August 8, 2008

YMCA is birthplace for Olympic swimmers

2008 Olympic hopeful Ben Wildman-Tobriner offered instruction and safe swimming tips to the East Valley Family YMCA swim team.

Eighty years ago, YMCA swimmer Walter Laufer claimed gold, silver and bronze in the 800-meter free relay, 100-meter back and 100-meter free-style at the Amsterdam Olympics. The year was 1928, and it was only the beginning.

More than 40 Olympians got their start with early swimming experience at their local YMCAs, including seven-time gold medal-winner Mark Spitz and Donna De Varona, Debbie Meyer, Kim Linehan, Betsy Mitchell, Janel Jorgensen, Steve Bigelow, Anita Nall, Eric Namesnik, Joe Hudepohl, Jenny Thompson, Ian Crocker, Dana Torres, Josh Davis, and Tripp Schwenk.

The Y was also the embryo that birthed early swimming experiences for Olympic diving medalists Robert Clotworthy, Sam Hall, Tom Gompf, Rick Gilbert, Leslie Bush and Mary Ellen Clark.

“YMCAs have traditionally been places where young people learned not only swimming skills but also life skills,” said Augie Mendoza, Youth Sports Director of YMCA of the USA. “Local Ys nurture young swimmers into future medalists. The Olympics are the place to celebrate years of training, to showcase skills and to return home with one more Y experience of character building.”

The YMCA opened the nation’s first indoor pool in Brooklyn, NY in 1885 and developed pool filtration in 1909. That same year, Ys across the country began an ambitious campaign “to teach every man and boy in North America to swim.”

Today, girls and boys – and many adults – learn to swim at their local YMCA. As many as 1 million new swimmers enroll each year.

East Valley Family YMCA has recently joined in on the Olympic spirit with its dedication to aquatic education and safety. Ben Wildman-Tobriner, an Olympic hopeful, visited the branch this summer to kick off an urban swim and safety program through YMCA of the USA. Speaking to children at a local elementary school, he stressed the importance of safety and dedication to the sport and the community.

Visit East Valley Family YMCA at 1975 S. White Road in San Jose. For a Program Guide or to find out how you can join, visit www.evymca.org.