Fairfax Station Swim-A-Thon Supports Special Olympics

Jennifer Mitchell arched into her starting position, ready for a dive. Her relay teammate reached the concrete pool wall and she dived into the water, small waves rippling from the splash. Cheers resounded from onlookers as Mitchell, a Special Olympian, swam stroke after stroke.

“It’s great, ‘cause I’m in swimming,” Mitchell said, decked out in a black swimsuit, goggles in hand.

Mitchell, 31, was one of 21 members of the Burke Barracuda Special Olympics team who joined the community “Swim-A-Thon” at the Fairfax Station Swim and Tennis Club (FSSTC) on Thursday. FSSTC member Alex Saffran, 17, organized this event to raise money for Area 26 Special Olympics, which is composed of teams in the greater Northern Virginia area.

“Since all the summer pools are open I just thought it would be good to get my neighborhood involved and a Swim-A-Thon was the perfect thing,” he said. “It’s a great cause and I can’t see anyone who wouldn’t want to help out.”

Individuals who paid a registration fee of $10 could participate, and about 75 local swimmers came out for the two-hour event. Each swimmer chose a sponsor, such as a parent, to donate money to the Special Olympics for each lap completed, Saffran said. Registration proceeds benefitted this same cause, he added.

Members of the Burke Barracuda Special Olympics team, which Saffran has helped coach for five years at Burke Racquet & Swim Club, swam a medley relay. Other event participants lined the sides of the pool, rooting louder than the blasting music.

“I loved how the kids were cheering them on,” Suzanne Long, of Burke, said. “It shows good team spirit.”

Suzanne Long is the mother of Jordann Long, 17, who has competed in the Special Olympics for six years. Although Jordann has taken part in soccer and equestrian events, she swam in a national competition in Nebraska last year, Suzanne said.

“After nationals and states, she goes to school and has her medals,” she said. “It’s a good self-esteem boost. She’s not like a typical competitive person – she wants to do her best.”

The Swim-A-Thon taught other young swimmers to better accept Special Olympians, said Jennifer Mitchell’s father Terry Mitchell.

“It’s all about inclusion,” he said. “It’s more of a learning experience for them than it was for our kids. A lot of people see our children as different. They might not be as fast, but they have just as much heart.”

Jennifer joined the Special Olympics in 1996, Terry said. She swam in the 2007 World Summer Games in China and competed in a triathlon last year in Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, Mikaela Metzendorf, a rising sophomore at Oakton High School, racked up 20 laps, raising $30. Her sister Sarah Metzendorf, another Special Olympian, also attended.

Mikaela, 15, has coached Special Olympians at the Oakton Swim Club for two years.  She hopes the Swim-A-Thon encouraged these athletes, she said.

“They’re still fighting and out there trying to do their best,” Mikaela said.  “I hope they’re happy to see how proud we are.”

Special Olympian Dan Hartle, 26, stood with his parents, grinning at his lively surroundings.

The event provided “heightened awareness” of disabled people, said his father, Tim Hartle, and it offered his son a chance to interact with his peers in the community.

One challenge that the Special Olympians face is staying motivated, said Leah Bonuccelli, the sister of Stephen Bonuccelli, a Special Olympian and Burke Barracuda member.

“It’s all mental for them,” Leah said. “If they get tired and they feel like they can’t keep going, you have to push them past that. If you cheer them on, they will mirror whatever emotion you show.”

The fundraiser brought in more than $2,500, which Saffran will use to rent a recreation center for Area 26 swimmers, he said. It went "really smoothly," he added, and he plans to organize it again next year. He publicized the event with his swim teams and on Facebook this past month, but next year he will advertise it further in advance to ensure a larger turnout.

Saffran enjoyed “having everyone together and happy,” he said, and he hopes the Special Olympians recognize the community’s support.

“I hope they realize they are really special people and everyone came together for them,” he said. “Looking around, everyone I saw was happy and had a smile on their face.”

Saffran boosted understanding of Special Olympics in the area, said Joan Metzendorf, Mikaela Metzendorf’s mother. Joan is the Area 26 Special Olympics swimming coordinator.

“I’m not sure many know that Special Olympics is here,” she said. “He brought a lot of positive attention to the sport. People are more alike than they are different, especially when they’re in the water.”

View a gallery of the Swim-A-Thon here.