Burnet Consolidated Independent School District swimming and diving coach Nolan Gerfers resigned to become the diving coach at Prosper Independent School District.
He will coach divers at all four of the district’s high schools.
Gerfers’ resignation came a few weeks ago. His last day at Burnet CISD was May 22.
“I want the kids to be able to carry on and reach their own goals,” he said. “It’s such a good school. They have such good programs.”
The Burnet High School swimming and diving program is one of the best in the state. And that’s not by accident.
When Julian “Tex” Robertson retired as the University of Texas swimming and diving coach, he and his family moved to Burnet County. And he offered swimming lessons to the youth in Burnet before he created Camp Longhorn. In 1963, Burnet got a public swimming pool because of him.
That pool hosted Burnet’s small high school state championships.
When it was cold, the Water Dawgs used the Robertsons’ heated pool for their practices. That was before the YMCA of the Highland Lakes at Galloway Hammond was constructed, which is where the Water Dawgs have their practices and host their meets.
Gerfers, who was a collegiate swimmer at Ouachita Baptist University, took over the program in summer 2023 after serving as the summer league swim coach in Houston. He pointed out the rich history of the program when he accepted the job.
“Once I applied to Burnet and getting to talk with some of the people here and (former) athletic director (Kurt Jones), they told me of the strong tradition Burnet has,” he said. “That’s what drew me in. I’m excited to be apart of that. I know Tex Robertson started it. I know his family is really big into the swimming community. A big part of that legacy is the rich tradition. It’s really cool.”
During the two years he was in charge of the Water Dawgs, 24 students advanced to regional meets and seven advanced to state meets including Caroline Lunsford and Levi Kleen, who both recently signed to swim on the next level.
Dr. Aaron Pena, Burnet Consolidated Independent School District superintendent, said one reason Gerfers resigned is to get him closer to his fiancée.
Gerfers said he will look back on the two years living in Burnet with great memories. He was happy to be a part of the success of the program, which is one of the best in the state.
“I can’t thank the community of Burnet enough for accepting a young coach like me,” he said. “We had a lot of success over the last two years.”
Jennifer Fierro publishes reports about area youth athletic events on her website TexasChalk-Talk.com. To send her a note, email fierrojennifer@ yahoo.com
