Available online
Description
When Teri McKeever took charge of the United States Olympic team for the London Olympics in 2012, she broke a barrier that many would be forgiven for thinking had been overcome a long time ago - be...coming the first female to coach the USA women's team at the games.Teri McKeever is one of the most successful and innovative coaches in swimming. Witness one of her training sessions at the outdoor pool at the University of California Berkeley in Oakland, California, and you are as likely to see her swimmers skipping with a rope, doing handstands and dancing to Hip Hop music as you are ploughing up and down the pool for hours on end.McKeever is the latest subject in The Managers and she tells Peter Bowes about her life and her journey from growing up as part of a huge family where sport was so integral to her and her sibling's lives, to becoming coach at UCAL, to taking over the US team.Her story begins with her father, Mike McKeever, who, alongside his twin brother, was a star college American Football player, who was killed in a car accident when Teri was six years old. After her mother remarried, her family grew and Teri took on a parental role to her younger brothers and sisters. What they had though when they stepped out of the back door meant that they could indulge in virtually any sport they wanted, a hockey pitch, softball diamond, and in Teri's case, a 50 metre swimming pool, all built by her step-father.Teri started swimming in national meets as a junior, with her mother as her coach, but it is as coach in her own right that she has excelled in the sport and she has been the head coach of the University of California Golden Bears for the past 20 years, winning national titles and accolades.As a coach she attracts some of the best swimmers in the world to her team, including Natalie Coughlin, Haley Cope, Jessica Hardy, and current team member the multi-Olympic medallist and World Champion, Missy Franklin, who tells Peter about why she was attracted to swim for McKeever, and how her coaching philosophy has helped her career.Teri reflects on the obstacles women sports coaches' face, especially in swimming, and how she has navigated those to become a pioneer in her sport.
When Teri McKeever took charge of the United States Olympic team for the London Olympics in 2012, she broke a barrier that many would be forgiven for thinking had been overcome a long time ago - be...coming the first female to coach the USA women's team at the games.Teri McKeever is one of the most successful and innovative coaches in swimming. Witness one of her training sessions at the outdoor pool at the University of California Berkeley in Oakland, California, and you are as likely to see her swimmers skipping with a rope, doing handstands and dancing to Hip Hop music as you are ploughing up and down the pool for hours on end.McKeever is the latest subject in The Managers and she tells Peter Bowes about her life and her journey from growing up as part of a huge family where sport was so integral to her and her sibling's lives, to becoming coach at UCAL, to taking over the US team.Her story begins with her father, Mike McKeever, who, alongside his twin brother, was a star college American Football player, who was killed in a car accident when Teri was six years old. After her mother remarried, her family grew and Teri took on a parental role to her younger brothers and sisters. What they had though when they stepped out of the back door meant that they could indulge in virtually any sport they wanted, a hockey pitch, softball diamond, and in Teri's case, a 50 metre swimming pool, all built by her step-father.Teri started swimming in national meets as a junior, with her mother as her coach, but it is as coach in her own right that she has excelled in the sport and she has been the head coach of the University of California Golden Bears for the past 20 years, winning national titles and accolades.As a coach she attracts some of the best swimmers in the world to her team, including Natalie Coughlin, Haley Cope, Jessica Hardy, and current team member the multi-Olympic medallist and World Champion, Missy Franklin, who tells Peter about why she was attracted to swim for McKeever, and how her coaching philosophy has helped her career.Teri reflects on the obstacles women sports coaches' face, especially in swimming, and how she has navigated those to become a pioneer in her sport.
| Series: | The managers |
|---|---|
| Episode | 5 |
| First transmission date: | 2014-06-07 |
| Original broadcast channel: | BBC World Service |
| Published: | 2014 |
| Rights Statement: | Rights owned or controlled by The Open University |
| Restrictions on use: | This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OU Digital Archive web pages. |
| Duration: | 00:55:00 |
| Note: | BBC World Service version |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Richard McIlroy |
| Presenter: | Peter Bowes |
| Contributors: | Peter Bowes; Teri McKeever; Missy Franklin; Kathie Wickstrand |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Production number: | AUDA965B |
| Available to public: | no |
