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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Caroline Keating May Not Have Chlorine in Her Bloodstream, but It's Close
February 15, 2007 | Women's Swimming & Diving
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Feb. 15, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Having spent countless hours in swimming pools for the better part of two decades, Caroline Keating may not have chlorine in her bloodstream, but it's close.
The Bowling Green State University senior is a member of the Keating family, which has been a major part of the swimming scene in the Cincinnati area for several decades.
Included on her family tree are: Gary Hall Jr., who has competed in three different Olympics, winning a total of 10 medals, including five gold medals; Gary Hall Sr., who also completed in three Olympics; Charles Keating III, who competed in the Olympics once; and Charles Keating Jr., who was a national swimming champion in the 1940s. Caroline's father, Bill Jr., is one of seven children. Caroline is one of five children and she has 32 cousins, although not all are involved in swimming.
"Swimming has been a big part of our family's lives," Caroline said. "As a result of swimming scholarships, my grandpa and his brother became the first members of their family to go to college." Caroline also has competed in aquatics centers named after family members in both high school and college.
While in high school at Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy, her meets were held in Keating Natatorium.And earlier this season, she was able to swim in the first meet at the Keating Aquatics Center at the University of Cincinnati.
"Just because of all the hard work my uncle (Mike) and my dad had put into the pool at Cincinnati, it was pretty cool to be there, because swimming has been a big part of my life because of my family," she said.
The UC facility is named in honor of her grandfather, Bill Keating Sr., who is a member of the UC athletic Hall of Fame.
"It is hoped that this will become a home and that will bring people to our program," UC head coach Monty Hopkins said at the time of the dedication in October. "I think that opening this facility ... we will get people excited and interested in UC."
Caroline won the first race ever contested at UC's Keating Aquatics Center, beating her father and uncle in a 50 butterfly alumni event.
And while that's high on her list of family accomplishments, the car she is currently driving is compliments of her father. Caroline beat him in a high school alumni meet with a new vehicle on the line. "We don't go easy on each other," Caroline said.
As a youngster, Caroline was involved with a recreational swimming club and didn't start competitive swimming until she was in the eighth grade.
"That is really, really late," Caroline said. "Most people start when they are five (years old).
"My sister started swimming (competitively) and I had done every single other sport, so I was like `I'll do it with her' and she got mad that I did it."
Caroline's sister, Liz, is a year older and was a swimmer at UCLA. Caroline was an All-City selection and a state qualifier in high school.
"We swam the same events in about the same times," Caroline said. "My club coach at home, all through high school, said he would love to put us in lanes next to each other because instead of Liz going a certain time, she would go a little bit faster and I would be a little bit faster. So there was a little rivalry going on that made us better.
"She would leave me at the pool if I would beat her at practice," Caroline added. "When we went off to college we started being friends again."
Keating is getting ready to conclude her college career with the Mid-American Conference meet this weekend at Eastern Michigan.
"It's scary because I don't want to be done," Keating said. "I feel like I'm losing a part of my life; a part of me is going to be gone. But at the same time I'm excited to do different things.
"It will definitely be sad. But I'm trying not to think about that." A team captain, Keating was the MVP for the Falcons as both a sophomore and a junior. She holds career records and is in the top 10 all-time with her times in several different events.
"I like the fact it's an individual sport, but you can't be as good as you are without your teammates," she said. "That's the part that I love the most and that's the part that I'm going to miss the most, my team and that atmosphere."
She is a two-time second-team all-conference performer at the MAC meet.
"There is no pressure to do anything. I'm not very good under pressure," she added. "I kind of like to just go do it and not really think about it.
"At the end when I'm finished I will look back on how much fun I had, not really records that I set or anything like that. It's just more like the fun and the friendships I made along the way."
Keating says this is a good time for her career to be ending.
"My body can't handle it anymore," she said. "I had two cortisone shots right after our training trip this year. My shoulders are falling apart.
"I kind of wish I would have started a little bit earlier, because I am just reaching my peak I would say right now."
Keating plans to stay involved with the sport as she'll be the head coach of her former recreational club team this summer.
"It's something I've always wanted to do," she said. She also hopes to make the Alcrataz swim across San Francisco Bay with her father.
She plans to graduate with a degree in math education in December. She currently has a 3.5 grade-point average.
After graduation she hopes to teach and coach swimming at the high school level.
And to prove Keating understands the family tradition of philanthropy she has a dream, if she ever strikes it rich.
"If I ever made a million dollars, I would like to donate it back to the BG swimming program," she said. "That's how my grandpa and my dad raised us, saying you should give back to what made us great. That's why they always wanted to give back to the University of Cincinnati.
"I was privileged enough to go to college and not worry about scholarships, but it's something that a lot of kids don't get to do. A lot of my teammates wouldn't be here if it weren't for that," she added. "If I was ever given the opportunity to do that, I would want to give back like they (her family) have."
