March 2018


  

College Conference Championships are done and history has been made.

Caeleb Dressel crushed his events,100 breast and 200 IM, setting two American records at SEC Champs. Katie Ledecky has decided she can swim more than Freestyle, breaking the 400 IM American record at PAC 12 Champs.

With barely time to take a breath, the TYR Pro Swim Series Atlanta got underway last weekend, attracting global talent to face-off with U.S. National Team stars. As mentioned last fall, USA Swimming President and CEO Tim Hinchey announced we would "trialize" more events; striving to achieve Olympic Trials-like presentation and excitement levels.

If you live near a TYR Pro Swim Series city, come to the meet. You want to witness the genesis of a new era. Attendance is up and the excitement is palpable.

For alums in the San Francisco Bay Area, the TYR Pro Swim Series Santa Clara offers the perfect opportunity to see the improvements. Bring your family, enjoy the fast swims, and be proud of USA Swimming. As a swim VIP, don't forget to mark your calendar for Saturday, June 9th, where we will host our 2nd Alumni Social of year. Special guests and USA Swimming leadership will attend, teasing more excitement to come later in the summer. 

Best,

Mel Stewart
USA Swimming Foundation Ambassador


Four-time Olympic medalist Summer Sanders Schlopy is busy as ever with her TV career. Since 1992 she's worked at nearly every major network, and now she's in her fifth season with CBS Sports Net's We Need to Talk.

"If any swimmers are coming through NYC promoting something," Summer said, "reach out to me as I'm always trying to get swimmers on the show."


Summer loves her work and has breached 
out into producing, launching a production company with her business partner, Melissa Chusid. In 2012 she joined the USA Swimming Foundation's Board of Directors, a post she held until December 2017. On the swimming side, Summer remains engaged, following the stars of today. Her swimming memories remain crisp, though they're not all Olympic-related. It's the age group memories that standout.

"I was just talking about this with my mom," Summer explained. "I will never forget going to Junior Nationals in 1985 in Grand Forks, ND with a five teammates. California Capital arrived with three women and three men, not enough to make up any relays, and when the meet was done, we were team champs. A mom had t-shirts made at the local mall that read, 'No Relays Required!'" 
 
Summer and her husband, Erik, live in Park City, Utah with their kids, Spider and Skye.

"Spider's on the swim team and going to state champs," Summer said, "and Skye does three-day eventing with her horse George Costanza. And all of us are gearing up for our year abroad. We will be living in Northern Spain from August 2018 until July 2019 for Spanish immersion and surfing."



Join us for food and drinks at 
the  March 24  Alumni Social!

Saturday, March 24
12:30 - 2:30 pm (or after prelims)
Stub & Herbs Restaurant, Minneapolis, MN
Casual Attire

Interested in a free lunch and some great company between prelims and finals at the 2018 Men's DI NCAA Championships? Then join us on Saturday, March 24 from 12:30 - 2:30 pm (or right after prelims) at Stub & Herbs Restaurant and Bar (227 SE Oak St, Minneapolis, MN 55414), located just a couple of blocks away from the pool.

Lunch and drinks are courtesy of the USA Swimming Foundation!

Alumni attending so far:
Rowdy Gaines, David Plummer, Kristine Quance,
Jill Sterkel, Peter Rocca, Rogue Santos, Mark Henderson, and Mel Stewart

Eight-time Olympic medalist, USA Swimming  Foundation Ambassador, and Cal Bear, Nathan Adrian , will be our special guest! Join Nathan to learn about his recent experience at the World Championships last summer and his training for Pan Pacs this year, catch-up with your fellow alums, and learn how the USA Swimming Foundation benefits our elite swimmers and supports kids learning to swim.

If you plan to attend the Men's NCAA DI Championships or live in the Minneapolis area, let Mel Stewart know at (512) 656-8806 or mel.stewart@sbcglobal.net.

USA Swimming Safe Sport

In light of recent media coverage, USA 
Swimming has provided documents and materials on its Safe Sport Program. USA Swimming takes allegations and instances of sexual misconduct very seriously and will not shy away from acknowledging or supporting survivors of abuse.

We'd like to ensure that you, our Alumni,  are equipped with information on Safe Sport to help answer any questions you may have.

Read USA Swimming President and CEO Tim Hinchey's Letter to Members regarding the commentary surrounding USA Swimming's Safe Sport efforts here.

In 2010, USA Swimming launched its comprehensive Safe Sport Program, the first in the Olympic Movement, a multi-pronged approach to creating a safer environment for all members. Check out the Safe Sport In-Depth Timeline to see how USA Swimming's Safe Sport Program has grown since its inception. Additionally, see the Safe Sport Framework, Safe Sport Survivor Support, and Safe Sport Champions documents to learn more about the program.


Roque Santos: Roque is National Sales Manager for Lincoln Aquatics, a division of Poolcorp. Roque's work keeps him close to pools, but not close enough to competitions. Roque loves being at the big meets. "I can't wait to see all of my Cal buddies at NCAA Champs, and my alumni brothers and sisters at the US National Team Alumni Social in Minnesota." Married 17 years to Debbie (a Master's swim coach), they have four girls, Shaila (14), Shelby (12), Siena (10), and Skyeler (5). Connect with 
Roque on Facebook  here.

Chloe Sutton: Chloe loves living in beautiful 
Denver, Colorado, exploring the mountains with her dog Teddy. Chloe remains close to the sport as the Marketing Director of the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour, and she would love to see fellow alums anytime the tour is in your area. Connect with Chloe on Facebook here.
 
Crissy Perham: Since winning Olympic gold, Crissy has lived the military life. She's married to an Air Force General. The Perham family moved to Livingston, Texas in 2016. "My sons are 24 and 16, and my 16 year old is a swimmer who was on the State Championship Team and is a USA ODP SW Zone water polo player." Crissy's working for an online vintage company, Chairish, and she's hardcore into Crossfit. "I'm the water polo team photographer and I love my workmates...so...still on a pool deck and still kickin' booty with my friends. The more things change, the more they stay the same." Connect with Crissy on Facebook here.
 
Alex Kostich: After 12 years at Sony Pictures, Alex joined Participant Films as SVP of Creative Marketing, where he's most recently worked on films such as Wonder and The Post. "I enjoy life in Los Angeles. I still swim almost every day and compete in open water swims throughout the year." This summer Alex will be racing across the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul and hopes to complete his 26th top 10 finish at the Waikiki Roughwater. "It was great to see some former teammates at the recent Alumni Social during Golden Goggles weekend in LA this past summer!" See Alex on Facebook here.


Have some news to share with fellow alums?
Contact Mel Stewart at mel.stewart@sbcglobal.net to be included in our next newsletter!


Carolyn Finneran passed away February 5, 2018.  Carolyn was the assistant manager of the 1976 Women's Olympic Swimming Team. Carolyn devoted
much of her life in service to USA Swimming as well as the USOC. She served as a member of the U.S. Olympic Swimming and National AAU Swimming Rules Committee. Carolyn was a tireless swim-mom, taking her five children to swimming and diving practices. Two of her children became Olympians. Her daughter Sharon won a silver medal at the 1964 Olympic Games. Her son Michael scored the never before attained "Perfect Dive" at the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials. To add to the family's Olympic legacy,. Sharon's daughter, Ariel, earned a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team and placed fourth in the synchronized springboard. Carolyn was 96 years old.

If you would like to reach out to Carolyn's family, please email her daughter, Sharon Rittenhouse, at sfrolympian@hotmail.com.
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