Pennsylvania Loses Two Leading High School Swim Coaches: Deimler Killed in Motorcycle Mishap; Clark Resigns

PALMYRA, Penn., June 25. MIKE Deimler, 40, head swimming coach at Palmyra Area High School, was killed in a car-motorcycle accident last week, according to an Associated Press report in MercuryNews.com. Deimler was pronounced dead late Friday, just a few hours after the motorcycle he was driving collided with another vehicle in Palmyra.

Deimler ascended to the Palmyra high school coaching job six seasons ago after volunteering to coach a local swimming club for two years. Deimler had no formal training when he began coaching the club team, but he took courses on coaching at Mercersburg Academy under current University of Tennessee swimming coach John Trembley and became well-regarded at Palmyra High School.

Deimler’s 6-foot-4, 280 pound frame was part of his personality. Nick Strano, the father of a former swimmer for Deimler, said he was "a swimming Santa Claus. The guy was Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln. He was Peter Pan, he was Paul Bunyan, and I'm devastated. I adored the man."
"What really set him apart was the gentleness with which he could touch the heart of little kids," said Don Papson, parent of another former Deimler student. "He could light kids up."
—————–

PARKLAND, Penn., June 25. PARKLAND HS head swimming coach Bob Clark, who built the program into one of the strongest in Pennsylvania, stepped down after 15 years as the school's head coach, an Associated Press item seen at MercuryNews.com.

Clark produced a 362-34-3 dual meet record, two girls state team titles and a combined 20 boys and girls district championships.
In Clark's first year as head coach at Parkland, the Trojans went 11-1 on the boys teams, 12-1 on the girls team and finished second to perennial champion Emmaus at the District 11 meet.
Since then, Parkland has been the dominant program in District 11. The boys team has won the last eight district championships, the girls team the last six.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use