EDWARDSVILLE - YMCA CEO/President Gary Niebur’s retirement has arrived and for his first hire - Bob Rettle - it has been an emotional time.
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Edwardsville YMCA Breakers head coach and Chuck Fruit Aquatics Center Director Rettle has had tremendous success with the Edwardsville YMCA Breakers program. He has built it with the help of some assistant coaches and a strong high school program to be one of the best in the country. Year in year out, the Breakers produce national-caliber swimmers.
Every springtime when the Breakers have their year-end banquet, one man who always joins them is Gary Niebur. Gary always says a few words and it is obvious he is sincerely proud of the kids, Rettle, coaches and the parents. Gary Niebur considers Rettle and the Breakers an extension of his family and he said in a recent interview, he couldn’t be more proud of Rettle and the Edwardsville YMCA swim program top to bottom.
The same feeling holds true for Bob Rettle. “The retirement party is Sunday and that will be pretty emotional for some of us,” Coach Rettle said. “It is hard to describe how much influence Gary has had on my life and how much he has meant for swimming in the Metro East area. Gary gave me a shot at that job when I was 20 years old and didn’t really know me that well. It turned out to be a tremendous opportunity.”
“Gary is one of the best friends of my life,” he added. “Obviously his work as a tremendous mayor of the city and guiding the development of Center Grove Road and Governor’s Parkway happened under Gary’s watch. Gary gave me a chance and was hard on me at times. He knew I had potential to do a good job. He asked a lot of me and expected a lot and was a real motivator.”
Rettle said when Gary enlisted him at the YMCA he was not exactly at a good place in his life and it turned out to be a great blessing.
“Gary helped put together everything at the Y from the swim lessons for kids to the Bailey Grinter type of swimmers. (Grinter is one of the top Edwardsville swimmers ever with state and national titles and is now a swim star at the University of Tennessee). I have a 9-month-old and I am already talking about getting her in Y Day Care and Y swim lessons. I know the kind of impact the organization has had on kids and families. Gary has put together such an outstanding operation.”
Rettle said he feels Edwardsville is a different place because it has had Gary Niebur.
“It is hard to imagine it without Gary doing the things he has done,” Rettle said about his home city.
