‘A Leader Both in the Pool and on the Deck’: New Canaan and Norwalk High Schools Hold Inaugural ‘Kelly Devine Dual’ Swim Meet

Something jumped out at Doug Marchetti, athletic director at Norwalk High School, when he reviewed the FCIAC fall schedule on its release this summer.

A matchup in girls swimming that would have brought together the two communities most dear to Kelly Devine, and in the sport she loved, was missing: Norwalk versus New Canaan.

“We said, ‘Hey, let’s not lose the opportunity to honor Kelly by having a meet among two teams and two communities that she was very close to,’ ” Marchetti recalled Monday afternoon from the deck at the New Canaan YMCA’s competitive pool, flanked by Norwalk coach Pam Raila and NCHS coach David Fine. “Both communities thought the world of her so we said, ‘Hey, let’s put something together’ … Through the generosity of the New Canaan YMCA, we were able to host it here today.”

The inaugural ‘Kelly Devine Dual’ meet drew dozens of friends, colleagues and family members to the Y for a competition that featured a variety of tributes to the beloved, late NCHS and Saxe teacher. The swimmers wore specially made caps that featured ‘Kelly Devine Dual’ in a heart on one side, and a favorite motto of hers—‘Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose’—on the other. The phrase also appeared on ‘KKD’ (Kelly Kathleen Devine) T-shirts and many of the swimmers created tribute posters (see gallery above) that dotted the far wall of the pool deck. Programs for the meet were made available and Fine opened it with some remarks about Devine—herself an accomplished swimmer at Norwalk High School and the College of William & Mary, as well as swim coach, at Norwalk’s Shore and Country Club—and addressed the crowd again after the 50-yard freestyle, an event at which Devine excelled. After the meet, the girls received copies of a favorite book of the career English teacher, “Grayson” by Lynne Cox.

Her mother, Cathy Devine, called the gathering “very heartwarming.”

“She loved swimming. She loved teaching and swimming, they were her passions,” Cathy Devine said of her eldest child. “The support has been incredible because our hearts have really been broken.”

Kelly’s father, Jay Devine, and brothers Kevin, Daniel and Robert also were in attendance. Her sister, Kim Devine, was unable to attend as she had a psychology test at that very time at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., where she’s a sophomore. (New Canaan edged Norwalk-McMahon 97-83 in the meet itself; Cathy Devine declared her family “neutral” as to the outcome.)

A deeply loved and respected teacher and swim coach who made an indelible impression on hundreds of students and athletes, Kelly Devine died suddenly in April at age 36. Since then, Devine’s hometown and New Canaan have seen testaments to her uncanny reach and the high esteem in which others held her roll out steadily: an estimated 800 people attended her funeral at St. Philip Church in Norwalk, a scholarship founded in her name rapidly accumulated more than $50,000, a fundraising team formed in her name, a new award for NCHS students was launched and many of those she touched have posted tributes.

A new tribute appeared on a poolside poster during the meet, as follows:

“Dear Ms. Devine: I remember first day of freshman year like it was yesterday. I was like the rest of the freshmen, early to your period I class and scared out of my mind. You walked into the classroom w/ a smile on your face and allowed me to attack you with questions. No matter what day it was or how gloomy it was, or how misbehaved our class was a smile never left your face and your always cracked a joke. Then coming sophomore year whenever I passed your classroom you made sure to say hi to me and of course how I was doing in sophomore English. I really took for granted seeing you every day outside your door, because in all honesty you making sure that you said hi to me made my chaotic day better. I miss you a lot Ms. Devine, your constant support in freshman and sophomore English helped a lot. Not only were you a tremendous teacher but a friend. Your commitment to me and other students in this school has not only helped me in school classes like English but you have made a big impact on me to be a better student and friend. Thank you for always trying to get the best out of me in English and always [being] willing to help me out when I wasn’t doing so well in class. I’m really glad I got to talk to you before you passed, and I wish I could have talked to you longer. Thank you again for being my teacher and role model. Sorry for not always being the best student. I miss you all the time Ms. Devine. Thank you. Love, Rachel Panzano”

One of her former swimmers at the club, NCHS junior Lizza Colwell, called Devine “inspiring and very cheerful and happy” as a coach.

“She had a great time and really wanted you to do well,” Colwell said.

That was a defining characteristic, according to Fine.

Devine was “one of the most talented coaches I’ve ever worked with,” he said.

“I was at Newfield the same amount of time that she has been at Shore and Country, and she brought that team from a fourth-division team to one of the best teams in Fairfield County. And it wasn’t that it was a fluke—‘Hey, we got one year’—she developed it, and more than anything else, they won but they were having so much fun in everything they did. There are other teams in Fairfield County Swim League that win year after year, and you kind of see this ‘We have to win or it’s not important,’ or ‘We have to do this or we didn’t reach our goals.’ Those kids in her club, if they didn’t win, they still reached every goal that they had because they enjoyed the process—and she created that.”

Raila, who coached Devine at Norwalk, called her “a great athlete.”

“She was a leader both in the pool and on the deck. She was very much like a big sister to all the rest of the swimmers. She was a captain her senior year. She worked hard.”

Raila said that Devine would have bee pleased by the dual meet.

“She was a modest person,” she said. “But I think because it’s athletic, because it’s between the two communities and we are really educating the girls about it, too. I know a lot of my swimmers didn’t really know who she was … So we get to educate them about this wonderful woman and what she’s done for her two communities.”

Those who attended the meet included NCHS Principal Bill Egan and Athletic Director Jay Egan, and several of Devine’s fellow public schools educators.

Kat Munson, a fellow swim coach, friend and educator in New Canaan, said she was excited about the new dual meet and also called the event “bittersweet.”

“It’s awesome that everyone could come together and do something that brings together both of the communities that Kelly loved and that brings her love of literature at the high school and at Saxe and being a swim coach,” Munson said. “But also, we wish that she was here for this. It has been weird going through this season. At those tight meets, I used to be able to look up and see her face and giving the thumbs-up. Her absence is definitely felt. But I feel her presence here today, which is pretty awesome.”

Kevin Devine said that he was the one sibling that hasn’t been involved in swimming in recent years—a fact that was made clear during family gatherings where “Kelly would spend the entire time talking about swimming with my parents and siblings and I would say, ‘I got nothing,’ ” he recalled with a smile.

“This was what she talked about every day, all the time,” he said.

Fine in his remarks thanked the YMCA’s Craig Panzano, as well as Claire Egan and Kat Munson, and said that the dual meet will become a “longstanding tradition uniting the two communities around such an influential person.”

Here’s a full transcription of Fine’s remarks following the 50 free:

“A lifelong resident of Norwalk, Kelly began her swimming career as a six-year-old at Shorehaven Golf Club. Kelly quickly embraced the sport, and started training year-round with the Norwalk Zeus Swim Team. Over the next decade, Kelly was a leader both in and out of the water, acting as older sister and mentor for numerous teammates including four siblings who followed her footsteps into the pool. In high school, Kelly competed for the Norwalk High swim team, where she served as team captain and was the Class LL state champion in the 50-yard freestyle. As a student, she was active in Model UN and was among the top fie students in her graduating class. She went on to swim at the College of William & Mary, where she was elected team captain her senior year.

“Kelly then fulfilled a childhood dream when she became a teacher in the New Canaan Public Schools system. Kelly served as a teacher in the New Canaan school district for 14 years, beginning her career at Saxe Middle School where she was both a sixth- and eighth-grade English teacher. Four years ago, Kelly made the transition to the high school, where she taught ninth-grade English and was the school’s reading specialist. Kelly created an environment in her classroom where students felt supported, respected and safe. She was able to connect with even the most resistant students, to motivate them, and to inspire them to share her love of literature and reading.

“Kelly was beloved by the entire school community.

Kelly continued to stay active in the swimming world throughout her adult life, as well. She accepted the position of head coach at Shore & Country Club where many swimmers from both schools began their own journey. In her 17-year career, the program flourished under her passionate leadership. By her last season, the team had more than doubled in size, and finished in second place in Fairfield County. Along the way, Kelly encouraged hundreds of children to take up the sport of swimming, and she helped to create a culture of support, enthusiasm and sportsmanship among her athletes. She had a strong influence within the coaching community, as several of her former assistants have gone on to become head coaches themselves.

“Kelly passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack in April 2016. She will always be remembered for the kindness, sincerity and generosity that she showed every person she encountered throughout her time as a student, mentor, teacher and coach. Though she is sorely missed, her legacy lives on among the countless students, swimmers, teachers and coaches who were fortunate enough to call her a colleague, mentor and friend.”