Reinstate Frank DiGiacomo as Head Coach of Chatham Swimming

Thai guy is a great coach and a wonderful human being. Will be a great disservice to chatham to let him go.

It is the school’s responsibility to take up attendance issues on their own. It is not the coach’s fault that a student abused a policy. It is, however, clear that there is an issue rooted in poor policy-making that includes loopholes as stated in the petition’s description. Punishing an influential figure on those grounds is unjust. If there are other reasons why he was terminated, the school should be transparent about that issue to the team since he clearly made an impact on their lives.

Get him back

Let’s keep Coach D—he is GREAT with the kids!!!

My daughter has only said good things about Coach D.

Frankie wasn’t my coach, but as a swimmer for Chatham’s rival team, he still supported us and was one of the kindest coaches I’ve ever met. He needs to be given his job back!!

Please reinstate Coach D.

Coach D was the highlight of being a part of the swim team! Seems like an act of desperation to nit-pick a situation like this especially during this time. Combined with the fact that a kid who is on a club swim team goes through what is essentially boot camp year round, implying that they take on way more physical challenges and workouts than anything ever offered to them in a high school gym class. So who cares about a gym exemption, that kid could use that study hall to either study, obviously, or sleep which is more than likely needed beyond belief. Moreover, I knew club swimmers on the team when I was (2010-‘14) who made time to come to high school practices regardless. Coach D started a legacy when he came to Chatham...that legacy should be allowed to continue.

Coach D coached 2 of my children. He is an amazing coach. He built their confidence and instilled a love of swimming.

Good coaches are hard to find

Beyond the championship banners in the gym, beyond the list of colleges that our chatham swimmers have attended; Coach D has supported all levels of swimmers equally and with enthusiasm , and has built a team culture that is fondly remembered by the alumni as the most exciting and fun part of their swimming careers!

Coach D was honestly the best Coach that I have ever had in any sport within Chatham. He believed in me and knew I had potential to be a great swimmer and took the time to help me unlock that said potential. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to make counties my senior year, or be consistently named on the 100 yard breastroke. Frank is the best coach this school has seen in a long time. And it would be a shame to see Chatham let go of someone who solidified Chatham as one of the top swim programs in the state

Chatham Swimming alumni support you coach

I am a former chaswimmer that just graduated this year and am so saddened that we are losing Coach D. I joined the team as a junior, and prior to that I was completely immersed in the Performing arts. Since my choice to join the swim team was a complete 180, I was incredibly nervous to be a swimmer. Coach D was the true reason I felt welcome. He treated me just like everybody else, even though I was far less experienced than the majority of the swimmers on my team. Without him, there is no way I would have stayed for my two complete seasons. He creates an environment where everyone feels important, which is not something you can find in many other group/team extracurriculars. I truly believe that there is no other man or woman that can fill his shoes. Bring back our coach!

Coach D. Is the best swim coach I have ever had! Very dedicated and knowledgeable

Girls swimming is the sport that Chatham High School is proudest of. Why remove the coach leading them to victory?????!!!!!

As a father of multiple kids in the program who are also club swimmers - I can say that coach D is the most positive influence in all of my kids swimming careers. This is a terrible way to handle this. The coach is not the problem. The policy and clarity is the problem.

You will not find a coach that cares more about his team, to terminate him over an issue that could be easily resolved does not make any sense.

As a former swimmer of the team, I can confidently say that Coach D has been one of the biggest reasons for the teams' successes throughout the last eight years. His enthusiasm, passion, respect, and dedication towards his swimmers has shaped the culture of Chatham Swimming to be the best it could possibly be. I can't imagine a better coach and role model to lead this team in the future; the school's decision to remove him is a huge mistake, and I strongly advocate for them to bring him back!

Coach D taught us all to be better versions of ourselves, in and out of the pool. He cared deeply about each of his swimmers, spending as much time working with the new freshmen in the outside lanes as the seniors with college scholarships. In an incredibly competitive conference, county, and state, Coach D developed a culture of success while also ensuring that every swimmer was able to swim in a meet. Chatham swimming is not Chatham swimming without Coach D. -Captain, Class of 2015