Cabrini swim team takes on Florida
Every winter break, the Cabrini men’s and women’s swim team takes a trip to Florida to train. This year, they trained at Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center in Orlando. For the entire week, they trained two times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
When they were not at practice, they were tanning outside, and swimming in the pool. They even dedicated one full day for a trip to Disney World.
Not only did the Cabrini swim team get to go to Florida to train and bond as a group, but they also had the honor to meet an Olympian, Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines.
The voice of swimming
Rowdy Gaines is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, International Swimming Hall of Fame member and ESPN and NBC Sports swimming analyst.
Gaines participated in the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics and won the gold medal in the men’s 100 meter freestyle.
Gaines travels the world dedicating his time to sharing his learn-to-swim message and expertise with youth, students, parents and coaches. Due to his many achievements and his contributions to the sport of swimming Gaines earned the prestigious 2015 USA Swimming Award, the highest honor in swimming.
Meeting Gaines
It was a total surprise to the team when they were told he was going to meet them. Gaines preached to them the importance of swimming and how it can change you for the better. He told them stories of how he came to be such a renowned swimmer.
“[He said] He started swimming his sophomore year of high school, struggled a lot, but craved the feeling after swimming,” sophomore human resource major Meghan Reguera said. “He talked about how swimming is a very difficult sport and how the worse part of practice is that first jump into the cold pool.”
Since Gaines’ retirement, he continues to inspire others. He reminds the team that we all have a purpose here one earth and that swimming can teach us more than just swim skills. It teaches life skills like how to work in groups in the real world.
“Gaines talked to us and shared his stories from his career,” sophomore education major Ciara Thompson said. “He was very welcoming and let us know how important the sport of swimming is, not only as a sport, but as a tool to be a better person in the real world. It teaches you so many lessons you otherwise wouldn’t know.”
Sophomore education major Amanda Lynn was inspired after meeting Gaines. She had never gone off the high dive and she asked Gaines if she could jump off. He said sure and ended up jumping off with them.
Lynn asked, “How did you know from high school that you wanted to go to college and swim for the Olympics?”
He responded by saying he never thought he would get to be in that position. He tried out for five teams in high school and made it on to the swim team. Once he started swimming in high school he knew he wanted to stick with it. Getting to the Olympics was never something he expected to happen.
Unlike most students who swim in college he only started swimming when he was 17. Most athletes who make it to the Olympics or even college have been swimming for years.
“I got to check something off my bucket lists, meeting an Olympian. It was a Once in a lifetime opportunity,” Lynn said.
