for me, so I gave it a shot," Montgomery said. "He's been one of my biggest influences, definitely. He was my coach, and he was the only person that was really there for me every time at practices, at meets.\n"He was always there. He's the reason I'm here, and I'm grateful for it."\nMontgomery has molded his love of swimming into a successful collegiate career. He said that after visiting IU, he felt the team and the school offered him his best fit. \n"Heath's a great guy to swim with," teammate David Schulze said. "He's always up to working hard, and he's always got a good attitude about competition and racing. He's a leader out of the pool, too. He loves being on the team, and I'm happy to support him."\nThis year, he has season-best times in the 200-yard freestyle, the 400-yard individual medley and the 800-yard freestyle relay. \n"He's a very talented athlete," head coach Kris Kirchner said. "He's been a good athlete to matriculate through this program. We've seen ups and downs, and he's matured into a strong contender, competitor and a very good leader.\n"I'm excited with where he's at right now, and I look forward to some great things in the future."\nFollowing graduation, Montgomery, a finance major, said he might pursue an age-group coaching position, but he intends to go into sales. In his free time, he enjoys fishing and just relaxing. While swimming doesn't afford him much time to do those things, Montgomery said it has provided valuable experience. \n"As far as time constraints, swimming takes a lot of time out of the day," he said. "It's really good as far as budgeting your time. It's good for when you graduate and have to do it in real life." \nKirchner said he expects a successful final semester from Montgomery.\n"Ultimately, I think he can make NCAAs," Kirchner said. "Whether he does or not, that's up to him. He's certainly got the stroke, background and the talent. Certainly, a Big Ten finalist, he should be able to do that. That's my expectation of him, and I know he wants to."\nMontgomery said he hopes to post his best times in his final semester as a Hoosier and leave IU with a bang. \n"I just want to finish my season and my career with my best times ever," he said. "I want to finish it without any regrets and having my best year"