This year, Team USA chose Bolles’ head swim coach Peter Verhoef to coach the men’s team at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Romania from August 14-25.
Head of School Tyler Hodges comments on the significance of Verhoef’s nomination. “Coach Verhoef continues to elevate the Bolles Swimming and Diving program and provide limitless opportunities for our student-athletes to succeed at all levels. His selection as the head coach for the United States men at the Junior World Championships just affirms what we already know – he is one of the best swim coaches in the world and is seen as a leader in the US swimming community.”
Dillon Brigman, one of the men’s team captains, also acknowledges Verhoef’s impact on Bolles and his valuing of a tradition of excellence. “Coach Peter being selected symbolizes Bolles’ outward reach into the nation.”
Team USA selected Coach Peter in the spring of 2025, primarily looking for a coach who could lead a strong team culture moving into the 2028 Olympic cycle. “The goal was having somebody really work on bringing the kids together and creating a sense of team going to the meet,” Verhoef said. “And they felt like I could help them do that.”
The team arrived at the pool four days before the start of the meet. Verhoef focused on helping the team “adjust to the time zone, the pool, and getting prepped for the nine-day-long meet.”
Part of the challenge of attending a meet as long as Junior Worlds is staying mentally prepared throughout the duration of the competition. “Some people, it really affected them,” Verhoef said. “I think it’s a learning experience. At this point, our job is to help them identify how they get better, what they can do, and help them through that.”
He also had the opportunity to talk with other Bolles swimmers competing for other countries. While he was not able to directly coach his swimmers, Verhoef still checked in with them throughout the meet. “I thought they did a really good job representing Bolles and representing their country,” Verhoef said. “They seemed like they were connected and taking in the experience.”
Verhoef finds that coaching a national team is similar to coaching at Bolles, but on a larger scale. At Bolles, “we get ready for a big meet in terms of showing up to the pool, sharpening our skills, and making sure we’re dialing into our pace,” Verhoef said. Additionally, the coaches at Bolles emphasize the importance of “meetings with the team about being able to race faster, finding things to celebrate, and carrying that energy into the next day.”
Verhoef’s main cultural goal was to encourage the athletes to feel comfortable and excited to race. “When you get to a meet like that, everybody wants to be there. They’re excited about racing. So it’s not so much getting people to buy into it, but getting people to create an environment where they don’t feel so much pressure that they can’t perform.”
To take the pressure off the swimmers, “We actually talked to the staff about not discussing the medal count,” Verhoef said. “Which we did end up winning, but we really wanted them to just focus on swimming as fast as they could.”
Having swum twice at both Olympic Trials and the World University Games, Verhoef understands the value of mental preparation. “Any time you get to that level, pretty much everybody there is physically and technically prepared,” he said. “It really comes down to a mental game.”
Verhoef believes the best thing an athlete can do in that type of environment is to trust themselves. “It’s a very different energy from showing up at a club or high school meet where you’re one of the team… You feel the pressure of being part of the team, and you have to be ready to mentally step up.”
Swim team captain Louis Joos ‘26 comments on Verhoef’s experience as a swimmer and how it impacts him as a coach. “He understands the sacrifice that comes with competing at the highest level of our sport,” Joos said. “With his experience, he has been able to elevate our tradition of excellence here at Bolles swimming and within USA Swimming as a whole.”
One area where Verhoef worked with the athletes on improving their preparation was in the call room. “Part of our preparation for the team is winning the call room— being able to stand in there and mentally be able to stay relaxed and focused on yourself.”
Something Verhoef hopes to bring back to Bolles is technical work. He highlights the importance of racing skills, including starts, turns, and finishes. “You can get to that meet without them, but you can’t be successful.”
Additionally, Verhoef hopes to help his athletes focus on winning the race as opposed to following their pace. “Sometimes you don’t get to race your race strategy. You need to try to beat the person next to you,” he said. “You’ve got to be willing to take that risk instead of just doing what you’re used to.”
Verhoef’s favorite memory of the meet was seeing the men’s and women’s teams work together. They watched many USA swimmers win medals, and also cheered on the girls’ 400 freestyle relay as they broke the world junior record.
Overall, Team USA won the competition with a total of 22 medals, including 10 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze, according to World Aquatics.
Verhoef looks forward to hopefully coaching at that level again. “We’d love to continue figuring out how to make Team USA better and coach through those weeks a little bit better. That would be awesome.”
