Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s John Ross exits the pool

CEDAR RAPIDS – After 20 years as a volunteer, assistant and a head coach, John Ross felt like now was the time to exit the Cedar Rapids Kennedy pool.

In a decision he termed, ‘very difficult,' Ross met with the Kennedy girls' swimming and diving team Friday and announced his retirement.

'My total heart and emotion was committed to the amazing young ladies that I've been able to work with at Kennedy over the years,” Ross said in a phone interview with The Gazette. 'It means a lot to me that the girls have the best for them to be able to fulfill their goals and to be able to move forward with the swimming and diving at Kennedy.”

Ross, 61, began his swim coaching career as a volunteer, then joined both the boys' and girls' coaching staffs as an assistant. In 2004, Ross was elevated to head girls' swimming coach.

Ross coached two individual state champions in Catie Baker (200-yard individual medley, 2005) and All-American diver Meghan Sievertsen, who won the last of her three-straight diving state championships in Ross' first season as head coach.

Ross established the KAST (Kennedy Area Swim Team) summer swim program eight years ago, and closed his coaching career in style with his second Mississippi Valley Conference championship in October. At the girls' swimming state championships in November, Kennedy placed in the top 10 for the second year in a row.

'I'm so fortunate to be able to have been a part of some amazing young people's process of growing and learning and finding out that they're pretty talented and can do a lot of things,” Ross said.

A Kennedy swimmer himself, Ross graduated in 1973 and earned a music theory composition degree from St. Olaf (Minn.) four years later. In retirement, Ross will continue to focus on his construction businesses, spend more time with his grandchildren, visit his daughter in Seattle and travel with his wife, Diana. Diana Ross retired last spring from her teaching position at Kennedy.

Trying to pinpoint a singular career highlight, as expected, proved too difficult. Ross placed high value on the entire process of coaching and the chance to make a positive impact on young people.

'The process and continually trying to improve as a coach,” Ross said. 'To educate myself, to expose myself to Olympic coaches and see what they were doing. And then ultimately, hopefully, being able to present a message that hard work pays off and dedication and taking time to develop those trust relationships with the kids. And that they, in hand, will continue that process in their life of being able to give themselves for the benefit of others. That was really rewarding in itself to be able to do that.”

Kennedy will begin the search for a successor.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com