On Tuesday, three-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in swimming, Rowdy Gaines, visited the Rye YMCA in celebration of Water Safety Month.
“We are thrilled to have Rowdy Gaines join us in our mission to advocate for water safety,” said Rye YMCA CEO Sabrina Murphy. “His visit was an inspiration to both our student swimmers and staff.”
From 1978 to 1984, Gaines set 10 world records in swimming. The United States boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics prevented Gaines from competing at his peak, but he won three gold medals in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles – the 100-meter freestyle and two gold medals for relays, swimming the anchor legs for the U.S. team in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and 4×100-meter medley relay. He is a swimming analyst for NBC.
On Tuesday, Gaines learned about the Rye Y’s swim program from Vickie Tsakmakis, Senior Director of Membership & Aquatics and Sabrina Murphy, CEO. Gaines took the time to interact with the children and passed around one of his gold medals. He was accompanied by Sarah Caro from the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation. The Foundation’s grants have empowered the Y’s swim scholarships and lifeguard training.
