It’s November in Erie and there are some things that you can always count on:

1. Snow will be in the forecast soon.

2. The Erie News Now Food Drive will be a big success.

3. Gordy Schmidt will be at poolside coaching the sport of diving.

I’m at Penn State Behrend watching Coach Schmidt work with two divers as they prepare for the team’s next meet. The divers are in their late teens. Coach Schmidt is 84 years old. This is his 51st year of coaching. He began coaching after taking his daughter Kim to dive practice at the Glenwood Y. The YMCA dive coach made him an offer.

“He must have heard me talking to Kim and giving her pointers,” recalls Gordy. “So, after a couple of weeks he said, ‘Gordy, would you like to coach?’ I said, ‘Sure, I’ll coach.’ That’s how I got started.”

Gordy was a fine diver in his own right. He was a district champion at Academy High School. He has won gold medals in his age group at YMCA national competitions. He has coached hundreds of divers throughout his career at the Glenwood Y, McDowell High School, Gannon University, and here at Behrend. He always shares with his team the reason he loves diving.

“I tell the divers today when they’re learning a new dive, it’s a personal challenge. It’s you against the diving board. You against the dive,” says Gordy.

Coach Schmidt also tells his team that diving is not all about the competition and winning medals. He says you got to have fun. That goes for the young diver or the much older diving coach as he watches a kid master a complicated dive.

“Like I had a diver the other day learning a new dive on the high board. I jumped in the air and screamed,” says Gordy with a smile. “It was the greatest thing since sliced bread. It’s awesome.”

Jen Wallace is the head coach of the Behrend Swimming and Diving Team. She is amazed at Gordy’s energy and his experience.

“I don’t think anyone would look at him and say that he’s 80-something, right? He brings a wealth of knowledge to our program,” says Coach Wallace.

He has spent five decades coaching diving in Erie. He is 84 years old. Hey Gordy! Any thoughts about retiring?

“I’ll continue doing this until the kids think this old man doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” answers Coach Schmidt.

Gordy says he has not jumped off a diving board in three years since he had knee replacement surgery. However, he has been known to jump from the side of the pool to join the swim and dive team in its victory celebrations.