Long time coaching duo brings home medals from Games of Texas

Submitted photo. Used with permission.

By Chris Price
Copyright 2016 Texas Aquatics News

EDINBURG, TEXAS (July 30, 2016) It is one thing to coach swimmers and expect them to follow said coach's instructions. It is quite another to coach swimmers and be able compete right along side of them. It goes to show that the phrase "do as I say and also as I do" has meaning well beyond the standard definition for the swimmers from Pasadena, Texas. The long-time coaching duo of Robert and Darla Kelly, who have been involved in swimming not just in Texas, but nationally and internationally for well over 35 years, joined their South Belt Area "All Stars" Swimming Team (SBAS) swimmers in competing at the Texas Amateuar Atheltic Federation (TAAF) Games of Texas on July 30, 2016 in Edinburg Texas. Between the two coaches, they competed in eight events, winning a total of three gold and five silver medals.

Darla, who is the co-head coach of SBAS and the head swimming and diving coach at Pasadena (Texas) High School, won silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle, 50-meter backstroke, and 50-meter breaststroke in the 55-59 year old division. Her times also established new SBAS team records in the events. Robert, who is also the co-head coach of SBAS won gold medals in the 60-64 year old division in the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter freestyle, and 50-meter backstroke. He also took silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter breaststroke. Kelly, who is the long time swimming and diving coach at both Sam Rayburn High School and Pasadena Memorial High School, also served as the aquatic facilities manager for the Pasadena (Texas) Independent School District.

Both Kelly's have now qualified for the 2017 State Games of America National Championships to be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 3-6, 2017. They will be joined by the SBAS relay team of Landon Howard, Devin Graham, Clayton Melo, and Tristan Morgan, who also qualified for the national games. Howard is a previous competitor at the national event, having led a contingent of South Belt swimmers to the event in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2015. In addition to the relay swimmers and the Kellys, former Pasadena High School All-American swimmer and Houston Cougar letterman Kristine Kelly will be making the trip north in 2017. The daugher of the coaching duo, who just graduated from South Texas College of Law in May, has been on a three-year hiatus from swimming competition due to her law school studies. The former state and national champion won six gold medals in the 2003 State Games of America and has been invited to compete in the 2017 games as a former champion.

The Kelly, along with all their SBAS swimmers will now have a few weeks off prior to starting the upcoming high swimming season, in addition to preparing for the 2017 Winter Games of Texas swimming competition in Frisco, Texas in January, 2017.