Thursday, September 8, 2022
From Rare Pool Sightings to Officiating National Championships
Naga Kondury (right) at the 2022 Phillips 66 National Championships
“Once an official, always an official,” explained Naga Kondury, a stroke and turn judge at this year’s Phillips 66 National Championships.
“Back home growing up in India - I’m talking 40-35 years ago - access to pools were far and few between.”
Kondury moved to the U.S. about 25 years ago. Now, him, his wife, and two children live in Irvine, California. While a great advocate for getting other involved in the sport through educating others on its benefits, he says that swimming wasn’t his specialty.
With the sport being less popular in India and pools being fairly inaccessible, Kondury didn’t get into swimming until one of his daughters became interested in it.
Kondury and his family enjoyed watching swimming on TV and as his daughter picked up more interest in the sport, Kondury found himself connecting more to the swimming community as well. During this process he realized that he did not like sitting back, chatting, and eating during meets.
However, if he was on the deck, he also needed a useful way to channel his swimming knowledge.
“For me, dropping my kid off at a meet and then when they come out of the race, giving them advice as a parent coach was the most useless things I could have done.”
Now, officiating allows him to view the sport from a different perspective.
“It helps you think about the swimmer very differently, which essentially would lead to you appreciating your own child for how much effort they are putting in,” Kondury revealed.
Kondury acknowledges that officiating isn’t always accessible for people. As someone who works a full-time job, he suggests that officiating shifts be shorter to allow those who can’t commit to a full day to devote some of their time. He also stresses that you don’t have to work towards becoming an Olympic official. There is a need for officials at all levels.
“Do the summer league first. Get yourself involved in a summer league. It’s a non-committal, non-taxing program. It’s good for the kid for the summer, rather than video games,” said Kondury.
Kondury has been passionate about getting more people into the sport itself, no matter the role, and explained the need to “contribute to the sport you are investing in.”
“I encourage everybody and anybody around me to get into swimming,” he explains. “When we started, we literally were the only Indian family in the pool.”
For Kondury, it’s not just about getting more families of Indian heritage in swimming, but rather about sharing the love for the sport with anyone and everyone who will listen in hopes that they too will find interest.
Now, Kondury has gotten many of the people around him to get involved in the sport, including his work colleagues. He identifies that to create more diversity within swimming, it is necessary to educate those around you on what makes swimming special.
One of the best parts about both swimming and officiating for Kondury is getting to see all the teamwork happening around him on deck. From coaches, volunteers, to officials there are so many individuals learning from each other to create a positive experience for the swimming community.
Want to educate others or yourself on the sport?
Learn how to be an official here: https://www.usaswimming.org/officials/how-to-become-an-official
Find a team here: https://www.usaswimming.org/find-a-team
Or check out more information on the sport itself at https://www.usaswimming.org/
“Once an official, always an official,” explained Naga Kondury, a stroke and turn judge at this year’s Phillips 66 National Championships.
“Back home growing up in India - I’m talking 40-35 years ago - access to pools were far and few between.”
Kondury moved to the U.S. about 25 years ago. Now, him, his wife, and two children live in Irvine, California. While a great advocate for getting other involved in the sport through educating others on its benefits, he says that swimming wasn’t his specialty.
With the sport being less popular in India and pools being fairly inaccessible, Kondury didn’t get into swimming until one of his daughters became interested in it.
Kondury and his family enjoyed watching swimming on TV and as his daughter picked up more interest in the sport, Kondury found himself connecting more to the swimming community as well. During this process he realized that he did not like sitting back, chatting, and eating during meets.
However, if he was on the deck, he also needed a useful way to channel his swimming knowledge.
“For me, dropping my kid off at a meet and then when they come out of the race, giving them advice as a parent coach was the most useless things I could have done.”
Now, officiating allows him to view the sport from a different perspective.
“It helps you think about the swimmer very differently, which essentially would lead to you appreciating your own child for how much effort they are putting in,” Kondury revealed.
Kondury acknowledges that officiating isn’t always accessible for people. As someone who works a full-time job, he suggests that officiating shifts be shorter to allow those who can’t commit to a full day to devote some of their time. He also stresses that you don’t have to work towards becoming an Olympic official. There is a need for officials at all levels.
“Do the summer league first. Get yourself involved in a summer league. It’s a non-committal, non-taxing program. It’s good for the kid for the summer, rather than video games,” said Kondury.
Kondury has been passionate about getting more people into the sport itself, no matter the role, and explained the need to “contribute to the sport you are investing in.”
“I encourage everybody and anybody around me to get into swimming,” he explains. “When we started, we literally were the only Indian family in the pool.”
For Kondury, it’s not just about getting more families of Indian heritage in swimming, but rather about sharing the love for the sport with anyone and everyone who will listen in hopes that they too will find interest.
Now, Kondury has gotten many of the people around him to get involved in the sport, including his work colleagues. He identifies that to create more diversity within swimming, it is necessary to educate those around you on what makes swimming special.
One of the best parts about both swimming and officiating for Kondury is getting to see all the teamwork happening around him on deck. From coaches, volunteers, to officials there are so many individuals learning from each other to create a positive experience for the swimming community.
Want to educate others or yourself on the sport?
Learn how to be an official here: https://www.usaswimming.org/officials/how-to-become-an-official
Find a team here: https://www.usaswimming.org/find-a-team
Or check out more information on the sport itself at https://www.usaswimming.org/