​Kincardine Kippers Swim Team celebrates 60th anniversary

Dave Kohut remembers that day in 1991 when he dropped off his son for practice with the Kincardine Kippers Swim Team.

“I was watching him from the gallery above and I noticed there was no coach for the beginner lane,” he recalls. “I knew the warm-up routine, so I went down on deck to help out until the coach arrived.”

From that day, Kohut’s interest grew and he was hooked, becoming team president a few years later, a position he currently holds as the group celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Kippers began in 1965 under the direction of former competitive swimmer Ann Sharr of Texas and Barbara Ann Eggleton. While the swimmers developed strength swimming off the north pier, they were unable to practise such skills as turning and head-down swimming, very important components for speed.

In 1973, Sam MacGregor graciously opened his pool to the swimmers for practices. And in 1976, a year after the Davidson Centre opened, the Kippers began practising at the pool there, charging swimmers to join the team to cover the cost of pool rental.

“When I became president of the Kippers Swim Club in the mid-1990s, there were four teams in our league,” says Kohut. “Fergus and Kincardine were the largest teams, followed by Elmira and then Walkerton. In 2002, the Walkerton team folded due to a lack of community support.

“Over the years, the Fergus and Elmira teams grew to be much larger than Kincardine’s team. Fergus and Elmira pay their coaches, but Kincardine has a long tradition of volunteers coaching and governing the club. Joe Casciano and Ken Corbett have coached and Mike Specht has helped on the executive since the early ‘90s.”

Kohut says Kippers has always had more girls than boys, but recently, this ratio has become much more pronounced. The team needs more boys.

“Swimming is certainly an important life skill, especially in a lakeside resort town,” he says. “With strong swimming skills developed in the Kippers training program, many of our swimmers easily transition into lifeguarding.”

The swim team marked its 60th anniversary with a special awards banquet at the Davidson Centre, Kincardine, Friday evening, July 11.

The event began with a family swim, followed by a potluck dinner, presentations by Kincardine mayor Kenneth Craig and deputy mayor Andrea Clarke, and the presentation of awards. The municipality presented a plaque and gifts to Casciano, Kohut, Corbett and Specht for all their years of commitment to the club.

The following team awards were presented:
 

• Peter Dingle Award, for the boy and girl who have shown team spirit and sportsmanship - Adelaide Boettinger and Mathijs London
• Beta Sigma Phi Award, for the most improved boy and girl - Ayla Wall and Luke Hazelwood
• Emma Johnstone Memorial “Love of Swimming” Award, for the swimmer who demonstrates the special qualities Emma had – Harmony Shute
• B.A. Eggleton Award - chosen by the other team members - for the boy and girl who have shown team spirit and sportsmanship - Alex  White and Mila Henhoeffer

To be eligible to join the team, you must be able to swim the length of the pool, unassisted, and be under the age of 19, as of Aug. 31. For more information, contact Kohut at 519-386-2222.