The Every Child a Swimmer program is thrilled to collaborate with the SB 544 legislation to guarantee that even more children acquire essential swimming skills and become proficient swimmers.
by Casey McGovern
The alignment between SB 544 and the “Every Child A Swimmer” legislation and program emphasizes a shared commitment to protecting Florida’s children and promoting water safety as a fundamental priority.
Together, these efforts represent a comprehensive approach to addressing the complex challenges posed by drownings and ensuring that every child has equal opportunity to learn and thrive in the water.
As SB 544 begins to take effect and the swimming lesson voucher program rolls out, the “Every Child A Swimmer” initiative will continue to play a critical role in supporting its implementation and advocating for its expansion.
Through ongoing collaboration and dedication, we can build a safer, more resilient future for Florida’s children—one where every child is not just a swimmer, but a confident and empowered guardian of their own safety in and around the water.
The “Every Child A Swimmer” initiative serves as a vital ally to SB 544, amplifying its impact and reinforcing its objectives. Through advocacy, education, and community outreach, this initiative seeks to raise awareness about the importance of swimming lessons and empower families to prioritize water safety for their children. One of the key strengths of the “Every Child A Swimmer” initiative lies in its ability to mobilize resources and expertise from various sectors to support SB 544’s implementation. By leveraging partnerships with local organizations, swim schools, and government agencies, this initiative maximizes the reach and effectiveness of the swimming lesson voucher program, ensuring that it reaches those who need it most.
By highlighting the lifesaving benefits of swimming lessons and advocating for their inclusion in statewide initiatives like SB 544, this initiative helps drive meaningful change and saves lives in the process.
As we look ahead to the implementation of this program, it is essential for communities to come together to support and promote water safety education. By raising awareness, providing resources, and encouraging participation in swimming lessons, we can create a safer environment for children to learn, play, and thrive in the water. In conclusion, SB 544 is not just a piece of legislation; it is a lifeline for Florida’s children. By investing in swimming lessons for low-income families, we are investing in the future of our state and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up safe, healthy, and confident in and around the water.
“WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT THE STATE HAS DEDICATED FUNDING TO TEACH FLORIDA CHILDREN TO SWIM; WE WILL PROACTIVELY WORK WITH THE STATE TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL! ~ DBK”
Finding Your Place in the Pool: Did You Choose Swimming, or Did Swimming Choose You?
18 March 2024, 08:58am
As a swimmer, you know there is something special about swimming that sets it apart from other sports. It is not just about moving through the water or winning medals but about the connection you create with the pool and the unique relationship you develop with the water. But have you ever stopped to wonder whether you chose swimming or if swimming chose you?
For many of you, your swimming journey began in a seemingly insignificant way. It may have started with a casual dip in the pool on a hot summer day or a mandatory swimming class in school. But that initial spark grew over time into a deep passion for the sport. Swimming is more than just a physical activity. It is a sanctuary where you can find peace and tranquility.
When you are in the water, the outside world fades away, and all that is left is the rhythmic sound of the pool around you. The water is where swimmers find solace, letting go of their worries and being in the moment. But swimming also demands dedication, discipline, and a relentless commitment to self-improvement. It is not just about showing up to practice and going through the motions, but pushing yourself to be the best you can be. From early morning practices to the never-ending pursuit of shaving off fractions of seconds from your personal best, swimming is a journey marked by challenges and triumphs.
The relationship between a swimmer and the sport is a delicate dance in which each partner influences and shapes the other. The sport teaches resilience, grace, and determination as you navigate the ebb and flow of life. The water becomes a sculptor, molding your body into a vessel of strength and agility while you learn to navigate life’s challenges with poise and confidence.
For many swimmers, the sport feels like a natural extension of themselves or a calling that resonates deep within their being. They swim through the water effortlessly, as if they were born to do so. For these individuals, the sport is not just an activity but a fundamental part of their identity.
So, whether you are a seasoned swimmer or just starting, take a moment to reflect on the journey that brought you to the pool. Perhaps the convergence of fate and passion perfectly binds you to the sport. As you continue to retreat to the water, cherish the moments of stillness and embrace the challenges that come your way. Remember, it is not just about the medals or the times but about the journey, the growth, and the profound connection that goes far beyond the pool’s edge. Whether you are swimming for leisure or pushing yourself to reach new heights, remember that swimming is not just a sport—it is a way of life. And in the quiet depths of the pool, you may find the answers to whether you chose swimming or if swimming chose you.
Happy Birthday Rebecca Soni!!
Rebecca Soni (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2021)
FOR THE RECORD: 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m breaststroke), silver (100m breaststroke, 4×100m medley relay); 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m breaststroke, 4×100m medley relay), silver (100m breaststroke); EIGHT WORLD RECORDS: 100m breaststroke (1 LC, 1 SC), 200m breaststroke (3 LC, 1 SC), 4×100 medley relay (1 LC, 1 SC); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m breaststroke), silver (50m breaststroke); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 4×100m medley), bronze (50m breaststroke); 2010 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke), silver (4×100m medley relay)
Rebecca Soni is known as a breaststroke phenom. What she lacked in size, she made up for in strength and desire. Her much-discussed technique is what separated her from her rivals. It featured an abbreviated leg kick aligned with perfectly timed rapid arm sweeps. It was an effective and efficient approach, and it was gold – Olympic gold.
Soni is a two-time Olympian and six-time Olympic medalist. She broke eight world records in breaststroke events and as part of two women’s medley relay teams, one long course and one short course.
During the summer of 2006, Soni had a procedure called a cardiac ablation that helped regulate her heartbeat. She had an irregularly high heartbeat that affected her training and needed to be treated.
Soni worked through her health issues and qualified for her first Olympic team in 2008 by winning the 200m breaststroke. In the 100m breaststroke, she took fourth place. However, fate stepped in when one American teammate withdrew and another missed a deadline for the Games, allowing Soni to represent the United States in her first Olympic Games in three events – both breaststrokes and the 4×100 medley relay. She did not disappoint.
In her first event, the 100m breaststroke, Soni won the silver medal behind world record holder Leisel Jones of Australia. She followed with a stunning victory in the 200m breast, out-swimming Jones with a time of 2:20.22 that also broke Jones’ world record.
Soni wrapped up her first Games as a member of the USA medley relay team, taking her second silver medal, behind the Australians.
Soni attended the University of Southern California from 2005-2009 and swam for multi-time Olympic coach Dave Salo. Her career was defined by four national titles in the 200-yd breaststroke and in her junior and senior years, she also won titles in the 100-yd breaststroke. Soni ended her career at USC with the NCAA record in the 200-yd breaststroke, gathered 12 All-American honors and finished as one of the most dominant breaststrokers in NCAA history.
At her second Olympic Games in 2012, Soni again won the silver medal in the 100m breaststroke, this time behind Lithuania’s Ruta Mejlutyte by only .08 seconds. In the 200m breaststroke, Soni broke the world record in the semi-finals with a time of 2:20.00. In the finals, she won the gold medal and broke the world record again with a time of 2:19.59. The effort made Soni the first woman to break 2:20 in the event.
With that gold medal, Soni became the first female to successfully win back-to-back Olympic titles in the 200m breaststroke. In the medley relay, Soni helped the United States win gold, as she teamed with Missy Franklin, Dana Vollmer and Allison Schmitt. Together, the foursome broke the world record with a time of 3:52.05.
After her retirement in 2014, Soni went into business with friend and former Olympic teammate, Caroline Burckle. They co-founded a company called RISE Athletes, an online mentoring platform for young athletes. Soni’s company recruits Olympians to help mentor young athletes by using one-on-one interaction.
Happy Birthday Andras Hargitay!!
Andras Hargitay (HUN)
Honor Swimmer (2008)
FOR THE RECORD: 1972 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (400m I.M.); ONE WORLD RECORD: 400m I.M.; 1973 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (400m I.M.); 1975 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m I.M., 400m I.M.); 1974 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m butterfly, 400m I.M.), bronze (200m I.M.); 1977 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m I.M.).
The small, European country of Hungary is noted for producing the world’s great individual medley swimmers including Olympic champions, Tamas Darnyi and Attila Czsne. But it all began with a young 16 year old swimmer, who in 1972 won the Olympic bronze medal in the 400 IM in Munich, less than one second behind Gunnar Larson of Sweden and Tim McKee of the US who finished with identical times. Under the coaching guidance of Tamas Szechy, Andras Hargitay was on his way to become the great IM swimmer of the 1970’s.
At the first World Championships in 1973 Belgrade and again in 1975, Hargitay beat the competition by over three seconds to win gold in the 400 meter IM as well as a gold medal in the 200 IM in 1975. At the Vienna European Championships of 1974, he not only won the gold medals in the 200 meter butterfly and 400 IM, he broke Gary Hall’s 400 IM five-year old world record by two seconds, holding the record for two years until it was broken by his team mate, Zolton Verraszto. In 1977, he again won the European Championships, this time in the 200 IM. All told, he won six titles at World and European Championships and was named the Hungarian Sportsman of the Year for 1975.
Happy Birthday Tom Gompf!!
Tom Gompf (USA)
Honor Contributor (2002)
FOR THE RECORD: 1964 Olympic Games: bronze (10m platform); 3 National AAU Championships: (trampoline-1, 10m platform-2); 4 Foreign National Championships: Japan (3), Spain (1); 2 World Professional High Dive Championships; 11 years Diving Coach: University of Miami (FL) (1971-82); 1976, 1984 U.S. Olympic Diving Team: Coach/Manager; U.S. Olympic Committee Executive Board of Directors: Member (1977-2000); 1984-2004 FINA Technical Diving Committee: Chairman (1988-2000); U.S. Diving, Inc.: President (1985-90); U.S. Aquatic Sports: President (1999-present); Executive Board of Amateur Swimming Union of the Americas: member (1999-present).
Tom Gompf loves all aspects of diving; always has, always will. He started as a young local
competitor, advanced to the Olympic Games, performed in professional competition and grew to serve the international diving community as an administrative leader. He is a hard worker for the good of the sport and a friend to all. Gompf has had a profound international influence on the sport of diving.
As a youngster, growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Tom won five National YMCA Diving titles and two National AAU Junior Nationals Championships. He was coached in the early years by Ray Zahn, George Burger and Lou Cox.
By the time he graduated from college at Ohio State University in 1961, diving for Hall of Fame Coach Mike Peppe, Tom had won the NCAA National Trampoline Championships and a year later, the U.S. National AAU Diving Championships twice on the 10m platform. In 1964 at the Tokyo Olympics, and under the eye (1961-1965) of coach Dick Smith, Tom won the bronze
medal on the 10m platform, only two points behind gold medalist Bob Webster (USA) and one point behind silver medalist Klaus Dibiasi (Italy) both Hall of Famers. Tom went on to win National Championships in Spain and Japan and then competed in and won first place in the 1970 and 1971 World Professional High Diving Championships in Montreal. His next competition
was diving off the cliffs of Acapulco. He survived. All this was while flying several hundred combat missions in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967 earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Medal with multiple silver clusters.
From 1971 to 1982, he coached diving at the University of Miami (FL) developing divers, winning six National Championships and competing on World, Pan American and Olympic teams. Steve McFarland, Melissa Briley, Julie Capps, Greg Garlich and Greg Louganis were among his team members.
But perhaps Tom’s greatest contribution came from behind the scenes as a leader in the sport. Universally acknowledged for his low-key, amiable manner, his stock-in-trade is his ability to work effectively and silently to promote the sport. Extremely intelligent, he can be very persuasive. Says one veteran, “Tom can make you believe a watermelon is an apple.” Since 1977, he has served on the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors (1977-2004) and Executive Board, working to autonomize the four aquatic disciplines under the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. He helped establish U.S. Diving, Inc. in 1980 and serves as the only continuous board member. He served four years as its president (1985-90) and since 1998 has been president to United States Aquatic Sports which represents all the disciplines and reports directly to FINA.
On the international scene, Tom serves on the Executive Board of the Amateur Swimming Union of the Americas (ASUA). In 1984, he was elected to the FINA Technical Diving Committee and continues in that position today. He served three, four-year terms as chairman during which time he proposed and passed legislation to include 1 meter diving in the FINA World Championships (1986) and synchronized diving for World competitions, with its debut at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. “It lends the element of team, which every other sport has. It’s TV and a proven crowd favorite,” says Tom. Tom is responsible for the renovation of international judging, initiating a judges’ education program involving clinics and manuals. Tom has served as the
Chairman of the FINA Diving Commission for the World Swimming Championships (1990-98) and as Chairman of the FINA Diving Commission for the Olympic Games (1992-2000).
Tom has received the FINA silver and gold pins, served as the U.S. Team Manager for the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games, was Chairman eight years (1991-98) for the ISHOF Honoree Selection Committee and served four years (1986-90) on the ISHOF Board of Directors. All the while, Tom was airline captain for National (1967-80), Pan American (1980-91) and Delta Airlines (1991-2000). He has received the Mike Malone/Glen McCormick Award (1984) for outstanding contribution to U.S. Diving, the Phil Boggs Award (1995), U.S. Diving’s highest award and the 1997 Paragon Award for competitive diving.
Tom’s accomplishments were never for personal fame, but always an honest attempt to help the sport he loves. He has applied the same determination and passion that made him an Olympic medalist to pursuing the goal of advancing and improving all aspects of diving on the international scene for the good of the sport and the athletes.
Today We Remember Virginia Hunt Newman on Her Birthday
Virginia Hunt Newman (USA)
Honor Pioneer Contributor (1993)
FOR THE RECORD: Swimming instructor of infants; Produced film on how to dive springboard. 1967–published Teaching An Infant To Swim; Best know for developing the non-forceful, non-traumatic method of teaching infants to swim.
Virginia Hunt competed in swimming for the Indianapolis Athletic Club from 1932 to 1940, winning numerous Midwest and national titles. From 1940 to 1948 she competed in diving for the Los Angeles Athletic Club where she won several Southern Pacific Association titles and a national title.
During World War II, Virginia traveled with the United Service Organization and the Hollywood Victory Committee, appearing in water shows with Hall of Famers Johnny Weissmuller, Stubby Kruger, Buster Crabbe, and Dutch Smith, for the armed services.
Although she was quite successful as a swimmer and diver, Virginia is renowned for her accomplishments as an infant swimming instructor. She began teaching swimming to infants and pre-schoolers in 1950 and became an aquatic director and diving coach at a private boys’ school. During this time, Virginia wrote and directed a series of films on springboard diving and served as Secretary of the Southern Pacific Association Diving Committee for two years.
In 1962 she came to a major turning point in her career. Her star student, two-year old Mary Crosby, daughter of entertainer Bing Crosby and his wife Kathryn successfully passed the skill test for the Red Cross Beginners Certificate. At this time, Mary was the youngest child in the history of the Red Cross to do this. So impressed with her achievements and the fact that she was the daughter of Bing Crosby, Mary’s award was personally presented by the director of Red Cross Safety Services and Hall of Famer Johnny Weismuller on national television and covered by Life, Look, and Time magazines and headlined in the Los Angeles newspapers.
This event led to the compiling of Virginia’s methods in her book Teaching An Infant to Swim in 1967. It gave world-wide attention to non-forceful or non-traumatic teaching methods. Her book became so popular that it was published in England, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, and Japan. She later published her next book Teaching Young Children To Swim And Dive, in 1969.
Besides her success with young Mary Crosby, Virginia was also the swimming instructor for the children of John Wayne, Bob Hope, Harry Cohen, Jerry Lewis, Alan Ladd, Bob Newhart, Max Factor, Sonny & Cher, and Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman.
Her methods, distraction from normal fears associated with learning to swim and rewards for trying and performing skills, have been accepted by thousands of swim instructors world-wide.
For her accomplishments, Virginia received both the National Service Award in 1971 and National Honor Award in 1983 from the Aquatics Council of American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Virginia later opened Newman Swim Academy in Hollywood, California, in 1973 and became the executive director of the United States Swimming Foundation in 1980. Today Virginia continues to give many national and world workshops, clinics, and lectures on teaching children how to swim.
JULIUS CEASAR AND THE IDES OF MARCH
“Beware The Ides of March!” Had Julius Caesar not been a strong swimmer, we would never know the term – he would have died in 48 BCE and never lived to die on the Ides of March in 45 BCE.
by: Bruce Wigo
It is from the historian and biographer Plutarch, that we know of a famous swimming feat from ancient Rome. The year was 48 B.C.E., during the great Roman Civil War. Julius Caesar had just defeated his rival, Pompey, in Greece, and Pompey had escaped to Alexandria with his family and entourage to seek asylum. But Caesar followed and landed in Egypt a few days later. When he arrived, Caesar was greeted by the Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII, who presented him with Pompey’s head. Ptolemy had expected Caesar to be pleased and hoped to win the Caesar’s support in his own dispute with his sister, Cleopatra, whom he had driven into exile. But according to Plutarch, it had the opposite effect. When shown Pompey’s head, Caesar turned away and wept, for Caesar and Pompey had been closer than most friends. As consuls, they had ruled Rome together and in 59 B.C.E. Pompey had married Caesar’s only legitimate daughter, Julia. When she died during childbirth four years later, Caesar and Pompey had grieved together. Caesar never wished Pompey dead, but had hoped to rehabilitate their friendship and it was a distraught Caesar who consoled Pompey’s wife and children and won over the favor of his army by granting them all clemency.
When Caesar first met Cleopatra he was captivated by her beauty and intelligence. Although he was 52 years old and she only 21, they became lovers. Ptolemy was imprisoned and Cleopatra, backed by Caesar’s small army, was declared sole ruler of Egypt. This upset Ptolemy’s generals and they marched on Alexandria. With Egyptian ships blocking the harbor, and greatly outnumbered, Caesar had little choice but to prepare for a siege until Roman legions from nearby Syria and Greece could come to his aide.
In an effort to break the siege, Caesar prepared thirty of his ships for an attack on Pharos, the island fortress that controlled ingress and egress to the port and contained the great Alexandria lighthouse. Control of the island was essential if Caesar was to get reinforcements and supplies by sea. According to Plutarch, Caesar was watching from land as the ships clashed and then, he tried to go to the aide of his men in their struggle in a small boat. “But the Egyptians sailed up against him from every side, so that he threw himself into the sea and with great difficulty escaped by swimming. At this time, too, it is said that he was holding many papers in his hand and would not let them go, though missiles were flying at him and he was immersed in the sea, but held them above water with one hand and swam with the other; his little boat had been sunk at the outset.”Some months later, reinforcements arrived, Caesar defeated Ptolemy’s army and subjugated Egypt under Roman rule. Cleopatra became his mistress and gave birth to his son, Ptolemy Caesar, and she returned to Rome with him, which caused quite a scandal, as he was married to someone else. So it was that because of swimming, Caesar survived to meet his fate on the Ides of March in 45 B.C.E. Had he not known how to swim, the history of the world might be quite different today.
Happy Birthday Dmitry Sautin!!
Dmitry Sautin (RUS)
Honor Diver (2016)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (3m springboard); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform synchro), silver (3m springboard), bronze (10m platform); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (3m springboard); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: bronze (3m springboard); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform, 3m springboard); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard), bronze (3m springboard synchro); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard synchro), bronze (3m springboard); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (3m springboard);1991 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (10m platform); 1993 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform);silver (3m springboard); 1995 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard), bronze (10m platform); 1997 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (3m springboard); 1999 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 2000 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform, 10m platform synchro, 3m springboard), silver (3m springboard synchro); 2002 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard, 3m springboard synchro); 2006 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard), silver (3m springboard synchro); 2008 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard, 3m springboard synchro); 2010 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (3m springboard synchro)
Dmitry Sautin’s steep climb up the international sports ladder began in 1991, when he won silver for the Soviet Union on the 10-meter platform event at the European Championships, in Athens, Greece, at the age of 17. But later that same year Dmitry was brutally attacked on a street in Moscow. He was stabbed numerous times in his legs and body and almost bled to death before reaching the hospital. But true to his grit, discipline and determination, he fought back and by the summer of 1992, against all odds, he won the bronze medal behind Hall of Famers Mark Lenzi and Tan Liangde on the 3-meter springboard at the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Dmitry Sautin began diving from the 10-meter platform at age nine, and the beating his body took from the thousands of practice dives from 33 feet above the water, took its toll. For over two decades, he overcame injuries to his wrists, shoulder and back to compete in a multitude of events, including the European Championships, the FINA World Championships, and the Olympic Games, between the years of 1992 and 2008. Sautin won his first Olympic gold medal on the 3-meter springboard in Atlanta in 1996, but the highlight of his career would arguably have to be the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia. These were the first games where synchronized diving was added to the Olympic program, raising the number of diving events from two to four for both men and women. Sautin received medals in all four events, winning individual gold on the 10-meter platform, bronze on the 3-meter springboard, gold again on the 10-meter synchronized event with partner, Igor Lukashin and silver on the 3-meter synchronized event with partner, Aleksandr Dobroskok.
In a career remarkable for it’s longevity, Dmitry Sautin competed in ten European Championships, six FINA World Championships, and five Olympic Games, winning a total of 20 gold medals, six silver and nine bronze. His eight Olympic medals are the most by any male diver in history.
Happy Birthday Pieter van den Hoogenband!!
Pieter van den Hoogenband (NED)
Honor Swimmer (2013)
FOR THE RECORD: 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: 4th (100m freestyle, 200m freestyle); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m freestyle, 200m freestyle), bronze (50m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m freestyle), silver (200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: 5th (100m freestyle); THREE WORLD RECORDS: 100m freestyle, 2-200m freestyle; 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (4x200m freestyle), bronze (200m freestyle); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (100m freestyle, 200m freestyle), bronze (50m freestyle); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (200m freestyle); 1999 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (25m): gold (4x200m freestyle), silver (4x100m freestyle), bronze (200m freestyle); EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: (50m) 10 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze; (25m) 6 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze; 1998 GOODWILL GAMES: 2 gold; 2001 GOODWILL GAMES: 2 bronze; (4x100m medley); WORLD SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: 2000; EUROPEAN SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004; DUTCH SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR: 1999, 2000, 2004.
His mother, Astrid Verner, is a former 800 meter freestyle silver medalist of the European Championships. His father Cees is the team doctor with the PSV Eindhovan professional football team and a FINA doctor. Astrid became coach of the Dutch swimming team and Cees provided the foundation to secure a financial base to keep the team operating.
Pieter van den Hoogenband was well on his way to become Holland’s greatest male swimmer alongside female swimmer Inge de Bruin. His international breakthrough came at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when at 18, he exceeded expectations by finishing fourth in the 100 meter and 200 meter freestyle.
After winning six gold medals at the 1999 European Championships, he was one of the favorites at the 2000 Olympic Games. But in Sydney, he faced hometown favorite Ian Thorpe in the 200 and two time Russian Olympic Champion Alexander Popov in the 100 meter freestyle. “Hoogie” beat them both in world record time. His 100 meter freestyle record of 47.84 stood for a phenomenal eight years, longer than any other swimmers since Johnny Weissmuller in 1924. Pieter earned bronze medals in the 50 meter and 4 x 200 meter freestyle. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he won another gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle and silver in the 200 meter freestyle and 4 x 100 meter freestyle. In 2008, by finishing 5th in the 100 meter freestyle he became the first-ever swimmer to make the finals in four consecutive Olympics in the same event.
Throughout his career he received many prestigious awards, the most distinctive being World Swimmer of the Year in 2000.
Happy Birthday Ron O’Brien!!
Ron O’Brien (USA)
Honor Diver (1988)
FOR THE RECORD: NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1959 (one meter); AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1961 (3 meter); OLYMPIC COACH: 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988; Assistant Coach: 1968; WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS COACH: 1975, 1978, 1982, 1986; PAN AMERICAN COACH: 1967, 1975, 1983, 1987; WORLD CUP COACH: 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987; 1974 Malone Memorial Award; 1976 Fred Cady Award; 1979-1987 Mike Peppe Award; 1984 Ohio State University Sports Hall of Fame; Winner of 62 National Team Championships while coaching at University of Minnesota (1962-1963); Ohio State (1963-1978), Mission Viejo (1978-1985) and Mission Bay (beginning 1985-1988).
Ron O’Brien has done it all in diving from NCAA and AAU national champion under Mike Peppe while a six letter man (gymnastics and diving) at Ohio State to the top professional water show act (with Hall of Famer Dick Kimball), to the Ph.D. that made believers out of the academicians, to a top college, club, national and international coach. He has won U.S. Diving’s Award as the “Outstanding Senior U.S. Diving Coach” every year since the award was inaugurated in 1979.
It seems like Ron O’Brien has always been a diving coach. Standing next to the deep end (now a diving well), speaking in sort of a stage whisper, animated by body language and hand signals of what the diver did or did not do. His face is constantly sunburned–his green eyes bloodshot with crinkle smile lines around his mouth. His ears and nose peeling as he does a dance in place, teetering on the edge of the pool.
In his first 25 years of coaching, his divers have won 154 gold, 90 silver and 78 bronze medals in major Olympic, world, national, NCAA and Big Ten Conference diving championships. This doesn’t take into account the dozens of medals in prestigious invitational meets around the world. He has coached everyone from beginners to the famed Greg Louganis.
Ron narrowly missed the 1960 Olympic team himself placing third or fourth in the Olympic trials where only two were taken. Perhaps this experience gave him the patience, persistence and understanding to be the coach of every Olympic team since 1968. “It certainly was a good motivator,” he says. “It made me want to make it as a coach. But what keeps me going is not winning,” O’Brien says, “but the quest for reaching potential in myself as a coach and my kids as divers. It’s the pursuit of excellence.”
If you had to pick a highlight from his first 25 years of coaching at Minnesota, Ohio State and the two Missions, it might be the 1982 World Championships when O’Brien’s divers from Mission Viejo won all four of the diving gold medals, the first and only time this has happened in diving history.