Some of us are so fortunate to be enriched by the presence and guidance of others in our lives. I would like to take a minute to talk about one such person, who is now retiring from the position through which our connection was made.

In the 6th grade, I began school in a new town. As a 12 year old boy, having just left behind my childhood friends, I felt like a fish out of water in that new place. One day after school, I decided to head down to the pool for intramural swimming. I recall that this option was never a very popular one… it seemed that basketball and wrestling got the lion’s share of participants. Some weeks it was just me, other weeks there were some others, but all in all it was pretty unstructured. There I met the assistant coach of the high school swim team. Little did I know at that time, but this assistant coach, we’ll call him “valz,” was serving as a spy for the team. Come 8th grade, he encouraged me to join the swim team the following year.

So, the following year, having roped in two friends to join me, I headed over to the pool to see just what the deal was with this swim team. What I ended up a part of was perhaps the single most important thing to take place during my high school years, and to date one of the most important in my life. I can’t recall what the first day was like, but I do remember that I found myself a tad intimidated, surrounded by many swimmers who I felt were far better than me. I hadn’t touched any sort of weights before then, and I was really just your run of the mill scrawny 15 year old.

But I soon realized that I was somewhere special, and for this I have Pete Foley to thank. Foley, at that time, was already a legend in the town. He was not only the swim team coach, but also the athletic director responsible for the oversight of all teams. I recall his office as being filled with trophies, team photos, candids and loads of paperwork; the faces on the walls and desks spoke volumes. During that first year with the team I worked as hard as I had ever in my life.

It’s always difficult to say right off the bat how some people are able to inspire others. With Foley, part of his genius was that although he was always present, in fact a force, he never micromanaged. That is, he was able to channel his efforts so that group cohesion would grow upon itself. And so I went from being a relative loner to a member of this great extended family which was the team. Now don’t get me wrong, there were days when the last thing we wanted to do was even dip a toe in that pool, but somehow “The Folz” kept us going.

My first moment with the Folz was born out of less than fortuitous circumstances. I had completed the backstroke leg of a 200 yd medley relay (order = back, breast, fly, free.) We had done well, a respectable third place. However, after the final member of the medley clocked in, I though it would be in order to hop back in a swim a warm-down lap, after all, this was the standard practice after a sprint. What I failed to realize was that in the case of relays, only the last swimmer was entitled to this lap, and if a member from a previous leg touched the water again then the group was disqualified.

I recall vividly that as I was in the air between the lip of the pool and the surface of the water, I turned to see the Folz looking at me in horror. Of course what followed was an ignominious whistle by the referee (a grumpy one,) followed by the notice that I had just disqualified the relay. But it was what happened next that was really the main event. Foley came over and explained what I had done. He was upset, of course, but he was not vituperative and he did not embarrass me any further than I already was. I knew I had screwed up bad, but I never once felt defensive. Later that evening on the bus ride back to town the team captain came up to me with some encouraging words; again the entire team was “on message.”

Thankfully, not all Folz moments were born out of such circumstances. There was, for instance, the training trip in Maine. While at a restaurant, he was approached and asked for his autograph. Although Folz was well known and respected, high school swimming coaches are not usually afforded such a request. We soon realized that his would be admirer had mistaken him for John McCain, who at that point was driving his Straight Talk Express around New England… At the end of the school year I wrote into the McCain campaign and requested a poster (can you believe that?) which arrived promptly. After those of us who were present at the original signing signed it ourselves, we presented it to him. He was, of course, quite flattered…

My senior year I was elected one of the team’s captains. Of course, these four years were full of other stories, events and mishaps. Let it suffice to say, though, that the transition from a scrawny 15 year old kid to a confident and trusted team leader was due to the leadership of the Folz. But even more important than my story is the fact that there are a few hundred people out there, from 18 – 50 years old now, who have a similar one thanks to this man. Pete Foley was both a kick in the ass and the inspiration that drove us to be champions. As he enters his long deserved retirement, he can rest assured that his contribution to the team, the town, and hundreds if not thousands of young men and women will never be forgotten.

Thanks Folz,