GROSSE POINTE, Mich. – It is the chance of a lifetime for some young swimmers with big dreams in the pool.
The swim team from the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club earned the opportunity to participate in a swim clinic with Olympians Peter Vanderkaay, Davis Tarwater and elite swimmer Ali DeLoof, who is with Club Wolverine and training for the 2020 Summer Games.
The swim team won the swim clinic by raising $6,031 for the Corsan Challenge competition, an annual fundraiser for the nonprofit Detroit Swims. In the Corsan Challenge, area swim teams compete to raise the most money for the nonprofit.
Detroit Swims teaches children in the city of Detroit how to swim for free.
Vanderkaay and his family have supported Detroit Swims since 2010. He cannot imagine life without being able to swim; especially living in Michigan, the Great Lakes state.
The three-time Olympian led the swim clinic, and even brought his Olympic medals to show the young swimmers. During the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Vanderkaay earned a gold medal as part of the 800-meter freestyle relay.
In Beijing in 2008, he returned with a gold medal, again in the 800-meter freestyle relay and also a bronze in the 200-meter freestyle. He finished his swimming career at the Olympic games in London with a bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle.
After retiring from swimming, Vanderkaay decided to stay home in metro Detroit. His focus on swimming has shifted, using his passion to help teach children in Detroit how to swim.
"The statistics are very real," Vanderkaay said. "Especially with kids in the city, seven out of 10 don't know how to swim. When I heard that I thought, there's something I have to do to get involved and I just want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to learn how."
Detroit Swims is a nonprofit run out of the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit.
"We're teaching basic water safety skills so if kids find themselves in the water they can get to shore or get to the edge of the pool, but also enjoy swimming," Vanderkaay said. "We're competitive swimmers and we're not saying everyone has to go and try and make the Olympic team, but we want people to be able to learn to swim."
With the swim clinic, Vanderkaay hoped the swimmers picked up a few tips in the pool so that they could be a little bit faster. He also wanted them to learn about Detroit Swims and what their donations and support mean to kids in the city who will learn to swim and overcome their fear of the water.
Davis Tarwater, who won a gold medal for the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay during the 2012 Summer Olympics, was on the Olympic team with Vanderkaay and also swam at the University of Michigan with him. He returns to metro Detroit every summer to support Detroit Swims.
"Regardless of where you are, learning to swim is an imperative and it crosses state lines, it crosses border lines, languages. It's one of the most important life skills that any human being can learn. And regardless of where it is, I want to be a part of it and I want to support this incredible initiative in Detroit," Tarwater said.
DeLoof helped out with the swim clinic for the first time. It was special because the clinic was held at her former swim club.
"It's just really nice to be giving back to the community that I grew up in," DeLoof said. "It's really awesome to be teaching with Peter and Davis. They're Olympic gold medalists, people that I have looked up to when I was this young. It was just a really nice experience teaching these kids and letting them know what it’s like to be an Olympic-level swimmer.
The Corsan Challenge raised $25,218 for Detroit Swims and that will pay for more than 250 kids to learn how to swim. Since the program started, it has taught more than 5,800 children. Children receive free lessons, a swimsuit and goggles. Detroit Swims, a nonprofit, relies on donations and volunteers. If you want to help, click here.