Girls swimming: Hospitably, the Bart era in Barrington swimming draws to a close

I always look forward to the Mid-Suburban League girls swimming meet, and Jim Bart has had a lot to do with that.

The long-time Barrington coach seems to take special pride in how his hospitality room is run.

Unbeknownst to the families in the stands above, there's always quite a spread for all the coaches, officials and yes, even the occasional reporter working the event. It's out of sight, located under the stands on the east side of the pool, in the area where the Barrington swimmers and divers otherwise conduct the dryland component of their training.

Typically there's a rich main course - say, mostaccioli or Italian beef - along with plenty of less indulgent options. Always a fresh salad, some fruit, a nice veggie tray, the cold beverage of your choice.

Or, if you're me, coffee.

On the day the conference meet is held, you see, it's still the regular season for football. Those land-sport responsibilities keep me at the office until the wee hours Friday night, making the quick turnaround to be on deck for the conference meet Saturday a little bit hectic.

The importance of knowing there will be hot coffee at Barrington, hence, cannot be overstated.

Now is the time to thank all the people at Barrington over the years who have made such an effort at taking care of all of us.

And especially to Bart, who is retiring from coaching after next week's state meet and from his spot in the PE department at Barrington after the school year ends.

He'll be leaving behind an amazing record of sustained achievement with the girls swimming program.

After competing at Evergreen Park and then Eastern Illinois, Bart began his coaching career at his high school alma mater. He spent three years there before Barrington hired him.

Quickly, he made his mark with the Fillies. Bart counts among his favorite teams his very first, which topped Palatine by a mere half-point to win the Mid-Suburban League meet in 1985.

Others among the great moments were 2006, when Barrington grabbed a state runner-up finish as seniors Emily Molzahn, Lizzie Stetson and Angela Yu led the way, with huge contributions from junior Alexa Hamilton, sophomore Kim Steelman and freshman Emily Fogle.

Of more recent vintage, the were the teams featuring state record-holder Kirsten Jacobsen, who won the 500-yard freestyle in each of her four seasons.

Throughout his run at Barrington, the Fillies have been dominant on the MSL landscape. Between 1990 and 2011, Barrington went unbeaten in dual meets. And Barrington won 14 sectional meets under Bart.

The program also produced a run of 20 consecutive victories in the MSL meet. Fremd ended the monopoly with three straight MSL wins from 2012 through 2014, but Barrington has been back on top the last two years.

That kind of success comes only when a feeder organization is thriving, too. So it should come as no surprise that Bart has also been a steady force with Barrington Swim Club, long one of the top outfits in the state.

Included in Bart's coaching tenure were a handful of seasons when he was in charge of both the boys and girls high school teams. He took a two-season hiatus from high school coaching - but that was to help with a youth program for daughter Liz, who became a standout guard in Cary-Grove's basketball program.

"The thing that stands out to me is loyalty," said Barrington athletic director Mike Obsuszt. "That's always the top consideration for him."

Which wasn't all that surprising to me, given my own proximity to the Bart family. I was fortunate to have been coached in my high school years by Jim Bart's older brother, Dave, in St. Charles. Quite naturally, over the years I looked for commonality between the siblings.

Certainly, there are some differences. But the similarities are striking, foremost among them, the ability to communicate a complex suite of emotions with little more than a raised eyebrow, a wink, a wry grin - or, if you earned it, a scowl or a smirk.

"I do think we share a kind of outlook on things, a general approach," Jim Bart says. "You show up for practice, you work hard, and it when it's over you get to go and do your own thing."

Another person well-positioned to observe the brotherly connection is Elk Grove girls swimming coach Dave Toler. Dave Bart was Toler's best man in 1976, and they have remained close friends. Meanwhile, Toler has had a front-row set to all that Jim has achieved.

"I absolutely remember Jim's enthusiasm when he was hired at Barrington," said Toler, "although he was no more demonstrative than he is today. Jim and Dave's demeanor belies their knowledge, love and commitment to swimming.

"Beyond the 33 years for girls swimming, Jim needs to be recognized for what he did for all Barrington swimming, and what developed after his hire."

This year's version of the Fillies high school team promises to take Jim Bart out on a high note. They have one of their deepest groups ever, with an array of budding younger talent along with an assortment of top-level performers such as Maggie Emary, Ally Penrod and Bridget O'Leary. They'll be in action Saturday, with the swimming portion of the sectional meet hosted by Stevenson set to start at 1 p.m.

While both Barts are fierce advocates for their athletes, getting either one of them to talk about themselves is a challenge. About all I could get out of Jim in a visit to practice this week was that he's pleased with how this season has gone, and he's optimistic that Barrington's next coach will have a terrific team to work with.

"It's never been about me," Jim explained. "It's always been about the team."

Beyond Bart's departure, the recent conference meet also marked the end of an era in Mid-Suburban League swimming in another way. The conference meet will no longer have Barrington as its unofficial permanent home, as the site will rotate to the many new pools now capable of hosting the event.

A selfish reminder to future hospitality room organizers: Spare no expense when it come to the caffeine.

Kidding and selfishness aside, what I'll remember about having the meet at Barrington isn't the complementary food and beverage, but rather the person who, despite the multitude of responsibilities before him, always found a moment to ask if everything was to my liking.

Well, let's see now: Excellent swimming in a great pool, athletes trying their hearts out, parents, brothers and sisters cheering like mad, everyone made to feel quite at home - and hot coffee.

You have exceeded expectations, sir. My review: Five stars.

Swimming, and the Mid-Suburban League, couldn't have asked for a better host.

agabriel@dailyherald.com