Kleffman is still going strong in swimming

FARIBAULT—Robin Kleffman competed in swimming and track and field at Hibbing High School, and he’s still competing, at least in one sport.

The former Hibbing High School graduate was a four-year letter winner in both sports, and he still has the No. 3 all-time throw in the shot put at 57-feet-2 ½-inches.

He was third in the state in the medley relay as both a sophomore and junior, and as a senior he was fourth in the state in the freestyle relay.

For those accolades, Kleffman will be inducted into the Hibbing High School Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday at the Hibbing Memorial Building.

More impressively, Kleffman is still using the swimming skills he learned from Pop Lukens and Carl Allison, competing in Masters Swimming.

“I started competing in my 20s until the 45-49 age group when my wife and I started a bed and breakfast,” Kleffman said. “I was out of the water for a while. I started competing in the 65-69, 70-74 and 75-79 age groups.”

Kleffman is a six-time All-American Master Swimmer.

Most importantly, he remembers his time in Hibbing.

“When I joined the team and our first meeting with Pop, he said, ‘School work is first and swimming was second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth,” Kleffman said. “In those days, Hibbing was on six-week marking periods. If your GPA was less than 2.00, Pop would give you a swat.

“After that first marking period, five or six swimmers got swats. By the end of the third marking period, nobody got swats. He enforced that. We had to decided what was more important in life, then we worked on it.”

Kleffman made the varsity swimming team in the eighth-grade because he was proficient in the butterfly, which is considered the toughest stroke of the four.

He could swim in the individual medley, backstroke and freestyle events.

Kleffman swam under Lukens through the 10th-grade, then Allison took over the team.

Through those two, Kleffman was able to set up his own workout plans when he joined Masters swimming.

“I remembered the workouts we did under Pop and Carl,” Kleffman said. “I wrote those out.”

On Monday’s Kleffman worked on the butterfly; on Tuesday it was the backstroke; on Wednesday the breaststroke; Thursday the freestyle; and on Friday it was all of the strokes.

“We were working on different muscles every day,” Kleffman said. “Swimming in Masters, that gives you time to learn the other strokes. In high school, you only get three months. You swam whatever you were good at.

“This gave me the time to concentrate on the stroke style. By watching videos, you get the correct technique. It turned out well for me.”

Kleffman has set many Minnesota state records.

His first National championship occurred at the 1983 YMCA National Masters Swim championships held at Chicago University. He won and set National records in the 100 and 200 butterfly.

Since then, Kleffman has recorded 14 National Championship wins at the US Masters, YMCA Masters and Senior Games National Championship meets in the butterfly, backstroke and individual medley.

Kleffman is still competing, winning the 200 butterfly at the 2024 National Masters Swim Championships held at Indiana University.

In track, Kleffman was always bested by his brother, Joel.

“He’s the only shot putter better than me,” Kleffman said with a chuckle. “We were always fighting each other. I wasn’t a big guy, 5-8, 170-pounds, but Joel and I were fast, strong and coordinated. We were able to handle the shot and discus.

“At state, I placed fourth, and Joel was second. Five of the best shot putters were in our region, but only two could go to state.”

When Kleffman accepts his hall of fame plaque, how is he going to feel?

“I don’t think I’ll get emotional,” he said. “I’m not that emotional, but I’m proud to be chosen. I don’t think I’ll start crying, but who knows? They’re hoping to keep the talks down from three to five minutes. I’ll be as brief as I can be.”