Monday, August 22, 2022
Seward Tsunami Swim Club Gets Visit From Olympians as Reward for Swim-a-Thon Grand Prize
For a city of fewer than 3,000 people, Seward, Alaska is getting used to winning a lot.
Not only is it the hometown of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby, but the Seward Tsunami Swim Club was also finally able to redeem their 2021 Swim-a-Thon™ grand prize – a visit from National Team members and Olympians Nic Fink and Melanie Margalis.
Seward Tsunami has become a perennial powerhouse when it comes to their Swim-a-Thon fundraising efforts, landing among the top fundraising teams in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and then last year. The club also won the grand prize back in 2016 when two-time Olympic medalist Jessica Hardy visited the picturesque town that serves as the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. Jacoby noted the visit was very inspiring to her as a young swimmer in the club and worked with Fink and Margalis to lead the day’s events.
At Seward High School, the trio led a younger group of about 25 through a breaststroke workout in the morning while another group of about 50 more experienced swimmers participated in dryland activities. The groups then switched roles in and out of the pool throughout the day. Later they met in the auditorium where the three athletes shared personal stories with the young swimmers. To round out the evening, the club held a potluck on the sound for the athletes and their families.
“We had such an incredible time!” Margalis said. “The team and community were so welcoming and so willing to help with anything. We were so happy to be there and do the clinic. We felt like the clinic went really well and the Q and A was great. They also set us up with the opportunity to do a boat tour, helicopter tour, and kayak tour. I think the most memorable part of the trip was watching the glaciers on the boat tour. I’ve never seen anything like that before!”
“The people there were kind, and the swimmers were eager to learn from Melanie, me, and their hometown hero Lydia,” Fink said. “It was fascinating to see the small remote town that produced an Olympic Champion in Lydia and furthers the cliche that great athletes come from any background! We had a great clinic in which we shared our experiences and swim knowledge with the young swimmers of Alaska.”
Following the conclusion of the USA Swimming Foundation’s 2021 Swim-a-Thon contest, four teams were named Gold Medal winners for their fundraising efforts. For their efforts, each of these four teams were awarded a $200 Visa gift card and a pizza party courtesy of the USA Swimming Foundation. In addition, each of these teams received an entry towards this year’s grand prize: a year of free license fees from our online fundraising partner, TeamUnify, and a visit from a USA Swimming National Team member.
Teams and swimmers who compete in a Swim-a-Thon ask family members, friends, neighbors, or businesses to pledge money per pool length swam or make a flat donation in support of their team. Gold Medal winners are those who earn the most points for total fundraising dollars for their team size.
Together more than 250 swimming teams from across the country hosted USA Swimming Foundation Swim-a-Thon contests in 2021, raising more than $2.3million. Though waived in 2020 and 2021 to help teams to maximize their fundraising efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5% contribution to the USA Swimming Foundation from team swim-a-thon earnings has been reinstated, and clubs across the country have already raised over $175,000 for the USA Swimming Foundation in 2022.
Teams interested in hosting a Swim-a-Thon in 2023, should visit https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation#swim-a-thon.
Not only is it the hometown of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby, but the Seward Tsunami Swim Club was also finally able to redeem their 2021 Swim-a-Thon™ grand prize – a visit from National Team members and Olympians Nic Fink and Melanie Margalis.
Seward Tsunami has become a perennial powerhouse when it comes to their Swim-a-Thon fundraising efforts, landing among the top fundraising teams in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and then last year. The club also won the grand prize back in 2016 when two-time Olympic medalist Jessica Hardy visited the picturesque town that serves as the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. Jacoby noted the visit was very inspiring to her as a young swimmer in the club and worked with Fink and Margalis to lead the day’s events.
At Seward High School, the trio led a younger group of about 25 through a breaststroke workout in the morning while another group of about 50 more experienced swimmers participated in dryland activities. The groups then switched roles in and out of the pool throughout the day. Later they met in the auditorium where the three athletes shared personal stories with the young swimmers. To round out the evening, the club held a potluck on the sound for the athletes and their families.
“We had such an incredible time!” Margalis said. “The team and community were so welcoming and so willing to help with anything. We were so happy to be there and do the clinic. We felt like the clinic went really well and the Q and A was great. They also set us up with the opportunity to do a boat tour, helicopter tour, and kayak tour. I think the most memorable part of the trip was watching the glaciers on the boat tour. I’ve never seen anything like that before!”
“The people there were kind, and the swimmers were eager to learn from Melanie, me, and their hometown hero Lydia,” Fink said. “It was fascinating to see the small remote town that produced an Olympic Champion in Lydia and furthers the cliche that great athletes come from any background! We had a great clinic in which we shared our experiences and swim knowledge with the young swimmers of Alaska.”
Following the conclusion of the USA Swimming Foundation’s 2021 Swim-a-Thon contest, four teams were named Gold Medal winners for their fundraising efforts. For their efforts, each of these four teams were awarded a $200 Visa gift card and a pizza party courtesy of the USA Swimming Foundation. In addition, each of these teams received an entry towards this year’s grand prize: a year of free license fees from our online fundraising partner, TeamUnify, and a visit from a USA Swimming National Team member.
Teams and swimmers who compete in a Swim-a-Thon ask family members, friends, neighbors, or businesses to pledge money per pool length swam or make a flat donation in support of their team. Gold Medal winners are those who earn the most points for total fundraising dollars for their team size.
Together more than 250 swimming teams from across the country hosted USA Swimming Foundation Swim-a-Thon contests in 2021, raising more than $2.3million. Though waived in 2020 and 2021 to help teams to maximize their fundraising efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5% contribution to the USA Swimming Foundation from team swim-a-thon earnings has been reinstated, and clubs across the country have already raised over $175,000 for the USA Swimming Foundation in 2022.
Teams interested in hosting a Swim-a-Thon in 2023, should visit https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation#swim-a-thon.