Columbus swimmer, coach Karen Waters selected to Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame

When Karen Waters is inducted into the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, she’ll go in as the only swimmer in the hall’s 23-year history. It’s a fitting situation for Waters, who excelled at Columbus High as the school’s lone swimmer before carrying her passion for the sport forward for the rest of her life.

“It’s an extreme honor to represent the sport of swimming,” Waters said. “To represent the area in general is a humbling experience, especially to see who’s already in (the Hall of Fame). I can’t believe I’m going to be associated with these people.”

Waters, who maiden name was Karen Hill, said she first became interested in swimming at 7 years old when she saw Green Island Country Club’s team in action. She soon started swimming for Windsor Park’s team, and before too long she fell in love with the sport.

Waters’ talent was recognized by Jim Young, who encouraged Waters’ parents to have her swim year-round. It was an unusual idea to her parents, but they conceded due to her passion.

“At the time, I was also dancing. About a year later, my parents said, ‘You have to chose one, either dance or swim,’” Waters said. There was no decision whatsoever — It was swimming.”

Waters wasted little time in realizing her potential in the pool. She broke on average six state records for every age group she competed in and was nationally ranked in every age group from 10-under to 15-16. She held the No. 1 ranking in the nation in 1979, won the Junior Nationals’ 100 free at 14 years old and also had two second places and a third-place finish.

Waters continued to turn heads once she began swimming at Columbus High. She often competed as the lone Columbus swimmer but never hesitated, instead breaking four high school state records. She was a state champion in both events in which she competed from her sophomore year to her senior year.

She also qualified for Olympic Trials as a sophomore and just narrowly missed the cut.

“I was disappointed, but to show my immaturity and young age, my disappointment was because my parents said, ‘If you make the Olympic team, we’ll buy you a car,’” Waters said. “I was more disappointed I didn’t get the car than I didn’t make the Olympic team.”

While she had a slew of highlights as a high schooler, none were more special than swimming as part of a medley relay team with her sister Nancy and two others her senior year. After going it alone for part of her high school career, Waters had enough teammates to swim a relay.

They took advantage of the opportunity, winning state and breaking a record in the process.

“It just happened that each of them had one great stroke. Put all four of us together, and we won state,” Waters said. “It gives me chills to even think back to it. It was special because it was a relay and was with my sister.”

From Columbus, Waters moved on to the University of Georgia, where she swam for legendary head coach Jack Bauerle. Waters was an All-American at Georgia and qualified for NCAAs in three seasons. She also had finally become part of a team and settled right in with the female and male swimmers in the program.

Waters’ junior season was a struggle due to lingering shoulder issues that also hindered her during her second Olympic Trials. Eventually, Waters sat down with Georgia assistant coach Harvey Humphries for an emotional discussion about what to do next. Somewhere in the hours-long conversation, Humphries suggested coaching.

Waters soon became a coach with the Athens Bulldog Swim Club. Upon her graduation, she became the girls coach at Woodward Academy, a job Bauerle and Humphries recommended her for. Waters and her family moved back to Columbus in 1999, at which point she went to work at Columbus State.

Waters returned to Columbus High School in 2010, at which point she led her alma mater’s swim program. Columbus had been extremely successful during her tenure, as at least five boys and five girls have qualified for state every season.

The team placed swimmers in the finals in 2015 for the first time in a decade, and last year Chase Parker became the first male from the Columbus area to be in the top 10 of two events.

“Some of my kids had never swam before,” Waters said. “They find that click and that, ‘Look, I’m actually good at this.’ To see that and see them improve so much from barely able to make two lengths in the pool to swimming their best times and making state is just incredible.

“Just to see the kids and have them fall in love with the sport like I did is just really special.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 10:06 AM with the headline "Columbus swimmer, coach Karen Waters selected to Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame."