Meet Norma Kumm
Saturday was well-known swim coach, Norma Kumm's, last age-group swim meet. Kumm has been a swimming coach for 44 years.
She started her coaching career in 1976, when she was only 27. She kicked off her career in Johannesburg at the Southern Transvaal Teachers’ and Coaches’ Association. She then relocated a couple of times, joining different places to coach, such as the Natal Coaches’ and Teachers’ Committee, Durban North, under Elizabeth Smith’s mentorship.
After this, she started her own club called FINS. Kumm found her way to Mbombela in 1988, when her husband was transferred to Sappi Forestry. She was on the Mpumalanga Swimming Committee as an additional member, then became a coaches’ representative for three years.
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She spent her mornings coaching swimming at Nelspruit Primary, Lowveld High School, Uplands Prep, Penryn Prep and St Peter’s. After she was approached by Lowveld High School, she changed her club’s name to Impala Swimming Club, at the school’s request, but changed it back to its original name a couple of years ago.
Her afternoons were spent coaching at the Van Riebeeck Park pool. She has many great memories in her coaching career and a couple stand out. Some of her fondest are those of 1992 when she and coach Martie Vieters accompanied a team to Belgium for 10 days to participate in the Nicky Noble Championship.
“In 1996, the Nelspruit Rotary Club sponsored Ebert Kleinhans, a partially sighted swimmer, and myself as coach for a two-week trip to Norway to join a disabled-sports camp.”
However, in all her years, her fondest memory will always be having had the privilege to teach and watch the swimmers improve. Although she will not be coaching provincially anymore, she still intends to keep coaching stroke technique and school swimmers.
When we asked Kumm why she chose swimming, she had this to say: “I qualified as a bookkeeper, but over the years I believe swimming chose me. Thinking back, I truly believe that swimming, for me, was a gift from God that I have been privileged to carry forward, to share my expertise and experience with others. And I love the sport.”
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