Karen Gaba knew from a young age that she would always be involved and interested in sports. Many people have passions that might not fall in line with what they do to make a living, but some are lucky enough to find that in their lives, if not immediately, eventually. This is the case for Karen Gaba, who started swimming competitively at the age of five years old. Her parents put her on a year round swim team based out of Middletown, New York, called the Aqua Gems, so that she could swim all the time. She would swim competitively throughout her childhood and up until she graduated high school.

However, after high school, Karen took a different path and took a job at an insurance company where she would work for twelve years before the company decided to relocate, forcing Karen to reevaluate her life. After deciding that she wanted to rekindle her interest in sports she enrolled in classes at East Stroudsburg University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education. Once she had obtained her degree she started looking for positions coaching. She had become a lifeguard at a local country club and landed a spot as assistant swim coach to the boys’ Junior Varsity Swim Team at Tappan Zee High School in 1999.

After just a few years as assistant coach she would be given the job of Varsity Swim Coach. Under her coaching, the Varsity swim team would go on to achieve a winning record of 18-4 and would win consecutive Rockland County Championship titles. Karen’s success at Tappan Zee would provide her multiple opportunities to coach elsewhere, and she did, finding success everywhere she went.

From 2007 to 2010, during her time as Varsity Swim Coach for Jefferson High School, Karen Gaba led the boys’ team to its first undefeated 8-0 season. Both the boys’ and girls’ team broke nine school records in Karen’s first season as coach. She was honored by the New Jersey Herald as Coach of the Year in 2007 and again in 2010.

Karen now teaches swimming technique privately to competitive swimmers.