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John enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1972
attending Royal Military College in Kingston,
Ontario where he played Water Polo and swam in the
OUAA. RMC had a small swim team, so they had to
struggle to even put a relay together. In 1975, an
RMC Medley Relay qualified for the OUAA Finals. In
that race were many ex-Northview swimmers swimming
for various universities. One swimmer (Richard
Bramwell from Guelph) came up to John and asked him
if he had a little brother about four feet tall that
went to Northview. John replied that he had no
brother, and it was him. Bramwell walked away
saying that it could not possibly be the same person
that he was thinking about.
John’s most exciting moment in the pool happened
when he was the Captain of the Water Polo team
during his 4th year. As one of the only
RMC teams that had a winning record, they were
getting prepared for a game against the best
University team in Canada – McMaster. Mac’s
starting lineup had 2 Olympians from the 72 Munich
Games and 3 that would later play in the 76 Montreal
Games. John gave the team a motivational chat
before the game, but knew deep down that Mac had not
been beaten in the OUAA for 15 years and RMC did not
stand a chance! The RMC team came out fired up, but
was down 3-0 before the first quarter was 2 minutes
old. Then, a Mac player (more than likely one of
the hoodlums that cut poor Norton) viciously kicked
one of the RMC players in the head and was kicked
out for brutality. Mac was forced to play the rest
of the game a man short, and RMC ended up winning
9-7.
John graduated from RMC in 1976 from Mechanical
Engineering and then completed Air Navigator
Training in Winnipeg. After getting his wings, he
was posted to 443 Squadron in Shearwater Nova Scotia
for the first of his Sea King flying tours. After
his operational tour flying from Navy ships, he
became an instructor on the Sea King training
squadron. During this period, he played on the Nova
Scotia Provincial Water Polo team and competed in a
series of Canadian Championships.
In 1985, John attended the US Navy Postgraduate
School in Monterey, California to study
Oceanography. The only organized Water Polo in the
Monterey Peninsula was at the local Junior College
called MPC. Upon arrival in Monterey, he went over
to see the coach, and was told that the only way he
could participate with the team was to be a student
at MPC. The coach added that he only needed to sign
up for one course and could take Water Polo from the
Phys Ed department………..so in keeping with creative
and sound recruitment procedures, John became a
member. Water Polo ‘class’ was run concurrently
with the team practice! He competed in weekly
tournaments with other college teams in Central
California like Chico, UOP, Fresno and Davis and
attending cross-dressing Hallowe’en parties. We do
not have time to discuss such items here so you will
have to ask John.
After Monterey, John flew two more Sea King tours
and then set his sights on space. In 1992, John
applied to be part of future Space Shuttle and Space
Station missions along with 5300 other applicants.
He made it into the ‘Final 20’ and participated in
the final selection process that was conducted by
the Canadian Space Agency.
John was selected as the 1997 Canadian Exchange
Officer to attend Royal Australian Air Force Staff
College in Canberra, Australia. Soon after arriving
in Oz on a hot summer December day, he took his kids
for a swim in the Tuggeranong Pool complex. While
his kids were splashing in the kiddy pool, John saw
a group of ‘old guys’ putting on hats and getting
nets ready for a game. John wandered over and asked
“how a guy would go about joining their group”. The
guy, who seemed to be the leader, asked John if he
had every played the game before. John started to
give a quick Water Polo resume when the guy stopped
him and said “Mate, you are # 9, you are the newest
‘Over-40’ member of the Tuggeranong Vikings and by
the look of you, you better get ready to swim for
the ball”
After Australia, John was posted to the Air Force
Operational Headquarters in Winnipeg. There, he
took up Masters Swimming with MMAC. He was
fortunate to arrive at the right time when the
160-199 relay teams that needed someone at least 46
years old and able to do a sub-29 50 Free. At the
2000 Nationals, the 3 fish and John lost a Judges
Decision (from a former Downviews high school
dropout) in the 200 Free Relay (even though they had
a lower time), but then won the Medley Relay in a
time that was the 8th fastest in the
world during that year.
In July of 2000, John moved to Victoria to take
command of 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron – still
flying Sea Kings after all these years. Since
arriving in BC, he has been a member of the Navy
Masters Swim Team and is also active with BC Summer
Swimming looking after the coaching committee for
the Sidney Piranhas. It was recently announced that
he has been selected as the 2004 Navy Male Athlete
of the year based on his performance in the 50-54
Age Group in Masters Swimming. We are proud of John
for sure, but the author suggests you not let him
near any mascots.
John McManus with high school team
How
does an Air Force Colonel, Air Navigator, go from
being “Keeper of the Gorilla Mascot” for his high
school swim team to - Canadian Forces Navy Athlete
of the Year at the age of 50?
With a whole lot of focus, training, dedication, and
skill, just to name a few things.
10973
Colonel JJ McManus (RMC ’76) (aka Rocky in his RMC
days) is not your every day 50-year Canadian Forces
officer. When we were checking around trying to
fill in a few blanks for our RMC Flashback article,
it was not difficult to receive feedback. The
following were just some of the typical comments we
received:
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John is arguably the most dedicated swimmer on
the CFB Swim Team. He swims every
morning for an hour and a half, between
0600-0730 hrs.
-
He's a team player and is always very helpful
and encouraging to new Club swimmers.
-
John maintains an extremely high fitness level
and leads by example 24/7 - whether it's Unit
sports; EXPRES; on the job; and / or in his
personal life.
John McManus and Navy teammate
Michael Basanta discuss strategy before the 50 Free.
He never hesitates to volunteer his services for the
good of the team. The “Colonel” for example takes
on the responsibility of maintaining the team's
website. Check it out.
www.navymasters.com
John asked the coaching staff to post workouts as a
link for the benefit of all military personnel that
were deployed which has been greatly appreciated, in
particular, by the “sailors at sea” which is
confirmed by the many e-mails of thanks received by
the coaches.
Classmates, friends who have known “Rocky” over the
years knew he is a pretty special guy and very
professional about every thing he does and is very
passionate about aquatic sports. This passion has
earned him a great deal of personal satisfaction
over the past few years:
He has broken numerous BC Masters Swimming Records
(both individual and relay);
In 2004, John had by far his best season. About 50%
of his swimming events were personal best times. At
the age of 50, this is remarkable especially that he
has used swimming for fitness training and competed
in swim meets for almost his whole life;
The most recent highlight and most rewarding had to
be when John broke his first ever Canadian Masters
swimming record (+50 males) in the 1,500m swim
during the 2004 Canadian Masters Swimming
Championships in Edmonton. He topped this off by
also playing a vital role in a new Canadian record
in a Navy relay record in the 4x200m freestyle
event.
At the end of 2004, all Masters Swimmers that
compete throughout Canada are recorded and ranked
based on their swim times. The results are then
posted on the Masters Swimming Canada website (under
results and records).
http://www3.sympatico.ca/chberger/ca04/cmc04m2g.htm
http://www3.sympatico.ca/pascale.piaczinski/rec/rmc04m7g.htm
John ranked # 1 in Canada and this top
ranking has never been matched by and other CISM
Swimmer.
Colonel JJ (Rocky) McManus has proven that a person
can perform at their best at the age of 50 and still
be considered an "elite" swimmer. No wonder the
Navy had no trouble in recognizing the COMMANDER OF
THE MARITIME AIR COMPONENT PACIFIC as their Athlete
of the Year.
I bet the guys that tore that gorilla to threads
away back in high school would think twice about
doing it now.
Colonel JJ (“Rocky”) McManus (RMC’76) Recalls His
Swimming Days….And Coach Captain Ken MacDonald
From 1972 to 1976, Captain Ken ‘Coach’ MacDonald was
the RMC Water Polo and Swimming Coach. He was an
experienced age group swimming coach and in addition
to coaching at RMC, he looked after the Base
Kingston Aquatic Club. In mid-August 72, he made a
presentation to the newly-arrived recruits about the
RMC Water Polo team. He mentioned that the
practices would take place every afternoon and that
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cadets trying out for the team would go to the pool
instead of participating in the daily recruit
sports. As the days were very hot in August,
the thought of spending time in the pool was very
attractive to some of
us. About a dozen recruits
were trying out for the team, and along with the
returning RMC players and the 3rd years
transferring from CMR and RRMC, we were told that
there were probably going to be about four positions
available for the new recruits.
Being a competitive swimmer, I enjoyed swimming
lengths, but when the yellow balls got thrown into
the pool, I found it extremely humbling trying to
pick them up. Most of the other recruits had played
Water Polo in High School or for a Club, and knew
how to handle the ball and shoot. I had never
picked up a Water Polo ball in my life, and had no
idea how to catch and pass it with one hand! We
recruits worked out for about two weeks, and when
all the other cadets returned after Labour Day, we
had about 20 players competing for the 13
positions. I recall thinking that things did not
look good for me, especially after I saw the many 3rd
years that had played at the other colleges. But, I
figured that at least I would be in much better
swimming shape for the Swim Team just by getting to
swim every day for a month.
In
about mid-September, ‘Coach’ made his decisions.
Some of those players with previous collegiate
experience were not selected, and four recruits made
the 13-man team. One of them on the list was me,
and I remember talking to Ken about this. I
expressed my thanks, as well as my surprise about
getting selected. He told me that he was building
for the future, and he wanted a solid base of 1st
Years on the team. He told me that he knew that I
had no experience handling the ball, but that I was
a solid swimmer. He figured that it was easier to
teach a swimmer how to handle the ball than to teach
a good shooter and ball handler how to swim.
One
of the best things about being on an Intercollegiate
Team during Recruit Camp was getting to personally
know the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
years, and realize that they were friendly, human,
and not out to make all recruits lives difficult.
Also, Ken was there every day to listen to our
military problems and guide us. In my 1st
year, we played in the QUAA. That meant that we
were off to Montreal or Quebec City almost every
weekend during the fall. We got to wear 6s, drink
Molson Brador beer, and play multiple Water Polo
games. In the close games, the novice players were
relegated to the bench but were good cheerleaders!
I recall the first game that I got in was against
CMR at their tournament. We were ahead about 9-0,
and the coach wanted to rest the starters. He
looked down the bench and called for ‘Ernie’ Chance,
Gabor Vajay and me. In we went, and we all scored a
couple of goals. The final score was RMC 18 CMR 0.
We learned later that night that humiliating CMR
like that when you were staying in quarters there
was not a good idea.
In
the three years that followed, all of us on the
Water Polo Team had a wonderful time and we were
fortunate to have continuity in coaching from Ken.
In 1973, RMC switched to the OUAA, and we ended up
experiencing a much higher level of competition.
There were five teams in the OUAA East and five in
the West. In 1974, we ended up 2nd in
the East. I’m not sure, but I think that we were
the first RMC Team to make it to the OUAA playoffs
after RMC switched from the QUAA to the OUAA. We
met McMaster, who was 1st in the East, in
a sudden death playoff. They showed no mercy to us,
and I think that they beat us 17-1. We knew how CMR
felt two years before.
Editor’s Note:
Following graduation in 1976, Coach Captain Ken
MacDonald with a few of his contacts in the PERO
world made arrangements for young SLT “Rocky”
McManus to be seconded to C.O.J.O (the Canadian
Olympic Organization) during the entire ’76 Montreal
games. Quite a coup, for Rocky! Especially, knowing
that the majority of his “anglo” classmates were
posted to St Jean for French language training.
Coach Ken Macdonald during his Canadian Championship
gymnastic days and prior to his arrival at RMC.
SWIMMING AND WATERPOLO AT RMC 1971-75
By Coach Ken MacDonald
THE 1974 WATER POLO TEAM
Back
L-R: Cliff Watt; Eric Thomas; Gabor Vajay; Andy
German; BGen Turner; Pete Prediger; John McManus;
Graham Rodgman; Ken MacDonald
Water L-R: Rick Charland; John Cutbill; Chris Chance; John Linscott; Mike Hache; Dave Read;
Bruce Lazenby.
Coaching any sport is a challenging endeavour at the
best of times, but it is made even more so when one
has never played the sport. That was my situation
when tasked (notice I said tasked not asked) to
coach the RMC Water Polo Team. I did have a good
background as a competitor and coach in competitive
swimming and diving, so the "powers that be" felt
that was close
enough. Thus, I became the swimming and water polo
coach over the period 1971-75. During this period we
had more disappointments than successes, but
the successes were sweet ones and the cadets were
superb people and a joy to be with. They were like
sponges and tried to sop all the information and
skills I could give them. In swimming we were all
fortunate in that many of the cadets had some age
group swimming background and I had coached the
sport for several years. Competitive swimming is an
individual sport where only in relays does the team
concept arise, so the experiences are very different
than in water polo. During my tenure, we had several
excellent swimmers who excelled and progressed to
Provincial and National Championships. Rick Douglas
and Dave Read immediately come to mind. As a
swimming team we did well in the regional and QUAA
events, but did better as a water polo team.
The water polo team was essentially the same cadets,
but with a different outlook, because we were a
bonefide TEAM and always did very well in
invitational and QUAA events. While some of the
cadets had some high school exposure in the sport,
we were short on experience and comparative skill
level compared to our adversaries and their larger
base of students; but we
were never embarrassed and always tried to improve.
For example, after being easily handled once by the
very highly ranked McMaster squad, we invited
them to RMC one weekend to show us some of the
tricks of the sport, legal and otherwise. As I said
earlier "sponges," pillbox adorned "sponges!!" Not
too long after that mini clinic, we went to a
tournament in Hamilton and much to everyone's
surprise (including ours); we defeated the vaunted
McMaster team. Yahoo! They were livid, while we were
very humble in our
"once in a lifetime" victory. We had a similar
experience with another large university with a
great water polo team - the Toronto Blues. I must
take full credit for this major victory, because I
was rushed to hospital with an
allergy attack just prior to the game and while I
was away, the team laid a licking on Toronto. I take
credit for the victory because I felt the team was
better off without me and so they dug REAL deep to
prove that point. Thereafter we tried to find some
reason for me to be absent during each game, but the
Athletic Director, Dudley Hill would not allow this
to happen. We used to have a lot fun at the Queens
vs. RMC night each year because water polo was one
of the several events contested. Our win/loss ratio
was pretty even over the years, but one particular
time, the Queens's coach and
team members had been scouting our team and were
planning to zero in on Dave Read because he was our
speedster and a great player. They planned to put
their best player on him in an attempt to neutralize
his effectiveness. We had other plans. Since they
only knew Dave by his hat number and the fact he had
a moustache, we changed Dave's hat and number with
Graham Rodgeman's because Graham also had a similar
mustache and a similar swim stroke to
Dave. Now Graham was a good player, but it was
really hilarious as he led the poor Queen's player
everywhere in the pool except where the ball was,
leaving Dave and the remainder of the team to swim
with relative ease
anywhere they wanted. We won the game and Simon
Beitler, their coach, didn't catch on until we told
him after the game. We feel Graham won that game for
us and we were very proud of his great performance.
We were not one of the glory teams, but we worked
and trained as hard or harder and were a credit to
the College. At the end of each game the players
looked like they had been in a catfight. The players
all had to wear two bathing suits because one would
invariably get torn off. In fact, Rick Douglas had
his bathing suit completely torn off and on the
bottom of the
Queens pool during one of our "friendly" games
mentioned above. The game had to be stopped so we
could get him another suit. We had many notables on
the team over the years; Chris Peachment was by far
the best goalie in the conference and his
replacement Gabor Vajay was a fine goalie as well,
his only problem was that he loved to score goals
and would take off down the pool with the ball and
leave our net empty. He kept us all on our toes.
Rick Charland had one of the hardest shots in the
conference and was always on
the net.... but, at least one or two feet over the
top, his nickname was "convert." John Cutbill was a
terror in the pivot position with his backhand shot
and Rick Douglas, Dave Read and Andy German were
very strong swimmers and goal scorers. I can't
remember all of the players, but Graham Rodgman,
Bruce Lazenby, Pete Prediger and John McManus stood
out as stalwarts who always worked hard and put
excellent effort into each game. And who could
forget our Faculty Representative Cliff "splendid"
Watt? Unfortunately we
never had all of these guys on the same team! I
won't get into the big Mac eating contests or some
of the other escapades we had, but will end with the
fact that several of the cadets including Dave Read
and John McManus kept swimming and have been very
successful in the local, regional and national
masters swimming programmes. I may or may not have
contributed to their carry-over successes, but I do
know that coaching and being with all of those fine
people was one of the most rewarding times in my
career.
What is Coach Ken MacDonald doing these days?
Click below to find out.
http://theperiscope.ca/MacDonaldKenGio.htm
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