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WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING: The last lap

Ball State coach to retire after 33 years, leaving behind a legacy of swimming

For the past 33 years, Ball State women's swimming and diving coach Laura Seibold-Caudill has raised about 600 student-athletes. They weren't actually her own kids, but for past and current swimmers, it seemed as if she was their mother.

She's made Lewellen Pool her second home and has been the face of Ball State swimming and diving, but after the Mid-American Conference Championship this weekend she will retire as coach — a decision she said wasn't easy.

"I was emotional," she said about her announcement. "It was harder for me, I think, than it was for [the team]."

She will retire at the age of 59, leaving a legacy of Ball State swimming. Because she has been involved with the Ball State community for more than three decades, she will still have the relationships she has made throughout the years, but that doesn't mean she won't miss them.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

After she swam for Michigan State in college, Seibold-Caudill got her first coaching job as an assistant at Virginia.

"I was a collegiate athlete and I coached on the side in the summers," she said. "I decided that I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to stay in the field. And I'm glad I did."

It's that same enjoyment and passion for the sport of swimming that keeps Seibold-Caudill coming to work every single day. In 33 years, the only sick days she has used were for the births of her children.

Seibold-Caudill made the decision and the announcement before the Red and White Meet Oct. 14. Some of the swimmers took it harder than others, but she said she thinks it was the best time to make it.

She had a number of reasons as to why she decided it was time to retire, citing her family and wanting to be able to do more things outside of coaching as the main reasons for her decision.

"Last year, I thought about it, but never really put serious thought into it," Seibold-Caudill said. "I was told to go out on a good year, but that makes me closer to the team and then I don't want to leave."

REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS

Last season, the women's team was named by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America as a Scholar All-America Team for averaging a 3.6 GPA during the spring semester. The team finished a close third in the country, with Yale and the University of Alabama barely ahead.

The two-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year is hesitant to single out her most successful season; however one thing is certain: she will be leaving the program on a high note. Last year, her swimmers and divers broke 12 records — a memorable accomplishment Seibold-Caudill said she considers just one of many successes.

"Last year, when 12 [records] were broken, that was huge," she said. "But back in 1990, we broke every single school record. Plus, we got third as a team and I was Coach of the Year."

Current and former swimmers were shocked to hear Seibold-Caudill's announcement last fall. Throughout the 2011-12 season, she's been receiving emails from former swimmers wishing her well and reminding her of how she changed influenced their lives.

"I was pretty saddened by her announcement," Michelle Braden, who swam for Seibold-Caudill from 2002-07, said. "I was excited for her, but she brought so much fun to the pool while I was there, and so it's sad to see that she is going to leave."

When the news reached Oxford, Ohio, Miami's women's swimming and diving coach Dave Jennings reflected on his friendship with Seibold-Caudill.

This season is Jenning's 30th at Miami; he met Seibold-Caudill when the two schools competed in 1982-83 season. In the three decades they have known each other, they have become close friends while competing against each other in the MAC.

"We've known each other for a long time," Jennings said. "When I got into the profession of college coaching, she was really welcoming to me into the Mid-American Conference."

In the offseason, the two stay in touch as much as possible. They see each other at different meets while recruiting and make phone calls to each other. Jennings was quick to praise the character of Seibold-Caudill.

"She's very caring and treats her kids very well," he said. "She's a lot of fun to be around. She's always positive and genuine, which is really cool about her."

Jennings said he is sad to see his good friend retire from college coaching because he looks forward to seeing her whenever possible, but he said he thinks her retirement will be good for her because she will finally be able to take time for herself.

"She's going to be able to spend more time with her family and her husband," he said. "When you're coaching and put in a lot of hours, you don't get to do what you want to do. She's put in 33 years, which has been good."

Seibold-Caudill's swimmers will remember her as a coach who truly cares enough to get to know her athletes on a personal level.

"She's different [from other coaches] in the fact that I feel like I can have a relationship with her outside of the pool," Sara Hostetler, senior co-captain of the women's swim team, said. "She cares about who you are as a person and she cares about developing your character, as well as becoming the best athlete that you can."

Those who have swam under Seibold-Caudill's direction have had the opportunity to experience what she brings to the team. For the coach, enthusiasm comes from the desire to instill motivation in her athletes. Seibold-Caudill, who has a master's degree in sports psychology, said she works on motivation every day.

"How do you motivate? It's hard," she said. "You have to instill that element of motivation, pride, enjoyment and confidence in their own psyche. External motivation is one thing, but internal motivation is much better for a person to succeed."

LIFE AFTER COACHING

After retiring, Seibold-Caudill said she plans to spend some time traveling with her husband. Because coaching is pretty much a 24-hour, seven days a week job, the couple has not been able to do much outside of Muncie.

Although traveling may be on the top of her to-do list, Sebold-Caudill said she doesn't expect to leave Lewellen Pool forever.

"I'm still going to stay involved with coaching to some extent," she said. "I don't know if I'll help out with the local swim club in town, or with the P.E. Department right next door — I'm not going to totally disappear."

She has expressed that she will stay visible to the Ball State swimming and diving team as well. Whether it's helping set up a home meet or coming on as a volunteer coach down the road, she'll still be involved.

When the season ends after this weekend, the only thing Seibold-Caudill said she is worried about is waking up one morning with the feeling she made the wrong decision.

"I think about that every day," Seibold-Caudill said. "I thought about it after we beat Michigan State and after we beat Illinois State. But it's a decision I made and I'm going to stick with it. I doubt myself all the time but you have to [retire] sooner or later."

Seibold-Caudill said what she'll miss most after she leaves is the relationships she's made, not just with her team, but with other coaches at Ball State and coaches from other schools. Those relationships are what will keep her close to the Ball State family.

"Even if I do come back and volunteer, it won't be the same," she said. "You're making a difference in their lives, and that's pretty cool. The friendships you make while working here are incredible and I'm going to miss those."


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