Cranbrook.edu

Olympian Peter Vanderkaay Makes a Special Stop for Detroit Swims

1/7/2013

cstevens

Olympic medalist and Rochester native Peter Vanderkaay took time out of his busy schedule for a special stop at the Schack Invitational Swim/Dive meet in Bloomfield Hills on Saturday, January 5th. The meet, hosted by the Cranbrook Kingswood Boys Swim/Dive team, featured some of the top high school teams in the area: Andover, Brother Rice, Catholic Central, Cranbrook, Lahser and Seaholm. But the real reason for Vanderkaay’s visit was that this particular event celebrated a charity near and dear to his heart: Detroit Swims Initiative.

The Detroit Swims program, started by YMCA lifeguards, takes children from a “fear of water,” to early safety skills, to basic swim strokes, to accomplished swimmers in about 8 weeks. According to Vanderkaay, children living in urban areas drown at a rate almost three times that of other children. In a state like Michigan with three great lakes, countless ponds, rivers and in-land lakes, the risk is even greater. He readily admits his swimming skills are something he took for granted prior to his involvement with this program, noting, “I never felt afraid to go in the water, because I learned how to swim at such an early age.” Vanderkaay’s parents first made him aware of the initiative, and he has wholeheartedly committed himself to its success. Whenever he can, he drops in on lessons, “It is really fun for me to see kids happy and learning to swim. I had a lot of help and support growing up, and being able to give some of that back is important to me.”

He hopes his celebrity will help to bring more kids to the program as well as aid in fundraising efforts. Any child, from any city, willing to train is welcomed into the program, which more than 500 kids completed in 2012. When asked if any of the students had been inspired to swim competitively, Vanderkaay shared the story of a young girl who went on to be a top competitor in the butterfly, one of the hardest strokes to master. He was clearly proud when he noted, “When I checked back in on her progress, she had dropped time in her 100 Fly.” He also added that six of the program graduates have now returned as instructors.

It costs around $65 to teach a child how to swim, and the YMCA relies heavily on donations to keep the program running. CK junior Will Libcke organized a drive for gently used suits and new equipment, and Vanderkaay signed memorabilia and collected monetary donations at the meet. Libcke and his teammates proudly presented a box with over 100 suits as well as other equipment and about $400 in donations to a very grateful Vanderkaay. “They need everything from suits and equipment, to monetary donations, to volunteers in and out of the pool,” said Vanderkaay, “and this will go a long way to making it a success.”

To learn more about the Detroit Swims Initiative, please visit: www.ydetroitswims.org.

Back

- Olympian Pete Vanderkaay with CK junior Will Libcke
- Ben Schneider, Pete Vanderkaay and Frankie Misra with a box full of donations for Detroit Swims.