We asked the 2025 World Aquatics Junior Championships coaches about the start of their careers and what they are excited about for the meet in Romania. Learn more about women’s head coach Abi Liu, men’s head coach Peter Verhoef, and assistant coaches Chuck Batchelor, Stephen Bialorucki, Paul Donovan, Kyle Goller, Mary Korey, and Sean Quinn.

How long have you been coaching, and what initially inspired you to pursue coaching as a career?

Abi Liu: I’ve been coaching for 26 years now. It all started when I transitioned from swimming to coaching. As I’ve gotten further into my career, the sport of swimming has given me so much - friends, family, and a sense of belonging. The best part? It’s not just a job for me; it’s an integral part of who I am, and I love contributing to society and helping the next generation.

Peter Verjoef: I officially started coaching in 2010. Initially, I was a summer league coach and volunteer at Georgia Tech before making my official start as an assistant for David Marsh as his pro group assistant at SwimMAC. I always loved the sport itself as an athlete, and I found after a couple of years in the IT consulting world, that I 'spoke' the language of swimming better than anything else.

Chuck Batchelor: I have been coaching for over 30 years. Throughout most of my swimming career, I found myself wondering why some athletes were faster than others. I was inspired by my coaches and loved the work and the people.

Steve Bialorucki: I have been a Swim Coach for 42 years as of this July. I knew when I was a young swimmer at 13 years old that I was going to be a swim coach. When I was swimming, I was lucky enough to have some very influential coaches who took the time to not only develop me as a swimmer, but more importantly, as a person. Their influence made such an impact that I never considered anything else, and to this day, I still utilize those lessons with my current swimmers. I was also pretty lucky to work in some great programs over the years. Starting with the Jefferson City Swim Club (‘84-‘88), the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins (‘88-‘92), and now with the Old Dominion Aquatic Club (‘94-current).

Paul Donovan: I’ve been coaching for 25 years. I started off part-time while I was in college to earn money and help out the younger kids on my club team, and it went from there. I just never stopped. My original inspiration were some of my own coaches and teachers who had a positive impact on me growing up. I wanted to pay it forward and hopefully help kids the way I was supported. As I got into coaching, ASCA became a huge influence. I loved reading about all the successful coaches and became inspired and motivated to see if I could show my best like them.

Kyle Goller: I have been coaching for 10 years now. I got into it at first to keep my scholarship when I medically retired my senior year of college, and fell in love with making not only great swimmers but making even better young adults.

Mary Korey: I’ve been coaching for 13 years. It began with teaching 3–5-year-olds to swim, ensuring their little heads stayed above water, and reducing childhood drownings. From there, I transitioned into coaching. My motivation to coach stems from a desire to provide kids with an outlet for youth sports. For these sports to thrive, we need passionate adults and coaches. I'm committed to paying it forward, inspired by the coaches who genuinely cared for me and shaped me into the person I am today.

Sean Quinn: 22 years. I was fortunate to have several wonderful coaches in my own swimming career (club, college, and the USA Swimming National Team) who continually guided, educated, and inspired me every step of the way. Early on, I recognized the value of using swimming as a vehicle to teach life skills.

What will be your primary focus going into the meet, either for the athletes or your coaching perspective?

AL: I’m so grateful to be representing Team USA at the World Junior Championships. I’m excited to share my coaching knowledge with the athletes, learn from my amazing colleagues, and represent the red, white, and blue with the utmost pride.

PV: My focus is to serve TEAM USA, supporting the athletes and other coaches to uphold the tradition of being fierce competitors as they represent our country, our families, teams, and friends.

CB: My primary objective for going into the meet will be to keep everyone relaxed and excited. From a coaching standpoint, “the hay is already in the barn.” Now it’s the “party”, “celebration”, and the “icing on the cake”. We get to represent the USA in international competition; it doesn’t get any better than this!

SB: I look forward to offering my knowledge and expertise to the swimmers in whatever capacity is needed. My main focus will be to support the swimmers and staff and be helpful both in and out of the water. Life experiences like this come along so infrequently that I want it to be as fulfilling as possible for everyone involved.

PD: Going into the meet, my personal goal is to enjoy the experience with the Team. I want us to focus on the process, our routines, and make sure I make connections with the swimmers and staff. Meeting new people and learning from them is the ultimate goal. I hope I can lead by example, and the swimmers can do the same in their own way.

KG: My primary focus will be making sure everyone gets the full experience of a Junior World meet. Mostly having fun and making friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

MK: Fun, excitement, and endless joy! My mission is all about helping athletes embrace the journey and savor every moment. While the journey can be challenging, it's all about keeping our young athletes focused on learning and having a blast along the way. Making sure they enjoy every twist and turn of this amazing ride.

SQ: Objective number one is to rally these amazing swimmers who come from all over, and likely have varying paths to become one TEAM USA. Number two is to guide them the best we can to learn as much as possible on this journey and help prepare them for future Team USA representation.

What is one thing you hope each athlete gains from this international experience?

AL: I hope our athletes take pride in being part of Team USA. They’re such incredible individuals, and when they come together, they create an unstoppable team!

PV: A deep sense of pride in representing the United States that motivates them to invest in their preparation to qualify for future US Teams.

CB: I hope every athlete, regardless of how they perform, gets excited and HUNGRY for more! Team is amazing, but we have not arrived. National team and Olympic medals are where it’s at.

SB: I would love for each of the athletes to appreciate how special it is to represent your country, home team, family, and friends. I would also hope that each swimmer will see that there are other very talented swimmers out there who can understand what goes on in the journey to get to this level.

PD: I’d love for the swimmers to use this experience to learn and grow, use the ups and downs to build from, and ultimately leave with confidence in themselves that they are better than they thought they were.

KG: I hope that the athletes gain confidence and experience they can take back to their club teams to educate their peers. I hope that the positivity of this trip makes an impact that we can all bring back home.

MK: The deep sense of belonging to a community, coupled with the humbling realization that not everyone has the chance to compete at this elite level. Having profound pride in having secured a place on the world’s most formidable team, TEAM USA.

SQ: Pride and Confidence. Pride in wearing the American flag on their cap and confidence that we can be successful on an elevated stage.

Can you share one memorable coaching moment from your career that you find impactful, inspiring, or special?

AL: A great team is one where the coaches set the standards, and an ELITE team is one where the athletes set the standards! I had an athlete who was one of the best underwater kickers. He would always grab a few athletes after practice and help them with their starts and underwater work. It didn’t take long for the others to start helping each other with turns, stroke counts, and everything in between.

PV: As a part of David Marsh's pro group at SwimMAC, I had the chance to help 10 different pro athletes make the US Olympic teams in 2012 and 2016.  The best was Davis Tarwater, a swimmer I competed with who was making a 'comeback' to try to make the 2012 team (because of how much he believed in the Olympics and Team USA). It appeared he missed qualifying at Olympic Trials, coming in seventh in the 200 free and third in the 200 fly. When a swimmer scratched the 200 free, he was pulled onto the team in the last minute, becoming an Olympian and swimming an incredible leg in the morning of the 4x200 gold relay.

CB: When 15-year-old Elizabeth Beisel was asking me why everyone was cheering so loud during her 400 IM prelims swim in 2008. I told her because she was under world record pace through the 250 and she choked on her Gatorade all over me. Ha!

SB: After over 40 years of coaching, I would say that the most inspirational and satisfying moments come from when I hear from a former swimmer telling me the success they have found in life that swimming played a role in.  Swimming fast at big meets is awfully satisfying, but seeing someone develop into a productive adult is even more so.

PD: I’m not one for looking back, and each relationship with a swimmer gives so many amazing moments. I love the small things that make it easy to come back to work and do what I love. I’m very grateful for those moments and relationships.

KG: One memorable coaching moment of mine would be Senior Champs 2025, when our whole team came as one. It was the best meet I can remember, and the swimmers dropped a lot of time, but also our team became closer-knit after that.

MK: Winning the combined YMCA Short Course National title was a dream realized. After being so close in previous years, finally achieving this victory was exhilarating. Witnessing the kids embrace this responsibility with such humility filled me with pride. This win not only marked our triumph but also etched our team in history as the first Y team from NJ to claim the title.

SQ: Hard to select a single moment, but it’s likely not the award-winning moments... it’s those times when we must display patience and trust in process. Working with an athlete when he/she doesn’t achieve the goal on the first attempt. The exploration and acknowledgement that it takes more. I love the journey, as it is often more valuable than the destination.

What’s one word your swimmers would use to describe your coaching style?

AL: Curious!

PV: Blunt? Focused? I'm not sure because some swimmers interpret these in different ways. I would hope 'authentic' and 'athlete-focused.'

CB: I have been described as “the man, with the plan.”

SB: Caring.

PD: I’d like to think they’d feel I’m honest with them. That’s ultimately my goal, to share both the good and bad information with them. Hopefully, that helps them learning and continuing to be their best.

KG: It’s more of a phrase than one word but it would be, "ALL GAS, NO BREAKS."

MK: Fun.

SQ: All in. I meet them where they are, educate them on what is out there, guide them in selecting their goals, and hold them accountable as we work towards goals.

Just for fun, how many cups of coffee do you drink during a typical championship meet?

AL: My daily coffee intake varies on the intensity of our workouts.

PV: A lot of coffee, two or three per day.

CB: I have an espresso in the morning and that’s it.

SB: If there is a Dunkin’ then three to four. If not, I suffer through just a couple.

PD: At least three extra large black coffees!

KG: Not coffee (I don’t drink coffee) but I go through seven Celcius per meet weekend.

MK: Wow, I don't like coffee; it's only a vehicle to warm my creamer, which I love. This one I do not have a good answer because I am boring and try to stay away from caffeine. I can eat a bag of Twizzlers during a meet, or if looking for drinks then seltzer water is my choice, and at least one case during a championship meet.

SQ: Lost count.