By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Not long ago, Brian Wild decided to hit the pause button on his career with Brownsville ISD after 31 years as a teacher and swimming/diving coach at Pace.
He retired at the end of the school year last June at age 61 and hasn’t looked back.
“Life has slowed down a little bit, but there are plenty of things to keep me busy, believe me,” said the Wisconsin native, who came to Brownsville in 1981 and taught physical education at Castaneda Elementary for three years prior to moving over to Pace.
“My days are pretty active still,” he added. “I’ve got a lot of things to do around the house that I’ve put off for years. There are different projects. I’ve been up to see family in Wisconsin this fall and had the opportunity to travel (more than before). It’s been a lot of fun.
“Traveling a little more is still in my mind, plus I’ve got two children in high school yet (at Brownsville Veterans Memorial), so I’m staying busy.”
During the years, just like his fellow high school aquatic coaches, Wild has guided a broad spectrum of swimmers and divers at Pace. There have been those just getting started in the sport all the way to others whose skills he helped refine so they could reach the highest levels of high school competition and go beyond.
Still, it all starts with confidently knowing what to do in the water. That’s the most important thing, he said.
“When it’s all said and done, it’s a huge thing to learn to be safe in and around the water,” Wild said. “If you can learn that, you’ve got it for a lifetime. It’s a survival skill.”
Among Wild’s most notable swimmers at Pace were Ryan Maza (100 breaststroke) in 1988 and Victoria Salinas (50 freestyle) in 2011. Each earned All-America status during those particular years as Maza went to the UIL state meet four straight times and Salinas advanced three seasons.
Maza went on to swim for the University of Nebraska and Salinas competed for Texas A&M.
There are countless others, not only students and athletes, who have been influenced by the veteran coach.
One of them is Frank Sanchez, the swimming coach at Brownsville Veterans. He served as Wild’s assistant at Pace for 17 years.
“If there is anyone to work with and learn from, it’s Brian,” said Sanchez, who became the coach at Brownsville Veterans in 2010. “Everything I’ve learned (about being a swimming coach), I’ve learned from him, and I can’t thank him enough for introducing me to the sport and really helping me grow to love it.
“Brian is one of the best mentors any person could have,” Sanchez added. “It was a challenge going to a new school. I started the team (at Brownsville Veterans) on a small scale and built it up to where it is now. Brian, with his encouragement and support, had told me to pursue the job. I had been a little bit on the fence (about leaving Pace), and he encouraged me to go for it, so I did. I appreciate him doing that.”
Wild coached in Brownsville at a time before the opening of Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center when Pace’s swimmers braved the elements while training outdoors daily at the Oliveira Park pool during the Rio Grande Valley’s coldest months. Temperatures sometimes dipped into the 30s, but it didn’t stop practice.
Wild remembers being told by his swimmers at practice one cold, early morning before sunrise that ice was forming on the sides of the pool. Sure enough, when he stepped up to a higher vantage point to time them swimming laps, he almost slipped on ice that was accumulating on a starting block.
“We’ve come a long way since those days (of the 1980s and 1990s),” Wild said. “The swimmers back then came through a lot. It was a great thing BISD did (building Clark Aquatic Center).”
Even though Wild is now very much embracing retirement, there are certain things he still misses about Pace.
“I do miss the other coaches, the athletes, teachers and students, and also the administrators,” he said. “That’s what I miss.”
Upon talking further with the recent retiree, it appears he may consider rejoining the workforce at some point before too long.
“I’m keeping all my options open for whatever it could be (as far as employment),” Wild said.
The experience of teaching and coaching for 30-plus years has been rewarding, he said, and added it’s entirely possible he could return to the same field or find something completely different to do.
“It’s an opportunity as a teacher and a coach to help kids,” he said. “Basically, coaching is teaching, so it’s helping students and athletes get to the next level, whatever that level may be, whether it’s in a classroom, in the pool or in PE class. (Doing that is) kind of what gives you your reward.
“I think a lot of them definitely appreciate what you do,” he added. “They come back and say they enjoyed their time (with you), whether it’s in a class, PE or swimming. They let you know they enjoyed the process (of getting better), and that is what is (most) meaningful to me. I think most teachers and coaches would feel the same way.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.