2021 Anniversary Reflection of Kevin Thorburn
I was honoured to rekindle the memories of Kevin on the anniversary of his passing.
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we inform the swim community of the sudden passing of Etobicoke Swim Club Head Coach Kevin Thorburn.
Kevin was regarded as one of Canada’s best developers of international swimmers from the club and age group ranks. His career spans over 5 decades as a competitive swimmer and coach successfully nurturing swimmers to 600 provincial records, 300 national age group records and 30 national records from four different provinces Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia, as well as multiple swimmers on Olympic teams.
During his 20 plus years with the Etobicoke Swim Club he instilled a belief that ‘swimming should be an adventure not an ordeal’. Kevin mentored many coaches with the belief in three pillars: Character Development Complete; Event Exploration before Specialization; and General Physical Development.
“For those who knew Kevin, I believe you will agree, his smile was his logo, his personality was his business card, and how he left others feeling after an interaction was his trademark. This was true for coaches, swimmers, officials and the many families who were grateful of his contribution in lives of their children” said Dean Boles, CEO Swim Ontario and fellow coach.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Coach Thorburn’s family and friends as well the ESWIM family, as he will be deeply missed.
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The swimming community to so sad to hear the passing of Kevin Thorburn, Head Coach of the Etobicoke Swim Club. Easily one of the most competitive coaches on deck with a fire in his eyes. He lived for the sport and for his swimmers. Kevin’s commitment, perception and dedication to the sport was unmatched.
He touched the heart and souls of all that he coached and the performances of his athletes provided a compelling history of excellence.
May you rest in peace my friend.
Jim Snow
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You set the foundation for success, determination, discipline, dedication, hard work, and leadership for us all. Thank you will never be enough. I’m so proud to have gotten the opportunity to be coached by you. We will cherish the sense of family you created. #EswimForever
Kevin, you shaped me into the person I am today. For over 20 years, you have led Etobicoke Swimming to excellence far beyond the 8 lanes of the Olympium. …
“Thank you for instilling in me the importance of my impact on the next generation and keeping me involved with the team throughout my retirement. ESWIM was the only club I ever represented, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This team truly means the world to me, and you connected us all through hard work and a sense of purpose.”
Brittany McLean
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Brittany’s Tribute Page To Kevin
It is with heavy hearts that we regret to inform you of the sudden passing of Head Coach Kevin Thorburn. Our thoughts and condolences are with Coach Thorburn’s family and friends. As the head of the ESWIM family, he will be deeply missed - Kevin Thorburn - 1956-2020
Etobicoke Swim Club
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Farewell to another one of my mentors and close friend Kevin Thorburn. Thanks Kevin for all you taught me and for your friendship.
The swimming world lost an amazing coach today. My sincere condolences to his family during this painful time. RIP my friend.
Sean Baker
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A wonderful tribute to Kevin by Jeff Grace
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Hard to beat Heart: A touching tribute to Kevin by Robert Novak
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The swimming/coaching community lost another great one. Kevin Thorburn’s knowledge and impact to Canadian swimming is Immeasurable. I’m in shock. Our pool deck will not be the same. My deepest condolences to his family and his swimming family
Anne Ottenbrite-Muylaert
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Extraordinarily sad day. Such a difficult difficult year.
My condolences to Kevin Thorburns friends and family. Such a loss, personally, within the sport and within the community surrounding Kevin. There isn’t a mind in swimming with a better memory and studied knowledge of every aspect of swimming. This has been a long and difficult year for so many. Kevin’s passing will make our return to the decks of pools across the country a little more difficult.
Rod Barratt
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The CSCTA sends its condolences and support to Kevin's family and friends during this difficult time and will provide more information when it comes available. RIP Kevin.
Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association
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SwimSwam News:
https://swimswam.com/etobicoke-head-coach-kevin-thorburn-dies-at-63/
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Kev and I swam together at UBC and lived in the Drone Home with other team members including Peter V. When we coached together in Regina Rods Dolphins, I was always humbled by his intelligence and knowledge. I knew he was going to go on to be a great coach. We had a lot of fun and created many long-lasting memories. I will miss you Kevin.
John Campbell
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SwimNews - a 1999 candid interview with Nick Thierry and Kevin:
https://swimnews.com/Magazine/1999/maymag99/thorburn.html
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It has taken me a while to process this sad news. My thoughts to his family and his coaching family, as well as his swimmers (past and present). I met Kevin and Murray many many years ago when they were Coach Bergen’s assistants at Etobicoke. I have had to tell Paul the sad news for the loss of these great people.
Alex Braunfeld
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Thought I’d share a little memory here. This was god I want to say 3-4 years ago. This was at the Brantford pool. After every race Kevin and I did a debrief to see what went well, and what we could improve on. For the past while, Kevin had been trying to get me to fix.. My turns. He kept telling me the same thing “get your head low on the turns, can’t be whipping all around the place”. For months I would remember this one moment when he told me how I can’t hold my speed into the turns and add more power to my push offs. As the year went On, I slowly but surely got the hang of it. All because Kevin kept reminding me in practice to do it. This lesson has stuck with me throughout my swim career and I will continue to remember that one moment in Brantford.
Alexander Milanovich
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I wanted to share a really great memory I have with Kevin. Earlier in the season Kevin gave us an amazing opportunity to swim with Katie Ledecky's old coach. We had a day to explore and how excited he was to go to all the tourist attractions in Washington. He would tell us about historical facts and meanings behind the paintings. Even though I didn’t know what he was talking about for most of the time, I got to spend the day with Kevin not as my coach, but with a person who will always mean so much to me.
Katrina Bellio
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7 years ago I made it my goal to swim under one of the best coaches in Canada. When I first got into his group, he sat me down and asked me what my goals are. At the time I thought I would never be able to actually accomplish those goals, but Kevin knew I could. Even after all the hard training was done and I didn’t feel confident in myself, Kevin was always there to reassure me that I’m ready. He taught me the true meaning of commitment, hard work and perseverance. When I think of eswim, I immediately think of Kevin. I was so lucky to have him with me through all my ups and downs and I hope all I can do now is make him proud. Thank you for being an amazing coach Kevin, you will be missed💙🕊 #eswim
Katrina Bellio
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It has come as a shock to us all. Kevin has had an impact on so many kids, developing them into great swimmers and hard working people. I along with a number of people would say that Kevin had a large impact on the person that I am today both in and out of the pool. Kevin helped me grow up and he was there for a lot of the big moments of my life thus far. I will miss his jokes that I didn’t always understand, his detailed stories about swimmers I had never met, and the way he got more excited about my races than I did.
He genuinely cared about his swimmers and he taught us what high performance swimming looked like from a young age. The number of people who are affected by Kevin’s passing is a testament to the impact that he had on Canadian swimming. I am forever grateful for my time with Kevin and the journey that we had together.
Olivia Anderson