Claude Valle
Claude F. Valle, III
Weston HS Swimmer, 1976-1980
Weston Swim Club Assistant Coach, 1983-1987
Weston HS Assistant Coach, 1986-1987, 1988-2007
Weston HS Head Coach, 2007-2020
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Claude grew up in Weston and didn't learn to swim until 7th grade where his PE Teacher, Pete Foley, taught him, then told him to join the HS team. He became a WHS Rookie of the Year, 101% Award winner, and a Captain.
In college Claude swam a year at WPI and Northeastern, earning a BS in Math in '85, teaching certification in '86, and a Masters in Statistics in '90, all from NU. While still in college, he was hired as Wayland HS Head Coach at age 21. His Girls had four straight top-five finishes at States and he was the first Wayland boys' coach. After Wayland, Claude's next stop was at Greely HS, in Cumberland, ME, where he was Pool Director and Boys Head Coach. His team was undefeated, SMAA Champs, and took second at the State Meet. |
After a year in Maine, a teaching position opened in Weston and Claude returned to his hometown for the rest of his teaching and coaching career. He was a Math Teacher at both Weston Middle and High Schools, and was selected as one of 40 Walt Disney National Teachers of the Year in 2004. He did spend three years as Assistant Principal of Weston Middle School, but as Claude later said, "I got smart and returned to the classroom."
As a coach in Weston, Claude spent 19 years alongside his mentor, Pete Foley, as the squad took 15 Boys State Titles with the pair working together. Upon Pete's retirement in 2007, Claude took over for the next 13 seasons with Jim McLaughlin as his top assistant. In that stretch, the boys took six State Titles (including 5 straight from '12 to '16) and the girls won their first-ever state team title in '15. Claude was named the 2014 NFHS National Boys Coach of the Year. The number of athletes on Claude's teams during his tenure hovered around 100 - a fact he was proud of.
Claude also spent more than 40 summers on the pool deck starting as a lifeguard for several seasons, then spending 39 years either as a summer club swim coach or manager. He was at Wayland Swim & Tennis Club for 16 seasons before moving to the Weston Rec. Dept. for the next 16 years where he founded the Catfish Swim Team. He then spent time in the ICC League where his teams won five titles in six seasons. In addition to coaching, Claude has served on the national level, running NISCA's National Dual Meet Team Ranking Program for five years.
Claude met his wife, Jean, on the Weston pool deck in the mid-80s as she worked for the Rec. Dept. and coached for them. The two married in 1988 and have three children - CJ, David, and Katie. CJ was on the '07 and '08 State Champ teams, swam on a State Champion Relay in '09, and was a captain in '10. He is now C.O.O. of a company specializing in Advanced Manipulator Technology and Robotics. David chose the wrestling route in HS and was a heavyweight division state-qualifier and team captain in '13. He is now works on the west coast with a company specializing in permaculture, whole systems water design, and community-based projects. Katie, the last of nine Valles to go through Weston, was a member of the '15 Girls State Champion Team and went on to become the Pool Director at the Weston Outdoor Memorial Pool, and Head Coach of both Weston Rec. Dept.'s winter and summer swim teams. She is a YMCA Aquatics Director.
As a coach in Weston, Claude spent 19 years alongside his mentor, Pete Foley, as the squad took 15 Boys State Titles with the pair working together. Upon Pete's retirement in 2007, Claude took over for the next 13 seasons with Jim McLaughlin as his top assistant. In that stretch, the boys took six State Titles (including 5 straight from '12 to '16) and the girls won their first-ever state team title in '15. Claude was named the 2014 NFHS National Boys Coach of the Year. The number of athletes on Claude's teams during his tenure hovered around 100 - a fact he was proud of.
Claude also spent more than 40 summers on the pool deck starting as a lifeguard for several seasons, then spending 39 years either as a summer club swim coach or manager. He was at Wayland Swim & Tennis Club for 16 seasons before moving to the Weston Rec. Dept. for the next 16 years where he founded the Catfish Swim Team. He then spent time in the ICC League where his teams won five titles in six seasons. In addition to coaching, Claude has served on the national level, running NISCA's National Dual Meet Team Ranking Program for five years.
Claude met his wife, Jean, on the Weston pool deck in the mid-80s as she worked for the Rec. Dept. and coached for them. The two married in 1988 and have three children - CJ, David, and Katie. CJ was on the '07 and '08 State Champ teams, swam on a State Champion Relay in '09, and was a captain in '10. He is now C.O.O. of a company specializing in Advanced Manipulator Technology and Robotics. David chose the wrestling route in HS and was a heavyweight division state-qualifier and team captain in '13. He is now works on the west coast with a company specializing in permaculture, whole systems water design, and community-based projects. Katie, the last of nine Valles to go through Weston, was a member of the '15 Girls State Champion Team and went on to become the Pool Director at the Weston Outdoor Memorial Pool, and Head Coach of both Weston Rec. Dept.'s winter and summer swim teams. She is a YMCA Aquatics Director.
