{"id":54986,"date":"2014-05-05T07:15:02","date_gmt":"2014-05-05T14:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/?p=54986"},"modified":"2014-05-05T07:15:02","modified_gmt":"2014-05-05T14:15:02","slug":"may-sw-magazine-a-voice-for-the-sport-charles-keating-jr-his-bitter-fruit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/may-sw-magazine-a-voice-for-the-sport-charles-keating-jr-his-bitter-fruit\/","title":{"rendered":"May SW Magazine<\/font> A Voice for the Sport: Charles Keating Jr. & His Bitter Fruit"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 5. THE May 2014 issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/i> is now available for download to Total Access Subscribers!<\/a><\/p>\n

On Page 6 of Swimming World Magazine<\/i> is A Voice for the Sport: Charles Keating Jr. & His Bitter Fruit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Charles Keating Jr., passed away on March 31. His legacy within the sport of swimming will be forever polarized between those in Cincinnati, Ohio, who benefited from the construction of the Keating Natatorium, and those in Phoenix, Ariz., who benefited from his construction of the Phoenix Swim Club. <\/em><\/p>\n

The Keating Natatorium was constructed in the 1970s with donations from Keating\u2019s successful businesses in Ohio. The Phoenix Swim Club facility was constructed in the late 1980s from Keating\u2019s illegal banking and construction activities.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is somewhat ironic that the Phoenix Swim Club facility ended its life the same day that Keating passed away. Maybe it is divine justice. And maybe it is equally fitting that the Keating Natatorium in Cincinnati continues to thrive. I have benefited from both spectrums of Keating\u2019s influence\u2014first as a member of the Cincinnati Marlins, who practiced at the Keating Natatorium, and later as a member of the original coaching staff for the Phoenix Swim Club.<\/em><\/p>\n

On both ends, Keating\u2019s vision for the sport of swimming had no peers. His support for facilities, programs and coaches produced multiple world-class athletes and Olympians over four decades. Throughout the \u201970s and \u201980s, a trip through Cincinnati and the Keating Natatorium was a rite of passage to elite competition. In the late \u201980s through the 2000s, the Phoenix Swim Club\u2014built by Keating\u2014was the place to train under blue skies and palm trees.<\/em><\/p>\n

It might be hard to believe, but Keating\u2019s influence was beyond money. He set high goals for those he surrounded, and he expected those goals to be achieved. He had no patience for second best.<\/em><\/p>\n

When I think of Charlie Keating, I am reminded of the famous words from Poet Robert Browning, who said, \u201cAh, but a man\u2019s reach should exceed his grasp.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Keating always set goals higher than his own grasp. That, in a nutshell, is the simplest description of this complex man. The fact that he took huge risks with other people\u2019s money will forever be unforgivable. It was wrong that those risks hurt many people. But within the realm of sports, Keating was right to inspire others to take huge risks and set goals that exceeded their grasp.<\/em><\/p>\n

Although his inspiration within swimming will never outweigh the financial loss for those who suffered from his collapsed financial empire, it is important to remember that there was much good that Keating generated during his life in the sport of swimming.<\/em><\/p>\n

One thing nobody can ever argue is that the aquatic facilities that Keating built changed a lot of people\u2019s lives for the better.<\/em><\/p>\n

Those who wish to donate in Keating\u2019s memory can do so to St. Xavier in Cincinnati for the benefit of Keating Natatorium:<\/em><\/p>\n

St. Xavier High School – Keating Natatorium<\/em>
\n 600 W. North Bend Road<\/em>
\n Cincinnati, OH 45224<\/em>
\n Attn: Development Office<\/em><\/p>\n

(By Brent T. Rutemiller)<\/em><\/p>\n

Not a Total Access Subscriber? A Swimming World Magazine <\/i> Subscription <\/a> gives you unlimited access to all online content on SwimmingWorld.com and access to all of the back issues of Swimming World Magazine <\/i> dating back to 1960! Purchase your Total Access Subscription TODAY! <\/a><\/p>\n