Teri McKeever instructs a group of nine and ten year olds. Photo provided

Teri McKeever, head coach of Cal women's swim team and 2012 US Olympic coach, visited with parents at Sun Valley Swim Club Tuesday, April 26. The visit was part of Sun Valley Swim Team's bi-annual Cal Bears instructional clinic. This year was particularly exciting for participants since the Bears just won the NCAA National Championship- their second win in three years.
At Sun Valley Pool, McKeever spoke of her early years as a USC swimmer and as local swim coach at Meadow Pool in Orinda, experiences that ultimately landed her the Cal job in 1992. McKeever credits the ongoing success of the Cal swim team to the program's focus on personal accountability and excellence, as well as her personal belief that as a coach it's her role to nurture relationships among her swimmers.
McKeever admitted that over the years her priority has shifted from choosing recruits with the fastest training time to those who can reflect and learn from the inevitable setback, and who have a strong sense of self.
McKeever stressed that it's most important that swimming brings joy to a kid's life. "Without that joy", she said "swimming is a hard sport."

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