In this February 2025 file photo, Bruce Johnson, right, shares a moment with Bill Rollinger at the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame banquet. Johnson swam for Rollinger at Jamestown High School in the early 1970s. Photo courtesy of the CSHOF

Local swimmers were scheduled to leave first thing this morning for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships.

Among the athletes from Chautauqua County who will compete on the Section VI team are Landon Frederes, Logan Johnson, Grady Moore, Miles Moore and Mike Rambacher of Frewsburg/Southwestern/Jamestown/Falconer; and Kody Howard of Panama/Clymer/Sherman.

For those six young men, the weekend at Ithaca College is a reward for their continued excellence, as well as a confirmation that their often grueling practices have been worth every lap in the pool.

Friday and Saturday will also be a reward for the coaching staff of each program. Their shared knowledge and dedication have helped their swimmers reach the ultimate goal.

For Bears head coach Bruce Johnson, it’s been what seems like an annual trip for, oh, 50 years, give or take.

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Two minutes, 48 seconds.

That was the length of the speech Johnson gave the night — three years ago — that he was inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame.

Not surprisingly, he was his usual humble self, spending his entire time at the podium thanking all who helped him along his coaching journey.

And what a trip it’s been.

Here’s a small sampling of Johnson’s accomplishments:

¯ Started Frewsburg’s swimming program in 1977.

¯ Served as Section VI girls chairman for 25 years.

¯ Served as Frewsburg athletic director for nine years.

¯ Coached more than 25 NYSPHSAA meet qualifiers.

¯ Brought STAR Swimming to Jamestown.

And, with all of that, he brought a standard of excellence, both in and out of the pool.

Last year was just one example.

When Johnson’s 2025 state qualifiers arrived at Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium, the longtime coach had plenty of expectations, but he also knew that there were no guarantees.

“A million things can happen,” he told me, “and most of them are not good.”

Yet when Connor Dean, then a senior who is now swimming at New York University, the Moores, Frederes and senior Daniel Peterson, who is now swimming at Jamestown Community College, left the Ithaca campus, they had swept the three public school relays. The 200-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay were both new state records and All-American times; and the 400-yard freestyle relay was the third All-American clocking.

“The whole idea of putting together relays that fast was never in my normal thought process,” Johnson said then. “It’s hard to fathom. I never thought we’d go that quick. We just kept getting a little faster and a little faster. They wanted those relays so badly. … It was electric.”

Combined with Dean’s win and All-American recognition in the 200-yard individual medley; and Miles Moore’s second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle, which earned him All-American consideration, it was quite a day for the public school team champions and Johnson, who called the accomplishments “overwhelming.”

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In December 2024, three months before the memorable weekend at Ithaca, Johnson was enshrined into the Section VI Hall of Fame, giving him two inductions in less than two years.

And, if truth be told, both honors could have come even earlier, because few have coached swimming with the consistent success rates that Johnson has had over such an extended period of time

For as outstanding as his professional resume is, however, it’s his humbleness and his character that truly define him. Let us return to the acceptance speech he gave at the Lakewood Rod & Gun Club in 2023, the night he was inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame.

Said Johnson: “To the hundreds of young men and women who have given up countless hours to train and represent our program so well, I can’t express how much I appreciate your devotion. You see, I’ve never won a race, been awarded a medal or broken a record. It was the swimmers who did it all.”