ATHL E TICS
Swimming the Columbia for Gaffney Foundation
D
uring August, in the height of summer, all the swimming events were outdoors in the rivers and lakes of Oregon. There was a swim between bridges on the Columbia River and a lake swim south of Eugene in Cottage Grove.
Swim for Gaffney Foundation
On Saturday, Aug. 27, Team Gaffney swam six miles of the Columbia River, from the I-205 bridge to the I-5 bridge, with the goal of raising $75,000 for the Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children’s Aquatic Therapy Program. Anyone who doesn’t know Karen Gaffney hasn’t met one of MAC’s most impressive athletes. She is an open-water swimmer who has swam in Lake Tahoe, the San Francisco Bay, Boston Harbor and even in the English Channel, but that’s not what makes her outstanding. It’s not that she competes even after five hip surgeries or that she has Down syndrome. Gaffney
some of the children who benefit from the program.
Team Gaffney celebrate their success- ful open water swim and fundraiser. Included are MAC swimmers Karen Gaffney, Marc Bowen, Kelsey Camille, Lauren Thies and Ben Weston.
is an amazing person because she inspires disabled and medically fragile children through her accomplishments, and her foundation promotes water therapy as a powerful way to give these children strength and confidence.
MAC Masters swimmers Marc Bowen, Kelsey Camille, Lauren Thies and Ben Weston joined Team Gaffney on the open water swim. Together they completed the swim and then shared their success with
After the swim, Gaffney wrote on her Facebook page: “Team Gaffney Swim and Cruise for the Kids surpassed our goal, raising more than $75,000 for the Aquatic Therapy program. And we raised many new friends for the Kids as well! Thanks to all who supported our efforts.”
Open Water Championships
In another Open Water swim, MAC Masters swimmers Ellen Ferguson and Robert Westlake joined 50 swimmers in Cottage Grove Lake for the Oregon Masters Swimming Association Open Water Championships on Aug. 14. Ferguson swam the 1500-meter race and came in first place in the women’s 45-49 age group, the third woman and sixth swimmer to cross the finish line. Westlake swam the 1000-meter race and came in third place in the men’s 45-49 age group, the 16th man and 26th swimmer to cross the finish line. WM
MAC Swim Coaches Give Thanks E
very November the Multnomah Athletic Club’s competitive swim team acknowledges why it’s thankful. This November the program thanks the athletes and parents who made the last year incredibly successful in and out of the water.
“I am thankful for an opportunity to work with committed, hard-working, intelligent and capable athletes who share our coaching vision about fostering competitive success, achieve- ment, personal growth and the swimming community. We had an outstanding year as a team, with athletes achieving competitive success at every level: from international and national competitions to Oregon championships.
I am also thankful to our great and dynamic group of swim parents who support our vision and boost it in every way possible. And last, but not least, I am thankful to the Multnomah Athletic Club for its strong and undying support of athletic excellence, the vision that was set by the 26 founders back in 1890.”
– Head Coach Alex Nikitin
“I couldn’t be more appreciative of the athletes and parents I have an opportunity to work with here at the MAC. It’s my vision to have athletes compete at the highest level they can, and I’m thankful some of them are experiencing competition from low-key fun meets to state championship meets.
I have to highlight the parents mostly because they are the ones who provide the needed sacrifice a lot of the time to allow their children to succeed in whatever they love doing. Sure a kid could be
doing a different thing every night of the week, but without a parent supporting them and getting them there it would limit the child’s experiences. It’s my special thanks to parents to help facilitate such an important process, and of course raising such great kids!”
– Coach Spencer Crum
I appreciate the amazing parents who tirelessly come and support our kids and program. I am especially grateful for Debbie Williams and her leadership, which has created a vibrant boosters program that supports our athletes. I am grateful to Multnomah Athletic Club for its support and vision that allows us to offer excellence through athletics. Lastly, I am so very proud to work with some of the finest coaches around. They are my friends and make me proud and happy to come to work because we work so well together towards a common goal of creating the best program we can for our kids.”
– Coach Cyndy vonWeller
“I’m thankful for an outstanding facility so that our athletes have a chance to train and compete against others locally and regionally, as well as nationally. A tradition has been passed down from coach to coach as well as athlete to athlete over the past century. I am fortunate enough to help continue this legacy, as well as help those athletes who are entrusted to me to coach, inspire, educate and nurture this winning program.”
–Coach Gary Leach WM
NOVEMBER 2011 | The Wınged M | 71
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