{"id":367959,"date":"2019-05-08T04:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T11:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=367959"},"modified":"2019-05-07T16:15:38","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T23:15:38","slug":"swimming-world-presents-lessons-with-the-legends-frank-keefe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-world-presents-lessons-with-the-legends-frank-keefe\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World Presents “Lessons with the Legends: Frank Keefe”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lessons with Legends: Frank Keefe<\/span><\/h1>\n

Sponsored By<\/p>\n

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Though a Connecticut native and coach at Yale University for 32 years (1978-2010), Frank Keefe also has deep Philadelphia roots. A backstroker, IMer and 1960 Villanova graduate, early in his professional career Keefe also sold insurance and taught school.<\/p>\n

In 1978, Keefe took the job at Yale, commuting to his home in Drexel Hill, Pa. on weekends. In New Haven, he amassed 488 victories, took the men to two and the women to five Ivy League titles, and championed the concept of the popular HYP meet while twice being named Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Coach of the Year. He also founded the Omni Swim Club, which he directed for 20 years.<\/p>\n

Since retiring from Yale, he has continued to coach, having spent considerable time on the university decks of Villanova, LaSalle, Swarthmore College and the Shipley School. He also has a business partnership in Puerto Rico dedicated to helping teams with training trip arrangements.<\/p>\n

THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE<\/span><\/strong>
\nOn the Value of Old Coaches:<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u201cOld coaches can help young coaches and swimmers think. An old coach can be someone who wants to help the program, be an extra hand on deck or help you do the things you\u2019d like to do, but don\u2019t have time,\u201d says Keefe.<\/p>\n

On the Role of Dual Meets:<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u201cI have a concern that dual meets are going down the drain. Look at college meet schedules\u2014everybody is doing invitationals or combined meets, which are fine for the social component, but I think you lose some spectator interest because they are not as exciting as just head-to-head, mano-a-mano stuff.<\/p>\n

On Swimmer-Coach Relationships:<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u201cRules, regulations, Safe Sport, trust. It all comes down to communication, which is a two-way street. You can\u2019t be afraid of parents. They\u2019ll make the major decisions about their children, so it is a matter of having enough information about who they are and where they are coming from. Our job is to make them better people, to help the parents, to be part of the network to make them successful adults. If we forget that, we are in the wrong sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

To read much more about coach Frank Keefe,
\ncheck out the May 2019<\/a><\/span> issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em>, available now!<\/p>\n

\"Swimming<\/a><\/p>\n

[PHOTO CREDIT: PETER H. BICK]<\/p>\n

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