A former competitive swimmer and triathlon competitor started as the new aquatics director for Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation earlier this week.

Kevin Ryan, a Cincinnati native and University of Kentucky graduate, was also hired as the new coach of the Swimchester Sailfish, a local swim club for children in the community, a couple months ago. The team, which has about 50 swimmers, is the largest renter of the pool with regular practices and meets.

While still getting used to the systems and controls for the facility at College Park Gym and preparing for a swim meet Wednesday evening, Ryan shared part of his story with The Winchester Sun.

Winchester Sun: Where did you grow up?

Kevin Ryan: I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.

My background in aquatics is I was a year-round swimmer for the YMCA there and I was a lifeguard at a rather large YMCA for several years.

I moved to Lexington, went to UK and studied chemical engineering there, and I was a walk-on for the swim team there all four years.

After that, I stayed in Lexington and was doing two things at the same time: I was coaching for and running the Lexington Polo Club and also racing triathlons professionally. I was working just enough to pay the bills because the training was absurd.

After spending a little time in San Diego training with a pro group there, I came back here full-time in 2014.

Primarily, getting back into aquatics has been through coaching. I was the head assistant coach for Kentucky Aquatics, which is the year-round swim team that trains at UK. I was hired at (Transylvania University) to start their women’s triathlon program (in 2018).

In July, I was hired by the Swimchester Sailfish to take over as head coach. That was my first head coaching job with club swimming. I really missed club swimming. I missed coaching kids.

Here, I can coach 11 months out of the year. Fortuitously, just a month ago, the aquatics director resigned to take a job in Georgetown.

(Parks and Recreation Director) Jeff  (Lewis) and the whole crew here liked my experience. They like the idea of having somebody… The swim team is the biggest renter of this facility. Having someone who can bridge those gaps, to solve any issues that don’t need to go upstairs. It’s one less kink in the information.

WS: How did you get started swimming seriously?

KR: I started with lessons at the YMCA. When I had passed the final swim lesson, they sold it as the next step after lessons is the swim team.

That was something we can really build on here is a lessons program where the natural progression is the swim team. That’s something Parks and Rec has really done well with.

They realize a strong swim community is good for the city of Winchester too. It makes every patron who uses this pool a little safer.

If you can get all the kids swimming well, any issues with safety will go way down. They’ve been good about realizing that.

WS: What do you love about club swimming and team swimming?

KR: There are a couple things. It’s changed over the years as I’ve matured and now transitioned from athlete to coach. It sounds so trite, but it’s such a metaphor for life. The harder you work, the better you’re going to do.

You learn lessons in failure, accountability.

When I’m coaching kids, I try to be really honest with them. When they’re doing something wrong, I tell them. But at the same time, if they’re doing something good, I tell them.

With swimming, it’s a very objective measure of success. It’s a time. I think that’s a very healthy thing for kids to learn that accountability, to work and that nothing’s going to be handed to them. If you don’t do the work, you’re going to get smoked in a race.

As a coach, I feel I can really build on that with life lessons and accountability and work.

You can build a positive atmosphere that’s still very honest. That’s what I’m working to achieve. I’m only three months into the job… but that’s my goal.

Long-term, I’d like to have something for everybody in that pool. They’ve done the infant survival swimming where you teach the babies to roll over to swim lessons to swim team to water aerobics, water Zumba, scuba diving. there are programs available for everyone that, over time, I want to add here.

My goal is that anyone could walk through the door and at some point during the week, there would be something there.