Hugh and Jeff Roddin Share Love of Swimming

Feature by Jeff Commings

PHOENIX, Arizona, June 17. HUGH and Jeff Roddin have been a part of U.S. Masters Swimming almost since the organization's inception in the early 1970s.

Hugh was an actual Masters swimmer back then, racing in his first nationals in Chicago in 1973. Jeff was a little too young to race in Masters, however. He was 5 years old, tagging along to meets with his father, not knowing then that he would become a fixture on the Masters scene about 20 years later.

Jeff joined Masters in 1991 and attended his first nationals in 1992, making this summer's Masters nationals in Omaha the 21st year that father and son have competed in the big meet together. Jeff is quick to note that there have been years when either he or his father have elected to sit out the nationals, so the history of competing together is not a continuous one.

If you want to watch Hugh and Jeff swim at nationals, just stick around for any of the butterfly events. Both are accomplished butterflyers, winning multiple national championships in the stroke. Coincidentally, they both won their first national titles in 1992. Jeff won all six of his events in the 19-24 age group, while his father won the 200 backstroke in the 50-54 division. Jeff jokes that while they often leave nationals with numerous gold medals, the two have never been able to win the same event at a meet.

“It's not something we really talk about,” Jeff said. “It's mostly in my head (about winning the same event). Since he swims first, I usually take it on myself to give it my all and win that event, too.”

Family visits are not exclusive to national championships, but getting together at the pool only enhances the family common bond. Hugh likes the time he's able to spend with his son at the meets, especially now that he is married with a 14-month-old daughter.

“Our relationship would be good regardless of whether we swam together or not,” said Hugh, “but it adds to it because we have this shared interest.”

The Roddins have a strong association with swimming that reaches beyond their time in the pool. Hugh, now 70, is set to start his 46th year as swim coach at Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte, Mich. (Jeff attended Woodhaven High School since the family lived outside the Roosevelt High School attendance boundaries.) Jeff, 43, volunteers as registrar, top ten timekeeper and webmaster for the Potomac Valley region of United States Masters Swimming, which covers Maryland and Virginia.

When talking about the family's swimming history in separate interviews, it's clear the two have a great admiration for each other. Jeff remembers watching his father swim at meets, and wanting to swim as fast and look as graceful as his father one day. Hugh recalls “rooting for (Jeff) inwardly” when their schools met for dual meets, even if that meant hoping his son would beat his best swimmer.

The annual get-togethers on the pool deck often include Ruth, Hugh's wife and Jeff's mother. Some years Jeff's younger sister Jill will join the clan at nationals. Recently, the clan has welcomed Jeff's wife, Julie, and their newborn daughter, Rachel.

As has become a semi-regular tradition, the Roddins will compete together in a mixed relay in Omaha. Hugh, Ruth and Jeff have been on these relays since the first one in 2000, with Jill participating that year. One of Jeff's aunts took part in 2007, and now Julie is taking the fourth spot, making her Roddin relay debut at this past spring's nationals in North Carolina.

The youngest member of the Roddin clan, 14-month-old Rachel, will also be on deck. Jeff is already planning to pass the Roddin swimming tradition down to her, just as his father introduced him to the sport.

“We do joke about putting Rachel on the summer league team,” Jeff said. “We usually tell (the coach) that Rachel is ready to swim one lap of the pool!”

Send feature story ideas to Jeff Commings at jeffc@swimmingworldmagazine.com.

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