Passages: IMSHOF Honoree Ted Erikson, First Man to Cross Lake Michigan and Hall of Famer, Age 93
by MATTHEW DE GEORGE – SENIOR WRITER
02 December 2021
Passages: Ted Erikson, First Man to Cross Lake Michigan and Hall of Famer, Age 93
Ted Erikson, a member of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and the first man to cross Lake Michigan, died on Dec. 1. He was 93 years old.
Erikson was inducted to the IMSHOF in 1978. He made his legendary crossing of Lake Michigan in 1961 in difficult conditions. It took 36 hours and 37 minutes for him to get from McCormick Place in Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana. The anticipated journey of 37 miles covered an estimated 43 miles. Erikson lost 17 pounds during the journey.
Ted Erikson; Photo Courtesy: IMSHOF
His open-water feats include becoming the second person to swim the English Channel round-trip when he did so in 1965 over more than 30 hours. He also swam through shark-infested waters in 1967 over 28 miles from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge. (Erikson’s wife was told that he had died due to hypothermia during that swim, though that report was premature.)
After his initial Lake Michigan swim, he also did a 50-mile crossing from Chicago to Kenosha, Wisc. In 35 hours, 37 minutes in 1962, and a 60-mile swim from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan, in 37 hours, 25 minutes in 1963.
Born in Montana, Erikson served in the Navy and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He worked at the university as a research chemist for 21 years and taught math, physics and chemistry at Hammond Technical High School.
He arrived at open water swimming late in life for the health benefits, swimming his first marathon at age 33. He made his first English Channel crossing in 1964.
Erikson was swimming until recently, according to an obituary in the Chicago Sun-Times. He was living in a retirement community in Hyde Park at the time of his death. According to his daughter, Pam Perkins, Erikson’s wish was to have his ashes scattered in Lake Michigan.
Erikson passed on his love of swimming to his, Jon Erikson, a 1981 IMSHOF inductee and a 2014 inductee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Jon died in 2014. Jon overtook Ted’s record for fastest double crossing of the English Channel in 1979, one of four proteges Ted helped cross the Channel.
Ted Erikson is survived by his daughter, former wife Loretta Bacskai, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Frank Elm, one of the top coaches in U.S. history has died. He was 92.
by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR
01 December 2021
Frank Elm, one of the top coaches in U.S. history has died. He was 92.
Born on Oct 30, 1929, Elm was the head coach for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. He also was an assistant coach for the 1968 and 1976 Olympic Games.
Elm, who also coached the 1967 U.S. Pan American Games team, and two U.S. National Teams that toured Japan in 1975 and the Soviet Union in 1981, was elected to the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Hall of Fame in 2004.
Elm coached at Rutgers for 31 years and was elected to the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. He developed the women’s program at the school and fought for facilities worthy of the talent and hard work he and his swimmers put in at Rutgers, where he developed 10 Olympic swimmers- two gold medal winners, several Pan Am Games swimmers, five of whom won gold medals. He also tutored several individual and national championship swimmers as well as national relay champions.
He oversaw the development of the women’s swimming and diving program at Rutgers, a team that went undefeated from 1973-75.
Near the end of his career, he was able to help oversee the construction of the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center, one of the finest swimming and diving facilities in America. Elm received the Master Coaches Award from the Swimming Coaches’ Association of America in 1973 and was bestowed with the honor of Loyal Son in 1992 by the Rutgers Alumni Association.
“It is so antiquated it’s disgusting,” Frank Elm told the New York Times about the old facility. “With only four lanes, it limits the size of our teams and our training. Other state schools like Tennessee, with its 32 available lanes, and Penn State, with 12 lanes, make the Rutgers facilities look sick.”
Rutgers has hosted a Frank Elm Invitational in his honor at the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center.
Elm came to Rutgers as a successful AAU Coach, New Jersey Interscholastic Champion, All-American from Indiana University and a swimmer-coach in the Marine Corps. His Rutgers team won 39 dual meets in a row, Summit Y Men’s team won 68 meets in a row, and the Summit Y Girls team won 70 meets in a row (never losing a dual meet). Another club Frank Elm coached in the 1950’s won 60 meets in a row and never lost while he was coaching. Frank Elm served on several National Committees and was selected as a Loyal Son of Rutgers in April of 1992.
Frank Elm led the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers from 1961 to 1972 stamped 11-straight winning seasons, with an overall 79-42 record. In 1965, the creation of the Eastern Seaboard Championships brought Rutgers University to a new level, with swimmers such as Bill Clark (’63), Larry Jones, John Wasylyk (’64), Don Galluzzi, Marty Flickenger (’65), and diver Roy Nicholas (’64 – Eastern Champion and NCAA top-eight finisher) as the top performers.
But one of his biggest pioneering roles came when women joined the college swimming ranks.
The 1970’s at Rutgers were best known for the inclusion of the women into the Rutgers program. Olympic swimmer Judy Mellick (’77) became the first female members of the Rutgers team and the first woman to compete with men. She was one of the pioneers as Rutgers transformed into a successful women’s athletic program. The Rutgers women’s swimming program blasted onto the scene under Frank Elm with three consecutive undefeated season (1975-77), with a fierce dominance at the Eastern Championships. The women’s team went on to be the only Eastern team to place in the top ten at the 1977 Nationals. Frank Elm coached 15 swimmers on to earn All-American recognition and many to be come stars of their era, including Mellick, Ellen Wallace, Debbie Franks, Maureen Mortell and Robin Locklair. Wallace went on to represent the USA at the Pan-Am Championships. Frank Elm finished the women’s program in the 1970’s with a 70-20 record.
Elizabeth Fry to Receive the 2022 Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Elizabeth Fry to Receive the 2022 Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award
FORT LAUDERDALE – The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) will recognize Elizabeth Fry, for her extensive contributions to the administration of open water swimming with the 2022 Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award. The Award will be presented to Elizabeth during the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Induction and Award Ceremony in Naples Italy on Saturday May 7th 2022. The Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award is presented annually by the International Swimming Hall of Fame to the individual who has contributed the most to the administration of open water swimming.
This year’s award recognizes Elizabeth Fry, an open water swimming administrator from Connecticut, USA who has served the sport for more than 30 years. She has also been the marathon director for 13 years of the 25 km St. Vincent’s Foundation Swim Across the (Long Island) Sound which raises more than $2 million EACH YEAR. Prior to her leadership in 2007 the event raised approximately $40,000 annually. Liz created a detailed safety plan that allows the event to host up to 65 escort boats and created separate team and two-person relay categories to expand fund raising and provide open water experience to local swimmers. Donations to the event have grown to over $2 million each year to help cancer patients and their families. In 2008, Liz expanded the fund raising to include multiple sclerosis (MS) with an event named the “January Jam”. This event encourages participants from around the world to track their yardage for the entire month to see who can “jam” the most yards into 31 days.
Elizabeth is an accomplished marathon swimmer: Oceans Seven; set the record for the oldest person to do a two-way English Channel crossing; and other firsts including two-way Ederle Swim, 35-mile swim from Manhattan to Sandy Hook, New Jersey and two-way S.C.A.R. She was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer in 2014.
#imshof #honoree #Legend #halloffame
For additional information, please call Ned Denison in Ireland at (+353) 87-987-1573 or ISHOF at (954) 462-6536, or visit https://www.ishof.org
Beth Yudovin to be inducted as an Honor Administrator into the International Marathon Swimming Hall Of Fame (IMSHOF), Class of 2022
Beth Yudovin will be inducted as an Honor Administrator into the International Marathon Swimming Hall Of Fame (IMSHOF), Class of 2022. The ceremony will take place in Naples Italy on Saturday the 7th of May 2022.
Beth has a 30+ year involvement in the sport, since 2015 as a member of IMSHOF Executive Committee. She served initially as Chair and later took over finance and hosted the 2015 and 2016 Induction and Awards Ceremonies in San Pedro California.
Prior to this Beth’s prior involvement in the sport was generally as her husband’s (David Yudovin Honor Swimmer in IMSHOF and ISHOF) manager and crew chief. Together over 25+ years they completed first ever marathon swims in Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, New Zealand, Portugal, Azores, California’s Channel Islands and in Africa: Cape Verde plus São Tomé and Príncipe. They also completed previously established marathon swims in Tahiti, Hawaii and across the English Channel and Straits of Gibraltar.
Ned Denison, Chair of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, explains the reasoning behind her induction. “Beth brought success, class and dignity to the sport. On the Executive Committee of IMSHOF she showed masterful diplomatic skills and kept us heading upmarket – especially with generous contributions including attending the last eight Induction and Awards Ceremonies. Because of her commitment and dedication, the organization and hence sport is in a much better place.”
She received the Dale Petranech Award for service to the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2020.
#honoree #imshof #halloffame #legend #HallOfFamers
International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
Shelley Taylor-Smith to receive the 2022 Poseidon Award
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Shelley Taylor-Smith to receive the 2022 Poseidon Award
FORT LAUDERDALE –
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) will recognize Shelley Taylor-Smith for her high-level achievement in marathon swimming with the 2022 Poseidon Award. The Award will be presented to Shelly during the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Induction and Award Ceremony on Saturday May 7th 2022 in Naples Italy. The Poseidon Award is presented annually by the International Swimming Hall of Fame to the organization or individual for high level achievement from personal effort or initiative in a field of endeavor that contributes to the performance of marathon swimmers or to the development and status of Marathon Swimming to the world.
This year’s award honors Shelley Taylor-Smith. Shelley Taylor-Smith was one of the top elite swimmers of her generation. She won 7 majors (marathon world championships), set world speed records, beat all the men in 9 races and scored 51 victories in National, Regional and International races.
Shelley was the Honorary Secretary of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and had oversight of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit, the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix series, the FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships, the 10km Marathon Swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games.
She has been an active coach since 2009, and her swimmers have been successful in 9 solos and 2 relays across the 33 km English Channel and more than 700 solos and relays across the 19.75 km Rottnest Channel.
Finally, Shelley was on the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) Board of Directors from 2011 to 2014 and was one of the most dedicated Honorees in attending the Induction and Awards Ceremonies in 2011 (New York, USA), 2012 (Los Angeles, USA) and 2014 (Bute, Scotland). Her involvement helped IMSHOF establish a successful ceremony tradition.
She was inducted as an Honor Swimmer in IMSHOF in 1990. In 2008 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and also received The Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award.
For additional information, please call Ned Denison for IMSHOF in Ireland at (+353) 87-987-1573 or ISHOF at +1 (954) 462-6536, or visit https://www.ishof.org
SOLD OUT ISHOF’s 56th Annual Honoree Induction Ceremony Huge Success
Swimming Hall of Fame complex might be in line for stunner of a makeover. The cost: $90 million.
Article from the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel
FORT LAUDERDALE — An extreme makeover could be coming to two International Swimming Hall of Fame buildings that perch like bookends on either side of Fort Lauderdale’s aquatic center.
The $90 million project would bring two sleek new towers — a five-story museum and a five-story welcome center — to the city-owned parcel between the Intracoastal and Seabreeze Boulevard, just south of Las Olas Boulevard.
The deal still needs city approval but received an initial nod from the Fort Lauderdale commission last week.
Commissioner Steve Glassman argued in favor of the project, saying it would dovetail with the city’s $47 million renovation of the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, which broke ground in April 2019 and is expected to wrap up in September.
The plan to revamp both Hall of Fame buildings would complete the 5-acre peninsula, Glassman said.
“Folks love the conceptual design,” he said. “The entire aquatic community is thrilled about returning to Fort Lauderdale and seeing this project happen. I think it’s a must.”
The two-story welcome center on the east end of the man-made peninsula would be knocked down. So would the two-story museum on the west end overlooking the Intracoastal. Both buildings were built in the mid-1960s and are in dire need of repair, according to the developer.
Big change is in the works for the International Swimming Hall of Fame, which shares space with the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on a 5-acre man-made peninsula that juts into the Intracoastal Waterway. The nonprofit hopes to bring a new museum to town. (Arquitectonica/Arquitectonica)
New look by 2025
If the project gets the green light, the new towers would open by 2025, says Mario Caprini, CEO of Capital Group P3 of Florida.
The financial model hinges on space for tenants. Under the current proposal, the developer would pay for construction with the city guaranteeing the loan for both buildings and contributing $5 million over the course of a 30-year master lease.
Final approval is likely months away. If commissioners kill the deal, taxpayers will be on the hook for $2.4 million to reimburse Hall of Fame Partners LLC for preliminary work done on the site. Commissioners agreed to those terms last week.
City officials first got a look at the plans in September 2020, when the Hall of Fame Partners — a partnership between Capital Group P3 and Hensel Phelps Construction Co. — submitted an unsolicited proposal to redevelop the buildings at the Hall of Fame complex at 501 Seabreeze Blvd.
Hensel Phelps is the contractor handling the renovation of the aquatic center.
RELATED: Pool for the stars: New Hall of Fame complex on the way with dive tower to the sky »
A tall five stories
Here’s what’s planned: Though only five stories, the museum would stand 105 feet high — equal to 10 stories — on the west side of the peninsula close to the Intracoastal. The welcome center would be slightly shorter at 94 feet and sit on the east end near Seabreeze Boulevard.
The two new buildings would stand even higher than the aquatic center’s new dive tower, the western hemisphere’s tallest at 27 meters, or 89 feet.
The design for the west tower calls for a new 20,000-square-foot museum, a large ballroom and a rooftop restaurant with outdoor dining, as well as a covered teaching pool. According to the developer’s pitch, visitors would have breathtaking views of the Intracoastal to the west and the aquatic center and the ocean to the east. The plan would also create enough parking for 202 cars and a public promenade at the western end of the peninsula lining the edge of the Intracoastal.
A rendering of the two new International Swimming Hall of Fame buildings that would sit on either side of the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center. City commissioners have not yet signed off on the $90 million project. (Arquitectonica/Arquitectonica)
The east tower would serve as a gateway to the aquatic center and would feature a street-side café, new offices for the city’s lifeguards and leasable commercial space. Two outside terraces would let visitors enjoy their coffee while taking in views of both the beach to the east and the aquatic center to the west.
The Hall of Fame’s current lease ends in 2049.
According to the developer, if the existing buildings were to be left standing, they’d need $18 million in work to stay open beyond the next decade. And the city would be required to make those upgrades under the current lease. The cost to taxpayers would increase to $33 million if the city were to borrow the money through a 20-year bond.
If the project gets built, the city would take ownership of the buildings in 30 years for $1.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_ Bryan
Brent Rutemiller, ISHOF CEO and Swimming World Publisher, Continues to Inspire With Leukemia Fight
Brent Rutemiller, ISHOF CEO and Swimming World Publisher, Continues to Inspire With Leukemia Fight
by DAN D’ADDONA
This Thanksgiving weekend, the staff at Swimming World is thankful for many things. We are thankful that swim meets are back. We are thankful that Olympic dreams were achieved, and we are thankful that inspirational stories continue to bring the best out in our sport.
One of those inspirational stories has come from within our own staff this past year. Swimming World Publisher and International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) CEO Brent Rutemiller has inspired us with his courageous battle against a rare form of blood plasma cancer.
He has been extremely open with his fight, a point that is helping rally people around him and in their own fights, as well as serve as self motivation to fight the disease head on. Rutemiller has faced his diagnosis with determination and continues his firm belief that he will claim victory. Already, he has taken major steps toward that outcome during his treatment.
“I was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer called Plasma Cell Leukemia 10 weeks ago over Memorial Day Weekend. Almost immediately, I started to get two Chemo treatments per week. The Chemo treatments have been manageable, and we have seen progress in reducing the cancer cells in my blood. We still have a long way to go, but it is all manageable,” Brent Rutemiller wrote in a letter to his staff at ISHOF, Swimming World and his inner circle. “I have not stopped working in my capacity as CEO of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and Publisher of Swimming World. The board and staff support has been amazing, and I feel that the corporation has not lost a step during my challenge. We hit record traffic during the Olympics thanks to the editorial staff!”
During Memorial Day Weekend Rutemiller, 65, thought he had a kidney stone, but it was in fact a rare plasma cell leukemia or multiple myeloma. He started almost immediately on chemotherapy, then has added stem cell replacement procedures.
It isn’t only the swimming community that has been inspired by Rutemiller’s fight.
“They’ll harvest my own stem cells then basically pull out all my marrow and replace it with my original stem cells,” Rutemiller told the Arizona Republic, his hometown paper that wrote a thoughtful and inspiring update story. “Pretty much take me back to factory settings. I just told them leave the hard drive. They say there’s no cure, you can just put it into long term (remission). I’m very optimistic.”
He has showed that optimism all year, including in a 6,500-yard swim to celebrate his 65th birthday.
“To show that age is relative to the state of mind. To show that one can thrive in the middle of a pandemic,” Brent Rutemiller said at the time about his birthday day. “To set an example to those younger as to what old is not. I did it for my newborn grandson, so that someday he may be inspired to challenge himself with high goals. I did it for my wife who just survived a stage two cancer scare. I did it because I can.”
In addition to continuing his work, despite the physical setbacks, Rutemiller has embraced the time with his family, the balancing act bringing out the best in him, and inspiring the rest of us.
ISHOF Honoree, supporter and longtime friend, Tom Gompf, releases his memoir, “A Life Aloft!”
Olympian’s memoir looks back at A Life Aloft
CG Sports Publishing releases diving champion Thomas Gompf’s story
(Nov. 19, 2021) A Life Aloft, a memoir from 1964 Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gompf, will be published by CG Sports Publishing on Friday, Nov. 19. The book tells of Gompf’s life as a world-class diver and lifelong champion of the sport while also reflecting on his experiences as a wartime and commercial pilot.
Gompf, who lives in Lakeland, Florida, won the bronze medal in the 10-meter platform diving event in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He enjoyed years as a professional diver, soaring from great heights over everything from small hotel pools to the cliffs of Acapulco and earned three world high-diving championship titles. He
was instrumental in bringing entertaining high-diving specials to the TV screens of the 1970s and the fan favorite synchronized diving event to the Olympic program. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2002 as an honor contributor.
Gompf later was head diving coach at the University of Miami, where he built the program from the ground up by recruiting talented future Olympians, including Melissa Briley and Greg Louganis. Simultaneously, he enjoyed a 30-year career as a commercial pilot, a job which came in handy as he traveled the world as a member of FINA, the international organization that governs aquatic sports. As part of FINA, he had a vote in the 1980 Olympic boycott, a story that is relayed in the book.
Gompf juggled much of his competitive diving career with his service in the U.S. Air Force, stationed, at times, in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. A Life Aloft contains stories and scenes from his wartime years and illustrates the attributes and balance needed to be both an elite athlete and military officer.
Gompf grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and he credits his time as a lonely child at the Dayton YMCA with giving him his start in diving. The YMCA, he says, “was his real home.”
“I had a humble beginning,” Gompf said, “but through great early mentors and lucky opportunities in sport, I have accomplished much I am proud of. It’s always my hope and motivation to be paving the way for the next generation of divers, so I can give back to the sport that has done so much for me.”
A Life Aloft was co-written with Elaine K. Howley of Boston, and contains a foreword written by Steve McFarland, the chairman and CEO of Duraflex International, a company that makes diving boards. The work was commissioned by the Raymond C. Rude Supporting Foundation, which has provided millions of dollars in support of diving and divers worldwide. Ray Rude designed and developed the first Duraflex diving board with Gompf’s input, and it is the only diving board authorized for use in Olympic competition.
A Life Aloft is available from Ingram and wherever books are sold.
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Media assets including A Life Aloft book info sheet, cover images, and photos of the authors
Order A Life Aloft
Bulk orders are available by contacting publishing@cgsportsmanagement.com.
About CG Sports Publishing CG Sports Publishing is in the storytelling business. Founded as part of the CG Sports Company in 2019, CG Sports Publishing brings athlete-focused titles to the marketplace. Follow on
Pool & Hot Tub Foundation Announces New Water Education and Safety Partnership to Prevent Drowning Deaths in Florida
by SWIMMING WORLD EDITORIAL STAFF
12 October 2021
Florida ranks fourth in the nation for unintentional drowning deaths, including swimming and boating-related incidents.
On Friday, October 8, swimming and pool industry leaders from the Pool & Hot Tub Foundation (PHTF), the Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA) and the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) announced a joint partnership to help combat drowning in the state. The one-year agreement between the three organizations marks a pivotal collaboration to further promote swimming education and share available resources providing free or reduced cost swimming lessons in Florida communities.
As part of the collaboration, the organizations will work together to advance water safety and support each organization’s respective swim education initiatives—Step Into SwimTM (PHTF), Florida Swims Foundation (FSPA) and Every Child A Swimmer (ISHOF), which all strive to empower people around the water and decrease drowning, particularly with small children who are at an increased risk.
Olympian and three-time gold medalist, Rowdy Gaines, is leading the Step Into Swim initiative on behalf of PHTF.
“Drowning is largely preventable and it pains me to see drowning rates increase in the U.S. and for my home state of Florida to be high on that list. This trifecta of support from leading organizations will give Floridian families and communities access to critical water safety skills,” said Gaines, Vice President of Partnerships and Development for PHTA. “By teaching our youth the lifesaving gift of learning to swim, we can make a real, lasting impact and instill confidence in people as they take to the water.”
“The partnership couldn’t come at a better time as the International Swimming Hall of Fame is building upon the momentum from Florida’s Every Child A Swimmer bill, which requires schools to inform parents on the importance of teaching their children how to swim,” said Bill Kent, Chairman of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. “The more we all advocate for safe water practices, the bigger impact we’ll continue to have.”
The joint partnership kicks off in October with a formal signing ceremony on Friday, October 8. As part of the agreement, the Florida Swimming Pool Association will become a founding member of the partnership established by PHTA’s Step Into Swim and ISHOF’s Every Child A Swimmer programs in the summer of 2021.
Maurice Bushroe, Sabeena Hickman, Bill Kent
“We are proud to partner with reputable organizations like the Pool & Hot Tub Foundation and Inte
rnational Swimming Hall of Fame, who have provided learn-to-swim programming to hundreds of thousands of children across the country,” said FSPA President Maurice Bushroe. “We will all work tirelessly, launching efforts right here in Florida to provide important swim education that makes a difference in the lives of our residents and their families.”
About Pool & Hot Tub Foundation and Step Into Swim:The Pool & Hot Tub Foundation (PHTF) is a 501(c)(3) that is governed by the Pool & Hot Tub Association. PHTF provides education to the pool & hot tub industry and is the fundraising and philanthropic arm for PHTA supported programs.
Step Into SwimTM is an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance committed to safe swim education and drowning prevention. By investing in the next generation of swimmers through learn-to-swim programming, the Step Into Swim initiative instills confidence, empowers long-term participation in water activities, touts the positive benefits of water play, and advocates for safe practices. Since its inception in 2012, Step Into Swim has played a role in reducing drowning fatalities and has gifted swim lessons to more than 280,000 children with support from community organizations, partners, industry advocates, members and more. For more information, visit www.stepintoswim.org.
About Florida Swimming Pool Association and Florida Swims Foundation:
Florida Swimming Pool Association, (FSPA) is a 501(c)6 that serves as the coordinating organization for 16 local Florida chapters. It provides educational programs and government and legislative representation for the swimming pool industry in Florida. FSPA is the primary sponsor of the Florida Swims Foundation (FSF), a 501c(3) that contributes to swimming pool safety programs and scholarships for FSPA members and families. For more information, visit www.floridapoolpro.com.
About International Swimming Hall of Fame and Every Child A Swimmer:
The International Swimming Hall of Fame is an organization organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRC with a primary mission to collaborate with aquatic organizations worldwide to preserve, educate and celebrate the history of aquatic sports while promoting swimming instruction for children through its Every Child A Swimmer program. For more information, visit https://ishof.org/.
Every Child A Swimmer is a registered trademark of the ISHOF and represents the ISHOF founding fathers’ spiritual mission: to prevent childhood drownings and further legislative action that would encourage parents to teach their kids how to swim before they enter kindergarten. For more information, visit www.everychildaswimmer.org.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drowning Data. https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/data/index.html