The Canadian province of Nova Scotia is mourning the loss of David Fry, a long time coach on the East coast.
Fry’s name is synonimous with Nova Scotian swimming, spanning an illustrious coaching career which most recently had him leading the Dalhousie Tigers in the CIS.
Fry became the head coach of the Tigers in 1998 where he remained for 14-years until his retirement in 2012. Fry’s Tigers won multiple Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference championships and he produced several CIS Champions.
Even his retirement couldn’t keep him away from the pool. After several other coaching stints and work as a board member for both Swim Nova Scotia and the Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association, Fry found his way back to Dalhousie where he was assisting with the team this season.
Bette El-Hawary and Sue Jackson on behalf of Swim Nova Scotia and the Dal Tigers themselves issued statements about Fry’s passing.
Swim Nova Scotia Mourns Loss of Long Time Coach, Mentor & Friend David Fry
It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of David Fry, coach, mentor and friend who passed away peacefully at home with his loved ones today.
David had a stellar coaching career in Nova Scotia; his passion, dedication, and commitment to our sport was remarkable and he will be sorely missed.
David first began coaching in Wolfville with the Tritons as a young age group assistant coach; from there he became an undergrad at Acadia University swimming with their Varsity team. After graduating from Acadia, David went to Queen’s University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Returning to Nova Scotia, he began a coaching career with the Dartmouth Crusaders Swim Club, which spanned 12 years; during that time he coached Marie Moore and Andrew Cole to their National achievements. While David coached with the Crusaders, he also became an Assistant Coach with Dalhousie University Tigers under Coach Nigel Kemp in 1981. Coach Fry stayed with the Tigers as an Assistant Coach until 1998, when he became the Head Coach upon Nigel’s retirement. David remained the Head Coach until 2012, when he announced his retirement. While with the Tigers he played an integral role in the development and success of top swimmers Nancy Garapick, Susan MacLeod, and David Sharpe. The Tigers earned numerous Atlantic University Sport (AUS) championship banners; over 20 podium finishes at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships, Coach of the Year titles and a number of Conference records.
Following retirement from Coaching David joined the Swim Nova Scotia Board of Directors and became an active Learning Facilitator to promote coach education. He also joined the Board of Directors of the Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association (CSCTA), holding various portfolios. Last season we saw David back on the pool deck working with the Wolfville Tritons Swim Club as a mentor coach and as the Interim Head Coach of the Acadia University Swim Team. He was back on the pool deck this season with the Dalhousie Tigers assisting with their program.
David’s philosophy and outlook on life had such a positive impact on everyone he met: swimmers, coaches, parents, and volunteers. He touched so many people’s lives; he truly was a very special person. We will miss him.
A celebration of David’s life will take place on October 31 at 2:00pm at the Dalhousie Faculty Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
DALHOUSIE
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of former Tigers swim coach, David Fry.
David Fry began his career with the Tigers in 1981, spending two seasons as an interim head coach while Nigel Kemp was on sabbatical (1981 and 1993), and assisting with the Tigers until 1998 when he was named Kemp’s successor. In his 16 years as head coach, he amassed 30 conference titles, leading his teams to a nearly unblemished Atlantic University Sport championship record, earning titles every year with just two exceptions (men’s 1992-93, women’s 2000-01). David was named Dalhousie’s coach of the year four times, an AUS coach of the year 20 times (10 times each for men’s and women’s swimming), and was also named CIS coach of the year for the women in 2003 and for the men in 2007.
His knowledge for the sport and coaching talent has been essential in the Tigers success in the pool. He has led Dalhousie athletes to over 20 CIS championship podium finishes including multi-year medalists David Sharpe (3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) and Kiera Aitken (2 silver, 1 bronze). In 2004, he joined Bermuda’s Olympic swim team coaching staff to coach Kiera at the summer games in Athens, Greece.
When David retired as Dalhousie’s head coach, he said, “I felt the time was right. I turned 60 this year and have been coaching for 40 years. I am very proud of my 30-year involvement with Dalhousie swimming, with 16 of those years as head coach. We have developed a tradition of excellence that I am confident will continue with the fine student-athletes that are currently on the team and those that will be here in the years to come.”
Those at Dalhousie who know David have witnessed his dedication to the Tigers and the team’s success.
“We are tremendously saddened by the loss of David,” says Tim Maloney, Dalhousie’s director of varsity athletics. “His contributions to Dalhousie, the sport of swimming and our community leave an outstanding legacy. As a coach, mentor and friend, David set an example for all us to strive for.”
David was unable to stay away from the pool for long, returning to the Tigers coaching staff as a stroke coach the last couple of years in addition to taking the helm of Acadia’s swim teams as interim head coach last season.
After graduating from Acadia University with a BA and obtaining a BEd from Queen’s University, David began his coaching career in 1973. He received an MA in Coaching Science from Lakehead University in 1977 and a law degree from Dalhousie’s law school in 1998. A previous chair of the Nova Scotia Swim Coaches Association, David has been a level 1 and 2 coaching certification instructor for over 15 years. In 1981 and 1997 he was head coach for the Nova Scotia Canada Games teams and in 1984 he led the Canadian national junior team to the national championships in Scotland. Aside from coaching, David was a teacher for 35 years.
It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of David Fry. David was uniquely gifted as a swim coach; he helped many young athletes on their way to success in the pool. David was also a great inspiration for other swim coaches. David had great success as a coach but never forgot that his athletes were persons and not merely “swimming machines”.
We will all miss him very much.
Very sad news, David was a great coach and even greater man. I grew up in Halifax and started my swimming career with the Trojans and always loved when David would lead sessions when our head coach was away. He did an amazing job with the University program and through the years I always valued speaking to him about coaching when I was back home visiting family. He will be missed by all who knew him.