For Paul McCaffrey, swimming isn’t just a casual sports interest, it’s a way of life. And it has paid off with one of the greatest honors any athlete can achieve: induction into the hall of fame.

The popular PE teacher at Narragansett Elementary School was inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame recently, the culmination of a lifetime in the water. He learned to swim around the age of 8 at the Pawtucket YMCA.

"My parents thought it would be a skill I should learn. They had given me informal lessons but realized that formal lessons would be more effective,” recalls McCaffrey. 

Effective it was. He hasn’t been out of the water since and swam competitively for the Pawtucket Y and later in high school at LaSalle Academy, where in his senior year he served as team captain and won honors as a second team all-state diver, and this was just the beginning. 

McCaffrey took to the sport so easily because swimming was new and challenging. “The people I was with, coaches and teammates, were very positive and fun to be around," he said. "Also, in those days, back about 50 years ago, there were not a lot of pools and as many opportunities as there are now, so it was somewhat novel.”

His favorite event was always diving, although after awhile he compared it to NASCAR, where the crashes were spectacular! He grew out of that and really enjoys the individual medley, which includes the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle swim consecutively. "I have a short attention span," McCaffrey said with a laugh.   

Over the past several years, McCaffrey has remained active in competitive swimming and has participated in several major open swim events and master’s events.

Swimming is certainly one of McCaffrey’s passions, but so is his chosen profession — teaching.

He’s been teaching physical education since 1979, first at the Groden Center in Providence for 7 years, then the Bi-county Collaborative for 2 years, and has been in Narragansett since 1988. Notably, before teaching physical education, McCaffrey took three years off from college and taught swimming at the Ladd School and the Wanskuck Boys Club in Providence.

As with swimming, teaching is something that McCaffrey thrives on. 

“You have a chance to shape the future," McCaffrey said of the profession. "In physical education, there are three pieces to the puzzle. There is the motor/movement piece, the thinking or cognitive piece and the social piece. The trick is to keep them evenly balanced so growth is proportionate. In physical education, especially on the elementary level, you’re working with people at the best time of their day, at the best part of their lives. Everything is still out in front of them.”

McCaffrey said he feels fortunate that many of the places he’s worked have had swimming programs or were open to establishing them because he has developed and implemented several successful programs throughout his career. One of those is the popular third-grade program at the Narragansett Elementary School, which McCaffrey credits Paula MacDonald from NHS in helping him develop.   

“Paula was gracious enough to let us tag along as a smaller program, which eventually grew to the third-grade program," he said. "The program that exists today is result of many people working together. The superintendent, director student services, director of transportation, school teachers and staff, program volunteers. Parents, the students and the South County YMCA all contribute to make this program successful. It would not work without all these people working together. It’s a group effort.”

In addition, he has been instrumental in developing and assisting programs for autistic children and behaviorally challenged children and adults. He has erved as co-coordinator for the RI Special Olympics State Games Aquatic Competition, and he also coordinates the adaptive PE program at NES.

When McCaffrey is not in the water or in the school, he combines his love of swimming, nature and physical activity by acting as co-director of the annual Narrow River Turnaround Swim event which was held on June 18 this year. This well-attended swim is a large community effort, the proceeds of which go directly to the Narrow River Preservation Association. 

“Everyone on the Narrow River Turnaround Swim Committee puts in a great effort to make a successful swim. Mick Westkott, Veronica Berounsky, Felix Sarubbi, Jason McNamee, Karen DeQuattro, Mike McDonald, Perry Moylan, Richard Grant, Shelagh Donohoe, and Pat Gannon do a tremendous job every year,” he praises.

McCaffrey is quick to thank all the important people in his life that help balance out his world, saying that swimming and activities like running and track and field are known as individual sports when in fact they are probably more team oriented then many of the “team” sports.  

“You need your training partners and teammates to exceed," McCaffrey said. "When you train and compete against people, there is a bond and a level of respect that develops. Many of the people I’ve known during these activities have developed into lifelong bonds and friendships. They become your peers and at the same time your role models. I’ve been fortunate there are many.

“My wife and my family are very supportive and many times become an integral part of the activity I’m a part of. They’ve always been around and close by. There is not a large degree of separation.”

In addition, McCaffrey said he feels grateful to work in Narragansett.  “The Narragansett School community is a very special one, challenging yet supportive at the same time, a very unique balance.”

Friend Mick Westkott from the University of Rhode Island is someone McCaffrey has known for over 30 years. “He has been very supportive over the years," Westkott said. "We’ve done many things together; taught, coached, Special Olympics, the Narrow River Swim. He is a very family, community based, well-grounded individual. I am very grateful for his friendship.”

McCaffrey is grateful for his recent induction into The Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame, which he described as a real honor. He said he is very thankful for joining the many before him who have also been inducted. 

“The swimming community is a very tight-knit group," McCaffrey said. "Competitors, coaches, coworkers, it’s never been something that I’ve done alone. I am very fortunate.”