LEWISTON — Swimmers and coaches from around the state are mourning the sudden loss of the man many considered the “driving force” behind youth swimming in Maine.

Tom Manduca (Photo from Maine Swimming)

Tom Manduca, head coach for the Twin Cities Swim Team, died Friday. According to Maine Swimming, the organization that oversees competitive swimming in Maine, Manduca had a heart attack. He was 55.

“My mind kept rejecting it as not possible. Tom is larger than life,” said Laura Ross Garcia of Auburn, the parent of a swimmer. “There are just no words. Everybody’s heart is broken.”

Manduca began swimming when he was young and continued the sport through high school, stopping only when he joined the Navy, according to Maine Swimming Chairman Jim Willis. Manduca became a swim coach in Maine about 20 years ago.

As head of the Twin Cities Swim Team, he oversaw children as young as 6 and often remained their coach until they graduated from high school. He was known for teaching his swimmers not only how to handle a race but also how to handle life.

“You learn how to swim, but he coached so much more than that: goal-setting, pushing your limits, trying new things, challenging yourself, not giving up, being confident,” said Stephany Perkins, 28, who started swimming for Manduca at age 10 and stayed until high school graduation. “He would always say ‘Swim your own race. You can’t control what everyone else is doing, you can only control yourself.’ That’s a lesson I’ve taken throughout my life.”

Manduca coached dozens of young swimmers each year. A number of them became standouts in high school and fierce competitors in college.

“Pretty much everywhere you look, he’s had a hand in the way that swimming in Maine has grown and developed,” said Matt Montgomery, swim coach for the Down East Family YMCA teams in Ellsworth.

Some of Manduca’s young swimmers, such as Perkins, have become coaches themselves. Until recently, she headed the Mid-Maine Dolphins Swim Team in Waterville, competition to her mentor’s Twin Cities Swim Team.

“People say all the time, ‘Oh, we see where you get your coaching style from.’ He definitely influenced that,” Perkins said. “It was fun in recent years, the last three years, to be coaching together on the pool deck.”

Manduca was also a leader behind the scenes. He was immediate past chairman of Maine Swimming and served as administrative vice chairman before he died. He was involved with all-star teams, swim meets, traveling and fundraising for the sport.

Asked what Manduca’s passing will mean for swimming in the state, Willis said: “I don’t want to think about it. I’ve been trying not to think about it.”

Although swimming was Manduca’s passion, it did not pay the bills. He worked full time for FairPoint Communications, Willis said.

“All he wanted to do was just coach swimming. He just couldn’t wait until he retired so he could just coach swimming full time,” Willis said. “That was his goal, and I know he was getting close. I feel so bad for that.”

According to Maine Swimming, Manduca is survived by his wife, Karen; daughter, Laura; and sons David and Joe.

ltice@sunjournl.com