By Doug Miller
Thinking it would be nice to get back to the West Coast (a Queens native, Davis had been stationed at McCord Air Force Base near Olympia, Wash., and later competed for Washington State University), he applied. That's when he got the bad news: wrong Long Beach.
Well, Davis thought, the job on Long Island was available right away, so he decided he might as well give it a shot for a year or two.
Eight presidents and an unprecedented 500 dual meet wins later, Davis, 73, the Herald's proud choice for 2006 Person of the Year, is still at it. He is now so much a part of the fabric of Long Beach that his influence must be measured generationally.
His assistant coach, John Skudin, swam for him in the 1970s, then went on to become head coach at St. John's University in the Big East Conference for 14 years. Skudin is now the father of two members of Davis's current Long Beach team, including co-captain Michael Skudin. The other co-captain, Matt Demerest, followed several brothers who also swam for Davis.
Davis coached the current coach at Garden City High School, Anne Sullivan, as well as the coach at Plainview High, Jeryl Wright Israel. (Davis has coached only boys' swimming and diving since the late 1970s.) He coached current Board of Education Trustee Roy Lester, as well as a large percentage of the lifeguards in town.
Davis has been at it so long that he surpassed his first major career goal some 20 years ago. There was a time, he said, when his goal was to get to 365 wins, because that was the mark set by his "nemesis," Plainview's former coach, Charlie Schlagel, who, along with Chuck Brown at West Islip, was Davis's early rival. "Most of my early losses came against those two - they were the hotshots when I started," Davis said in an interview the morning of Dec. 18, as he prepared for win number 500, which came that afternoon. Schlagel and Brown have since retired, Davis said, but the lessons learned from those tough losses in the 1970s have stayed with him.
"I always believed that you're only going to get good if you go against good people," he said. "By going against good people - now, you're going to take your beatings, but once you take your beatings, you learn how to win."
His 500th win came one meet too early for his boosters, who expected it to happen Jan. 5 against Woodmere. Nonetheless, Davis will be honored by friends, colleagues and scores of grateful alumni that day, when, presumably, Long Beach will hand Davis career win No. 501 -- his 473rd win at the helm of the Long Beach High team. He won 28 dual meets as head coach at Olympia High School in Washington before he began his postgraduate work at Columbia.
Unfortunately, both Coach Sullivan of Garden City and Coach Israel of Plainview have had to send their regrets: Serendipitously, they'll be coaching their respective teams against each other.
"I am the boys' and girls' varsity swim coach at Plainview Old Bethpage JFK H.S., in part because of the lessons I have learned from Woody," Coach Israel wrote in an e-mail. "When I need advice, whether it is on swimming or anything in life, I know Woody is always there to help me when called upon. Over the years, Woody has gone from being my coach to a mentor to being a dear friend."
Davis's wins have come at something of an embarrassing clip. Demerest, who has been on the team since eighth grade, remembers exactly one loss, to Syossett, four years ago. That was also the year the team notably didn't win the Nassau County championship, as it has every year since and as it is favored to do again this season. If it does, Long Beach will be the first school ever to win four straight county titles.
But one step at a time. Demerest said that one of Davis's mantras is that past success will not translate into future results. "He's always getting the point across that if we want something, we have to work for it," Demerest said.
For Mike Skudin, the other captain, it's a combination of Davis's style and his legend that wins him points with his swimmers. "He knows what he's talking about, and everyone sees that," Skudin said. "He's mostly laid back, until somebody goofs off. When he yells, though ..."
The reverence Davis commands among his current and former swimmers is nearly universal, and is seemingly matched by the respect he has earned from their parents. The 500th win party is being pulled together largely by parents, led by Richard Papetti, whose son, Billy, has competed for Davis since seventh grade. "He's a treasure to our kids," Papetti said. "We just get a very trusting feeling with him, and I've never seen him have any kind of problem with any parent."
If there was an easy explanation for Davis's success, someone would have exploited it. Assistant Coach John Skudin suggested that it's a function of a perfect combination of ingredients. "Certainly it's the tradition," said Skudin, who is also the city's chief of lifeguards. "But I think everyone realizes that in all this time he's never lost the love for the kids. What's more important to coaching? X's and O's or the kids? It's the kids. That's coaching.
"His is an older style that has not changed," Skudin added. "Which is not derogatory; obviously it's worked. These things are circular, and a lot of his styles are coming back."
Davis is quick to deflect praise. After submitting to an interview, he called a reporter back to make sure Gail Farrell, the swimming coach at the Long Beach Recreation Department, is given the proper due for preparing young swimmers for the rigors of high school competition. "She's a real supporter of these kids," Davis said.
He said that the positive atmosphere in the locker room and the pool certainly helps the team succeed. "We're like a family," Davis said. "The kids know I'm there for them, and I will do anything for them. ... If I win, I win, and if I lose, I lose, but I'm not a great loser, and the kids know that. And by emphasizing winning as part of life, they're getting life experience through this process."
Comments about this story? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
