A 38 year loosing streak came to an end for Norwalk, but it wasn’t the score they were cheering for. At this swim meet the cheering is for Kelly Devine. Kelly was born in Norwalk, and graduated from Norwalk High in 1997. Kelly started swimming at about age 7 or 8 and she was immediately very good at it “drawing comparisons to my Aunt Crissy, who was a great Norwalk swimmer back in the 1970’s”, says Kevin Devine, her little brother.
At the time club teams, and high school teams were a lot smaller than they are now, so Kelly always stood out, as she qualified for age groups and zones all four years, which was not common for Norwalk swimmers. When senior year came for she became the captain for the NHS team and won the Class LL State Championship in the 50 yard freestyle.
After high school she continued in college and was initially cut from the William and Mary swim program as a freshman, but she persevered and made the team as a sophomore and was a captain as a senior. She started coaching at Shore and Country club at age 16 and continued for 17 summers as head coach. She also became a english teacher at New Canaan Middle School for 12 years.
Kelly wasn’t just a dedicated swimmer, she was a leader, and she was a person who brought communities together. She was “a great leader as the oldest of 5 kids and the one who kind of blazed a trail for the rest of us in swimming and in school, ” says Kevin Devine. “Kelly was a loyal fan of both teams, as a 1997 NHS graduate, and then attending meets regularly from 2011-2015 when her younger sister Kim was on the NHS swim team. She regularly went to New Canaan High School swim meets to support students she had in class. In 2016 “many girls on both teams knew Kelly,” says Kellys mom, as she was always around both communities. Kelly was such a huge part of both swim teams and thats what led to the Kelly Devine meet.
Every year New Canaan and Norwalk come together during their meet to honor and remember Kelly. Pam Ralia, the current Norwalk High girls swim coach was Kellys first coach at the age 7 and also her high school coach. “Both coaches wanted to honor Kelly and started the meet in September 2016, following Kellys sudden death in April 2016,” says Kellys mom. Special caps are handed out to both teams to wear in honor of Kelly. At the end of the meet an award is given to the 50 freestyle winner because it was Kellys best event. This year Norwalk Swimmer Mackenzie Grey won the event “it felt really accomplishing and it felt good to know my teammates were cheering for me” says Grey. Then at the end of the meet, gifts are exchanges between the swimmers on both teams. Each player picks their favorite book and exchanges it with a swimmer on the other team in honor of Kelly being a English teacher.
There are actually two Kelly Devine meets, one at NHS and another relay meet and Shore and Country every July that is run by her younger brother, Dan Devine. “I love both events and Im touched by the effort everyone puts into making sure that the meets reflect who Kelly was as a person,” says Kevin Devine. The Devine family loves to swim and compete, but also loves to see the swimmers having fun and just cheering on each other, without worrying about the score. “I love the little touches that Dan, Coaches Munson and Raila have added to the meets that reflect her personalty – whether its the book exchange, everyone wearing the same cap and cheering for each other, or the silly diving exhibition and family relay at the summer meet. It’s just a joy to be a part of and I attend every year I possibly can, ” says Kevin Devine.
To add onto this meet, Norwalk High beat New Canaan for the first time in 38 years. “It was a great feeling, we usually come up short with New Canaan, they are a very strong program. This year everyone was ready, and did what they needed to do. This meet was a team win and a great ending to the Kelly Devine meet” says Coach Minnocci, the girls swim and dive coach. Although at the end day both teams, both communities, only care about one thing and that is honoring Kelly Devine.
