He wasn’t the only coach in attendance.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Parks<\/strong> was a longtime coach at Michigan State, beginning in 1973 and ending in 1988 with a stint at Eastern Michigan in the middle. She led the Spartans to two Big Ten titles, followed by two runner-up titles. She was an Olympic trials qualifier before coaching and a Masters Swimming national champion afterward, never straying far from the sport.<\/p>\n She was a driving force in the celebration.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a fabulous time enjoying the meet with the 60-plus former swimmers and divers,\u201d Parks said. \u201cWe had a great time reminiscing about the fun we had in this great sport.\u201d<\/p>\n While coaching, she had may All-Americans, including Jane (Manchester) Meyers<\/strong>, a national champion diver. She was an Olympic trials qualifier and has been one of the top high school diving coaches in Michigan for several decades, sending dozens of divers to NCAA Division I programs from West Ottawa High School.<\/p>\n She sat with Parks for much of the meet and enjoyed connecting with former teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was great to see some of my old team members and I wish more of them could have come, but I know many live so far away. I have so many wonderful memories in that pool and every time I walk in there, they all come rushing back in. I made many lifelong friends, got a great education, learned a lot about myself and had much success on the boards there,\u201d Meyers said. \u201cI had a great coach in John Narcy<\/strong> and I really blossomed on the team. The women back then had to swim separately (and I mean a totally different, not as good, pool) from the men, but John took some of us better women divers in and let us workout with him and the guys team. I guess this past weekend made me realize just how much inequality there really was between the men’s and women’s programs. I was blessed to have things work out as they did for me.<\/p>\n \u201cDiving has been a part of my life for almost 54 years, whether it be a participant or coach, and I have to say I don’t regret a minute of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Meyers and Parks, who was a volunteer assistant coach at West Ottawa High School for a few years as well, helped shape a new generation of swimmers and divers.<\/p>\n
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