Swimming on in honor of Coach Rick Field

I thought of swimming as a solitary activity. The rhythmic breathing, 18-20 strokes to the wall, flip turn, repeat, blocking out all sound and sights and just following the black line.

Other than being a part of my high school swim team, which I had joined because my friend Tara encouraged me, I’ve been swimming laps by myself for more than 20 years. 

Coach Rick

I was in the pool at Rocky Run Y several years ago, when Rick Field walked over and told me my right hand was entering the water too far to the side. I had met Rick in 2011, when he first started as a swim coach and teacher at the Y. I didn’t know what to make of him at first, he seemed loud and maybe a bit pushy, but he grew on me and I saw how much he cared for his swimmers to succeed.

The Cedar Island 5K

So in November 2019, after many years of asking me to join his swim workouts, I broke away from the solitary swim life to be part of a team again. Every Sunday from 7-8:30 a.m., our swim group would try our best following Rick’s practice and I remembered how social swimming can be. I also swam open water races with the Rocky Run Y Creek Rats, went to happy hours and team dinners. He was our biggest cheerleader, and offered encouragement along with doses of reality as he happily posted photos and write-ups of our adventures. "What a group of miscreants! Needless to say a very diverse group of both young and old, wise and foolish, and for the most part well-prepared," Rick wrote in August 2019 on Facebook about the Cedar Island 5K race.

I felt so strong and accomplished during those months. I had no idea that the March 8, 2020 swim practice would be my last for nearly two years. Rocky Run Y would shutdown at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the shutdowns, which closed the pools for nearly four months, Rick would send his swimmers encouraging e-mails and conduct online stretch cord workouts. But I could not find the energy and just felt aimless; I was laid off from work and my dad was isolated and alone at a nursing home, where he would pass away on May 25, 2020 from Covid-19. But Rick didn’t give up. He continued to e-mail me, “stay strong,” he would write. Once the Y reopened, he’d consistently ask when I was coming back to the pool.   

Finally on Jan. 6, 2022 I returned to the pool deck and immediately felt recharged swimming with Coach Rick’s SwimFitters. Every Thursday morning, Rick, usually wearing his “I’m the coach, that’s why” T-shirt, would stalk the sides of the pool and tell us to tread when he thought we had too long of a break.

   When he went into the hospital in March 2022 for a heart procedure, I just assumed he would be back quicker than anyone. He was a force of nature, someone who seemed stronger than any 79-year-old I’ve ever met. I sent him an e-mail on March 10 with a photo from that day’s practice. I told him we had done our best & that I hoped he was feeling better. He wrote back that afternoon and said he’d heard it was a “great class” and thanked me for my effort. On Saturday, March 12, Rick sent an e-mail saying he was, “looking forward to getting back to poolside.” He stated he would be return on Wednesday morning. But at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, March 14, a fellow swimmer called to tell me that Rick had passed away during the night.

Our first swim without Coach.

   The news came as such a shock. That Thursday, a few members of our group got together at the usual time to train in his memory. Tears were shed as we reminisced about the coach who brought an eclectic bunch of swimmers from around the world, and range from beginners to former college athletes, together. We weren’t sure how to navigate the waters without him, but we’ve continued on and have even grown in numbers. I've made some great new friendships this year and I owe it all to swimming. Because of Rick's daughter Renee, I’m now the grateful owner of several of his three-ring binders full of his laminated workouts. I’ve learned so much from them and have incorporated his ideas into the weekly workouts I write for the SwimFitters. In the spirit of Coach's weekly e-mail newsletters, I spotlight the achievements of our swimmers & offer encouragement as they take on new athletic events such as open water races.

Lane 1 dedicated to Coach.

   For over five decades, Rick coached hundreds of swimmers all around the globe. His last 10 years were spent at the Y, where last summer a plaque was dedicated to him on the pool deck. I think we honor him by continuing our practices, and I know he’d be impressed by our diligence and improvements. He might not care much for the after-practice donuts or the holiday-themed workouts, but he’d understand that swimming is social for many and that he’d be proud of us.

Many of Rick's swimmers attended the plaque dedication.

The 2022 SwimFit Holiday Party!