On Saturday, January 20th, family, friends and teammates of Kevin Polansky, the “voice” of the NAIA National Championships, the NCAA Division II National Championships, the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships, and a host of other swim meets, large and small, convened in Loveland, Colorado to celebrate his life. Polansky passed away on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at practice, swimming with his team, Loveland Masters Swimming, in the pool where he had coached and swum since the 1970s.
Polansky’s family, friends, and Loveland Masters Swimming teammates honored him with a series of events in Loveland, Colorado. Among these were:
-The Loveland City Council changed the name of Lake Loveland to Kevin Polansky Lake for one day on Saturday January 20, 2018.
Photo courtesy of Craig Changstrom
-76 swimmers took part in a memorial swim at Mountain View High School from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
-In addition to the masters swimmers, many of Polansky’s former high school swimmers at Loveland High School took part in a paddle-out ceremony, which followed the memorial swim at 6:40 a.m. It was covered by the Loveland Daily Reporter Herald:
-Over 1000 family and friends, hundreds of whom wore Hawaiian shirts, gathered for a Memorial Service in honor of Polansky. 7 speakers and 2 ministers told stories that reminded everyone of the gift he had for making people believe he was their best friend.
-Meanwhile, several coaches from the Bluegrass Mountain Conference posted photos of themselves on Facebook, clad in Hawaiian shirts at dual meets over the weekend, in memory of Polansky.
Note: the URL for Polansky’s obituary is http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/kevin-polansky-obituary?pid=187822783
A memorial account has been established in Polansky’s name. Contributions can be made payable to “The Kevin Polansky Memorial Account” and can be sent to Matt Polansky at 1151 Eagle Drive, Ste. 337, Loveland, CO 80537. Contributions will be used to fund/improve swimming facilities in Loveland/Northern Colorado.
Anne, thank you so much for sharing this video clip and information with those of us who could not be there to honor Kevin last weekend. He was an amazing man who made a positive impact on so many in the swimming community. I will certainly miss his voice and his smile at the NCAA DII National Championships.