University of San Diego
NCAA DI • WCC
Date: December 3, 2025
Would Recommend
Tags
Coach Bart was one of the most persuasive reasons I decided to come to USD. I felt he genuinely cared about me and my story, making me feel like more than just a number on an erg screen. He spent time reassuring my family that USD was the place for me, that he would be an extension of my family, "Developing us as young men, not just rowers", being a positive role model for us. Eventually, even "the father I never had" and similar forms of this statement were directed at me by Bart (I am not the only athlete he's made these comments to). This may sound quite contrarian to my respective star rating, which is because it is all fake. At the time this sounded all fine and dandy to me, but it really should have been the first of the red flags. He is beyond unfit to hold his coaching position or be permitted to have such control over anyone's life, especially those of young men and women. I can't truthfully say Bart is the only reason just about any passion I had for this sport is gone, but he has undoubtedly been the catalyst. I loved this sport as most all of us do but if you ask almost any rower they will tell you that they love winning more. This is not something Bart can foster for this team, or any team. Anyone can read enough on rowing and learn all the different ideologies of the stroke, however I believe in order to fully understand it and determine meaningful differentiations to these ideologies you have to have actually rowed, experiencing changes in the boat. Bart however, rowed a novice year in high school and far less than a semester in college. Bart experienced a back injury in college which would make you think that he would be sensitive to injury management/prevention. This is not at all the case. I as well as others have witnessed Bart be the direct cause of major, potentially career ending injuries, forcing athletes to do straining workouts when not cleared to do so, all while covering his own self through lies. Despite all his issues regarding lack of boundaries, manipulation, abuse, mindgames, extreme disrespect of time, blatant favoritism, lying, (the list goes on and on) there are certain things that are simply inexcusable. Bart has sided with an athlete, imposing next to no punishment after the athlete called female coxswains “sluts” for the way they were dressed. Despite not being an involved party in this situation, Bart involved myself and others also lacking involvement, saying “While I don’t disagree with what *athlete* is getting at, he’s going about it the wrong way”. There are many more examples of misconduct just like this that have made me incredibly uncomfortable, leaving me boiling with anger imagining how it must make the people said misconduct actually was directed at. There is simply no place for this behavior in our society, let alone on a collegiate sports team.