Kara Glynn
Kara Glynn, BHS Class of 1996, was a four-time All State swimmer, a two-time state champion, and co-captain of the Hornets her senior year. But her best events, the 800 meter/1000 yard and 1500 meter/1650 yard Free are not offered at high school meets. A national caliber swimmer in those events for the Branford Stingrays, Kara attended Boston College, where she was a member of four Big East Championship teams, set a school record in the 800 meter Free and remains in the schools Top Ten Best Times list in the 1650 yard Free a quarter-century after she graduated.
Kara began swimming with the Stingrays at nine years old in 1987. Two years later, under the tutelage of Stingray coach and 2003 BSHOF member George Miles, she swam her first 500 yard Free. George recognized Kara’s talent for endurance-based races that many swimmers shun and prepared Kara to blossom as she turned 13. As an 8th grader, Kara qualified for Connecticut’s Age Group Championships for the first time. Competing in the 1650 yard Free, she set lifetime best times not only in the 1650 but also in her 500 and 1000 yard splits. The next fall, swimming for Hall of Fame coach John O’Connor, she cracked the Hornet all-time top 10 in the 100, 200, and 500 Free events and earned her first All-State honors.
Returning to train with the Stingrays after the BHS season concluded, Kara benefitted from working with Stingray coach Al Laprino, a former assistant at Yale and a member of United States Swimming’s National Team staff. In March 1993, at Connecticut Swimming’s Senior Open Championships, Kara set her first Stingray record in the 13/14 1000 yard Free. She also swam on three record-setting relay teams. Four months later, swimming in a 50 meter pool (as they use at the Olympics) Kara qualified for United States Swimming’s Eastern Zone Championships in the 400, 800 and 1500 Free.
Over the following three years, Kara excelled for both the Hornets and the Stingrays. As a sophomore, she won the Class M 500 Free and placed 3rd in the 200 Free, qualifying for State Opens in both events. A year later, she repeated as Class M champion in the 500 and swam personal best times in the 200 and 500 that remain in the top five times achieved by Hornet swimmers.
For the Stingrays, Kara continued improving in the grueling, long-distance events, setting and resetting team records each season. While most Stingray records from the 1990s have been broken multiple times over the last three decades, Kara’s times remain unchallenged. In 1995, in recognition of her achievements, she was invited to US Swimming’s Zone Distance Camp.
After serving as co-captain for the BHS Women’s team in the fall of 1996, Kara chose to attend Boston College where she was a four-year letter-winner who served as the Women’s Swimming Representative to the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Board. During four years at BC, Kara won 23 races, contributed to four Big East conference championships, and set a school record in the 800 meter Free.
As a BC senior, Kara was a marketing intern for the Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox. Upon graduation, she spent two years working for Bob Woolf Associates under Bobby Orr’s leadership. The experience set her career path as a marketing specialist who is frequently involved in sports-related ventures. In 2018, while serving as Senior Manager for Marketing and Partnerships at Hisense USA, Kara was invited to speak at the “She Believe Summit,” a US Women’s Soccer event that features participants from sports and business who help college students develop tools to secure their first jobs. Most recently, she has guided partner marketing for Google in Atlanta, Georgia
On the Stingrays and at Branford HS, Kara had the opportunity to swim with her younger sister Katie. Her parents, Rick and Mary, have been active contributors to Branford social and civic organizations including the Lions Club, the Stingray Swim Team, and the Branford Food Pantry.
