Overview

This is the autobiography of Hobie Billingsley, the world's greatest diving coach in the history of the sport. You will be inspired and challenged to succeed beyond your dreams when you read this emotional, heart-warming story. Growing up with a single parent mother in poverty during the depression, Hobie sneaks into the Erie, Pennsylvania YMCA so frequently at age 8 that they ignore him. He is taken under the wing of the swimming and diving coach there, and overcomes all kinds of obstacles to his success. His coach suggests he go to compete in a national diving meet at Yale University where he is befriended by all the great divers at the time from Ohio State University who teach him their techniques. He ends up enrolling at Ohio State and becomes an All-American all four years, and national champion. But his competitive career is interrupted by WW II and serves in the Army Air Corps. When he returns to Ohio State after the war, he continues to dive and also compete on the gymnastics team and becomes the head cheerleader for Ohio State. He ultimately becomes only the second collegiate diving coach ever hired at Indiana University, and takes a non-existent diving program to unequalled heights of success by challenging every one of his divers to excel beyond their dreams. And he produces 132 International Olympic and National Champions. This is a fascinating story that will have you laugh one moment and cry the next that keep you spellbound to turn the next page. And enjoyable read for all ages and avocations. Well written and edited with excellent pictures depicting the history of diving for the last fifty years.

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9780998635705

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Reviews

book is a must read... Since I have become the diving coach at Indiana University I have had regular visits from Hobie, the wisdom I have found in his story telling is unmatched. From professional development, coach athlete relationships and my own personal development, it's all there in the most interesting stories about the history of the sport of diving. Hobie's message transcends sport and his lessons can be applied across all disciplines. His focus is on the wholly developed person, emotionally, ethically, spiritually and intellectually; his message is for all. Accept the CHALLENGE and get this book. Drew Johansen Head Diving Coach Indiana University 2012, 2016 US Olympic Teams I have known coach Billingsley for over 50 years. We were competing coaches and at the same time good friends. He was a great coach and has a unique story to tell. If you want to learn how to successfully meet life's challenges and teach others to do the same, his helpful and inspiriing story is a must read. Dr. Ron O'Brien, USA Olympic Coach The life story, The Career, The Legacy, The Man... all legendary. The Challenge is an inspirational must read! It's an emotional heartwarming journey you'll want to relive and identify with him. John Wingfield, BS, BS, MS, Beijing Olympic Head Diving Coach; Owner, Indiana Diving Academy/ RipFest

Author Information

Hobie Billingsley is regarded as the greatest diving coach in the history of this sport producing 132 Olympic and National Champions starting with no divers or a facility in his first year. He overcame insurmountable odds in a family homeless and penniless during the Great Depression to become the Pennsylvania State Diving Champion going on to become the first four-time All-American at the diving dynasty of Ohio State. After a short stint in WWII and graduation, he and a partner performed vaudeville-like clown diving shows all over the country. In 1958 he became only the second diving coach ever hired by a college or university. The next year he accepted the same position at Indiana University and started a program with no divers or a facility for his first year. Then he went on to produce 132 Olympic and National Champions and helped Indiana win six NCAA and 23 Big Ten Championships, and be selected Olympic Diving coach five times! The Editor - Dr. Pete Andersen is a behaviorist, author, speaker, coach, publisher, and top performer. His Ph.D. studies emphasized behavioral, educational, and personality psychology to observe what top performers have in common for over fifty years and has been helping people improve their lives and performance with principles of intrinsic motivation. He is a retired school superintendent with experience coaching All-American collegiate women and high school boys' swimmers. His experiences in business have been in medical sales and marketing. He has been a national sales trainer, hospital distributor rep, regional sales manager, and owner of a rep and publishing company, Trius Publishing, LLC. As a top performer, he holds world and national records for his age-group in Masters Swimming competition and won 31 Senior Olympic National Championship Gold Medals. As a speaker he has presented intrinsic motivation leadership strategies to teacher conferences and authored and published the multiple award-winning for leadership and business and Amazon bestseller, The 3 Secret Skills of Top Performers - Powerful Lessons in Transformational Leadership. He published in 2012 now his brand, Teach Yourself to Swim book and 4-DVD set of a complete learn-to-swim curriculum for all the strokes plus water safety in unfamiliar places. Then repurposed that into a series of over a dozen smaller paperbacks specific swim strokes titles and e-books on swimming and water safety instruction. He has associated with top performing athletes and Internet marketers to present transformational leadership strategies to improve performance in less time.

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