THESWIMPICTURES.COM

Firestone graduate, Auburn University standout and Olympic gold medalist Mark Gangloff will assist in a Make A Splah learn-to-swim program this Sunday in downtown Akron.

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio – Cuyahoga Falls sophomore Andrew Appleby is an outstanding swimmer.

In fact, Black Tigers coach Mike McDonald thinks that before Appleby is through, he will shatter some longstanding school records.

However, all of that is nothing – absolutely nothing – in the big picture, the important picture, compared to what Appleby, just 15 years old, has done out of the pool.

Dismayed when he learned of the abnormally high drowning rate of at-risk minority children three years ago, Appleby began to try to do something about it. And on Sunday starting at 10 a.m., his efforts will get a huge, huge boost with an event held at the Akron YMCA’s new University Park pool in downtown Akron.

The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make A Splash program, featuring free swimming lessons for these at-risk children, will be unveiled. It will be done with the help of one of Akron’s most famous swimming sons, Firestone product Mark Gangloff,  the two-time Olympian and a gold medalist in the 2004 Games in the 4x100 medley relay, who will lend his support by appearing in the flesh.

“I never thought when I started getting interested in this cause, that it would actually reach this stage, with Mark Gangloff really showing up,” Appleby said. “This has been in the back of my mind for three years. I put it into motion then, and it’s an amazing thing how far this has progressed.”

Appleby had participated in a Make A Splash program a few years ago in Memphis, and last summer began to work in earnest to bring the program to Akron. He secured the Y's University Park pool four months before it was even built, wrote more than 100 letters to area businesses seeking support, and built a coalition of swim coaches, businesses, high school swimmers, YMCAs and local and national USA Swimming representatives, all with the goal of teaching 100 at-risk kids to swim the first year and developing a sustainable program that will be modeled at other Ys in Ohio.

One of his letters reached the Acme supermarket chain’s Jon Albrecht, an accomplished competitive swimmer at Firestone High and North Carolina who has really supported him in this effort. Albrecht contacted his friend, Gangloff, who was already scheduled to be visiting Akron in May and agreed to meet with the kids and their parents to talk about the importance of water safety. He will give a swimming lesson for the 24 kids, sign autographs for them and let them hold and wear his Olympic gold medal.

Representatives of other Ohio Ys also will be there as well to spread MAS programs throughout the state.

Appleby has quietly put in more than 100 hours to bring his dream to reality, not expecting recognition or coverage.

But when you do something extraordinary, as Appleby has done here, recognition and coverage quickly become part of the deal. So, like it or not, he’s going to have to deal with it.

“The minority drowning rate is a serious issue. It’s terrible,” Appleby said. “Every child deserves an opportunity to learn how to swim, and I’m just glad I was able to help try to change it.”

It might even be more fun than swimming for Appleby, and considering how much he adores the sport, that’s saying a lot.