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Ger McDonnell recently celebrated 40 years as coach with Kingdom Swimming Club. It’s not overstretching it to say his life is shaped by the sport and the passion he derives from watching swimmers progress. It’s a feeling that separates the good coaches from the truly great ones.
er is understated in his recollections. Keen to ensure others are brought into the fold when rekindling memories of Kingdom Swimming Club’s roots, he lists names like Liam Bohane – founder and the man who sensed a need to provide a focus for competitive swimming in Tralee – and Tim and Mike O’Connell, who Ger jokingly refers to as ‘the terrible twins.’
It’s indicative of the close bonds and friendships Ger has formed through swimming. For a sport that requires singular and individual resolve, swimming instantly connects you with a community.
Meeting ‘fantastic people’ is Ger’s main takeaway from the last four decades, as is seeing swimmers – young and old – reach their potential.
“A swimming community involves people from all walks of life, that’s what makes it so good,” Ger said.
“People with no background in swimming to those with one, seeing the broader base of swimming in the county grow in the last 40 years is very gratifying. There is a strong culture of swimming in Kerry now.”
Ger’s love of swimming blossomed in Africa where his parents emigrated in the 1960s. He was born there and when aged 18 the family returned to Ireland when Ger immersed himself in sport. However, it would be swimming that made his transition to a new community complete.
“When I arrived in Ireland I hadn’t been home before then, so swimming was a way of making friends. I just got a bit of a grá for it,” he said.
The grá quickly evolved into talent as Ger began competing for provincial and national titles. He captained interprovincial sides and achieved multiple swimming records. He also became the first Kerry man to get a senior cap for Ireland.
“For me, as a swimmer, that’s the highlight of my career. Anytime you represent your country is a huge thing. It will always be with me. These are achievements that I will always have,” he said.
When Ger’s swimming career ended he moved to England for a brief period prior to returning to take up a job at Tralee Sports Complex, where he is now the Assistant Manager. The Complex provided a perfect forum for his coaching influence to gain the traction it needed.
“I’m involved in the swimming programme in the Complex for over 35 years. From that, I started coaching the Swimming Masters for 30 years, I’ve coached anything from six-month-old kids to nervous adults in their 60s and 70s,” he said.
“I was involved on and off with Kingdom Swimming Club when Liam [Bohane] asked me to take swimmers for training camps. In around 2000 I started coaching the development squads. Tim O’Connell then asked me to take the seniors. I’ve been Head Coach with the last 17 years.”
While Ger insists ‘the mechanics’ of swimming haven’t changed much in 40 years. The emphasis on stroke development and strength and conditioning has. Development in the science of swimming has reached phenomenal heights.
“Different methods of training have become part of it now. You must put a lot of time and effort into swimming. That bit hasn’t changed,” he said.
“Swimming is about challenging people in different ways. It’s phenomenal to think there is now an Irish person [Daniel Wiffen] with a European senior record. Seeing swimming progress in that way, and all the swimming pools there are in Ireland today, is testament to this improvement.
“When I started out, Tralee Sports Complex was the only pool in the county. There are four swimming clubs in Kerry now. That’s another sign of how swimming has developed; once you give people the facility it encourages them to get involved,” he explained.
Ger recalls training hard to reach the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Even though he didn’t make it, he never forgot the time and effort invested in him by his coaches. This has shaped his coaching philosophy.
“I want someone from Kerry to go to the Olympics. That would be something. As a coach, that is my mantra,” he said.
“It’s also a reflection of the time and effort invested in me by people when I was starting out. They gave so much to me, so the instinct is to give back to others. The easiest thing to do when I retired was walk away. But I like giving back to the community, it’s also a love of the community in Tralee,” he adds.
Neither is staying in the comfort zone a feature of Ger’s coaching attitude. He has occasionally left the pool behind to help open water swimmers like Kevin Williams and Elaine Burrows in their encounters with deeper waters.
“To see someone open water swimming to the extent that Elaine has, you wouldn’t have imagined it even 10 years ago,” he said.
“I’ve known Elaine a long time from when she was a junior with Kingdom Swimming Club. She’s a great woman. To be able to get the mind to swim for that long period of time shows her mental strengths.
“It was Kevin Williams who really took up that mantel of organising open water swims in Tralee, he is the open water guru. It’s just fantastic to see the number of women that are now swimming. There was a time you’d go to Fenit and have the whole ocean to yourself, that’s a rarity now. That’s mostly due to Kevin and Elaine’s influence,” Ger explained.
Lastly, everyone needs support to achieve the things that are important in life. Whether a swimmer or a coach, both rely on supportive environments. Ger’s 40-year milestone is thanks in large part to the support of his family. His wife, Catherine, and their children, Aoife, Mark and Matthew are top of his list of supporters.
Ger is looking forward to the next 40 years being involved in swimming – his fortieth-year milestone with Kingdom Swimming Club is but a brief opportunity for reflection.
“When I was 39 years at Kingdom Swimming Club, I didn’t really think about it. When I got to 40, I did think about. It does give me encouragement. I will move swiftly on though,” he said.
“You reflect a lot on the people you meet and the things you’ve achieved. I’ve made lifelong friendships through swimming. It’s a great community to be involved in. There’s a lot that’s been achieved but also so much more that can. Nothing stays the same for too long.”
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