After swimming graduate assistant Matt Bos finished his master’s degree at Eastern in 2002, he went overseas to coach in New Zealand.

Since then, he has trained Olympic caliber athletes and was coach on the rise.

However, when long-time Eastern swim coach Ray Padovan retired, Bos was drawn back to his former school.

“I was talking to Ray frequently,” Bos said. “Last year, I knew Ray was at the end of his career. Both me and my wife were interested in coming back (to Charleston).”

Bos acted on his intuition and on July 7, signed his one-year, $35,000 contract to become Eastern’s new men’s and women’s swim coach.

“Having been a student athlete at Eastern and loving it here attracted me here,” Bos said.

According to Rich Moser, director of athletic media and public relations, Kevin Hussey was the chair of the search committee that ultimately found Bos.

Bos’ hiring was also delayed until new Athletic Director Barbara Burke officially started work at Eastern on June 1. Moser said the search waited so that Burke would be fully involved in the process.

Coaching experience

Bos started swimming at the age of 6 and was on the Panther swim team from 1996-2000. Bos was then asked by Padovan to be his graduate assistant and Bos said the experience opened his eyes to the process of coaching.

“I just fell in love with it,” Bos said. “It was exciting. Everyday is a little bit different and challenging. I still get that adrenaline rush at swim meets.”

Padovan, who coached for 42 years, said he remembers Bos’ work ethic as a graduate assistant. The former coach is confidant Bos will be a good fit.

“When Matt was here, he did a great job,” Padovan said. “But since then, he (has) had more experience. He’s developing his own expertise, and he will be phenomenal.”

Padovan said that for Bos’ first season as coach, he will have to get use to administrative duties like scheduling buses, recruiting and running a program budget. Padovan said he struggled his first year in that department.

After being a graduate assistant, Bos became coaching director at Swimming Wanganui in New Zealand for 18 months.

He trained top athletes from Australia to Malyasia and had the Wanganui make their first-ever national Top 20 finish in 2004-05.

Dutch swimmer Annabel Kosten was an athlete under Bos. She competed in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and helped her team win the bronze in the 4×100 freestyle relay.

“Going to a foreign country, it is an experience of itself,” Bos said, “Adapting to new environments and athletes is a big thing.”

Bos than went to Niles West High School in Skokie and Trinity University in San Antonio for a year. He then coached for the San Antonio Wave for three years.

Bos was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to coach national standout Jimmy Feigen. Feigen broke the high school national records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles with times of 19.49 and 43.05 seconds, respectively.

Feigen had to travel without Bos for most of his meets. It was Bos’ goal to train his apprentice to be self-efficient in knowing how to prepare for his meets.

“It is different in sending a kid around the world and hoping his performance will be there,” Bos said.

Transition between regimes

Padovan said he thinks the program is in good hands with Bos. The retired coach isn’t worried about his former swimmer struggling in the transition.

Padovan said his former student-athlete has a similar philosophy in practice. They are both more interested in having their swimmers

Bos joins a long line of Padovan’s former swimmers now coaching. One former pupil is Ball State’s Bob Thomas, who is also in the Eastern Hall of Fame.

Padovan said that he will go to most of the home meets and even some of the away meets to support the team.

One of Bos’ goals before the year starts is to contact the juniors and seniors on the team and let them know his goals.

He wants to bring in his ideas of seasonal training. The coach will make time related goals based off each swimmer’s personal best times.

Bos said he wants his swimmers to build an aerobic background, hone their skills and technique early in the season. Longer swims with shorter breaks build up endurance.

The middle of the season would be concentrated on racing skills with shorter distances, but more intensity and speed, Bos said. The latter part of the year would then be a blend of the two styles so the athletes will remain fundamentally sound with correct strokes while their bodies recover for the big meets.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7944 or at rtbajek@eiu.edu.