Rob O'Malley

My dear friend, mentor and long time swimming & water polo Coach Rock Snow just passed away. And, I wanted to take a moment to recognize and honor him. My heart goes out to Bart, Chad, Andy, Nikki, the entire Snow family and all who loved and were loved by him.

Rock was my coach from the time I was 10 years old all through high school. He was so much more than a coach though. He was a teacher, husband, father, grandfather, and a friend. He brought generations of kids and families together through his passion for swimming, water polo and just all around competition.

I’ll always cherish my time growing up in a small town in Ohio in the late 1900s traveling to swim meets and water polo tournaments on the weekends. It was only when I became an adult and a father myself, that I realized who in their right mind wants to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning and host swim practices, and then on the weekends drive miles away to swim meets in unbearably humid, loud natatoriums to watch every single kid from 8 to 18 years old swim a multitude of events? Rock Snow thats who!

Rock knew everyone’s events and their best times down to the 10th of a second. He went above and beyond the call of duty of any normal coach. You see I was a troubled kid and I caused a lot of trouble in and out of the pool. Even still, Rock never gave up on me throughout all my juvenile delinquent antics. Rock and his wife Shirley and the Snow family never shut their door on me, even if I showed up in the middle of the night an inebriated teenager with blood all over my face from a fight or on the run from the Cops. My life coulda went so many different terrible ways- death, prison, etc., but it was mentors and adults like Rock that stuck with me and helped me become the man I am today.

Thanks Coach. I’ll always cherish the guidance, patience and love you showed us all. It was a golden time before the Internet, where lifelong friendships, experiences and bonds were made through hard work, spirit and sport because of one man’s passion for youth, community, and the thrill of competition. He was our coach. He was our friend. He was our Rock.

The , his & wind up Happy Halloween!