2021 PVS Swimpoisum Schedule and Speaker Bios

2021 PVS Swimpoisum Schedule and Speaker Bios
Saturday 9/11
2:00 - 3:00 Everyone - General intro - USA Swimming - Bob Vincent and Gunnar Bentz
3:00 - 4:30 Officials – Open Water Clinic– Jamie Cahn
4:30 - 5:15 Official - Disability Swimming - Elizabeth Jester
5:30 - 6:15 Officials – An Officials Experience- Ellen Colket and Ron Van Pool

Sunday 9/12
2:00 - 3:00 Parents and Athletes - Parenting a Swimmer Ed Dona, and Dee Sapp
3:00 - 4:30 Everyone - Ask a Coach - Tyler Fenwick, Jody Braden, and Jesse Raskauskas
4:30 - 5:30 Everyone - A Swimmers Mental Health - Lacey Nymeyer and Ben Wildman-Tobriner
5:30 – 6:15 Coaches - Diversity/Safe Sport - Roundtable Discussion - Rob Green, Jessica Mack
 and Kelly Opipari

Planned speakers include:
 Bob Vincent – Chairman of the Board for USA Swimming
 Gunnar Bentz – 2020 Olympian and 2016 Gold Medalist
 Tyler Fenwick – Associate Head Coach University of Virginia
 Jody Braden – Assistant Coach at Blue Crush Aquatics, Portland OR.
 Jesse Raskauskas – Age Group Coach Portland Aquatic Club
 Dee Sapp – Mother of Paralympian Lawrence Sapp
 Ed Dona – Swim Parent formerly of PVS now at SwimMac
 USA Swimming Officials – Ron Van Pool, Jamie Cahn, Ellen Colket, and Elizabeth Jester
 Lacey Nymeyer-John – 2008 Silver Medalist
 Ben Wildman-Tobriner – 2008 Gold Medalist

Bob Vincent - Bob Vincent was elected as Chairman of the
 Board of USA Swimming in October of 2018.

 Vincent was elected and served on the Executive Board of the
 Professional Services Council, the Voice of the Government
 Services Industry, from 2010 until 2013. He serves on the Board
 of Directors of Florida Citrus Sports, scouting NCAA football in
 the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 Conferences for the Buffalo
 Wild Wings Bowl and Russell Athletic Bowl.

 He has been involved at all levels of swimming governance
 including serving as the President of a parent-owned team. He
is an active official for Potomac Valley Swimming (PVS).

After serving as a Member-at-Large and member of the Audit/Investment Committees he was
elected as the Treasurer of PVS and served in that position from 2012 to 2015. He also served
on the USA Swimming Investment Committee and as the Finance Vice Chair (Treasurer) of USA
Swimming from 2016 to 2018.

He is a member of the USA Swimming Foundation’s Champions Club.

 Gunnar Bentz who just retired from swimming after racing the 200
 butterfly at the 2020 Olympics was born Jan. 3, 1996 to business
 owners, Steve and Missy Bentz, he was raised in an athletic
 environment – both Steve and Missy were collegiate athletes at
 Berry College on the track and field team. He also has two sisters,
 Kenzie and Raleigh, and a beagle/lab mix named Boston. Bentz was
 in the water at a young age. He was swimming at 3 years old, but
 claims it was because he wasn’t good at any other sports. Bentz
 graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School where he was
 a Georgia state champion, national champion and record holder.
Bentz was the number two recruit in the class of 2014, and although he’s most known for his
success in the IM events he also has impressive breaststroke and freestyle abilities. Bentz
received the rare honor of being named a cover personality of Swimming World Magazine
because there’s only 12 each year – he was named one of four athletes to watch at the National
Championships.

The 2020 and 2016 Olympian became the first ever University of Georgia swimmer to win an
Olympic gold medal for his heat swim in the 800 meter freestyle relay.

Ben Wildman-Tobriner

 Ben Wildman-Tobriner grew up in San Francisco, CA but learned to swim
 over the golden gate bridge in Marin County at the Ann Curtis School of
 Swimming (Ann was an Olympic swimmer in the 1948 games, and her
 school is now owned by Nathan Adrian). Swimming in summer league as a
 boy and for his local US club team through high school, Ben eventually
 attended Stanford University. At Stanford, Ben was a sprinter and became
 the first American swimmer to break the 19 second barrier in the 50 yard
freestyle in 2007. That same year, Ben became world champion in the 50 meter freestyle.

Leading up to the 2008 Olympic year, Ben suffered a near-career ending injury, tearing his pectoral
muscle and tendon while weightlifting just 7 months before Olympic trials. Despite the odds, Ben
qualified for the games and represented the United States in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay as well as in the
50 freestyle.

Two weeks after the Olympics, Ben began medical school at the University of California, San Francisco.
After completing his medical degree, Ben moved to Durham, North Carolina for residency in radiology.
Ben still lives in Durham with his wife, a pediatrician, and their two children (ages 4 and 6). Ben is now
on the faculty at Duke University Hospital and is a practicing radiologist and teacher.

 Lacey Nymeyer-John

 Lacey (Nymeyer) John presents and speaks from her experiences as a
 former NCAA and Olympic athlete and career professional in NCAA
 athletics. As a graduate from the University of Arizona, Lacey
 excelled on the women’s swimming and diving team. Her career
 highlights include being named the 2009 NCAA Women’s Athlete of
 the Year, two individual NCAA championship titles, and winning a
 silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

During her international swimming career as a member of team USA, Lacey won five world
championship medals, including gold at the 2007 World Championships and silver at the 2009
FINA World Championships. Collegiately, she is a two-time NCAA National Champion in the
100y and 200y freestyle, and she is a 26-time NCAA All-American setting American, NCAA,
U.S. Open and World records.

Since graduating with undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from the University of
Arizona, Lacey upholds her love for education and athletics. She is the Director of Alumni
Career and Professional Development and facilitates several classes at the University of Arizona.
Lacey is passionate about helping athletes of all ages balance the demands of sports, academics
and life. Currently, she conducts a variety of programs that aid in personal development, career
development, and community engagement. Lacey has a passion for topics such as life and career

transitions, challenges for female athletes, leadership development, and athlete-identity
expansion and empowerment.

Lacey speaks and conducts clinics around the country inspiring people to perform better in
whatever their arena. She also works individually with athletes of all sports and ages through
individual mentoring and counseling. Family life has always been important to Lacey, and
during her swimming career, family was a sure foundation upon which her success was
grounded. Currently, Lacey and her husband, Chandler, live in Tucson, Arizona with their two
wonderful children.

Career Highlights: ● 2011 University of Arizona Commencement Speaker ● 2009 NCAA
Woman of the Year ● 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist ● 2007 World Championship double
medalist (Gold/WR - 800m freestyle ● relay) ● 2005 World Championships double medalist ●
10-time NCAA Champion ● 26-time NCAA All-American ● Academic All-Pac-10

 Tyler Fenwick
 Associate Head Coach at the University of Virginia. Previously Associate
 Head Coach at University of Tennessee, Men's National Team Coach with
 the Mission Viejo Nadadores and Assistant at Germantown Academy.
 2018 Team USA Pan Pacific Championship Coach. 2015 and 2017 Team
 USA Head Coach for the World University Games. USA National Team.
 Coach to Olympians, World Champions and student athletes preparing to
 positively change the world! � ��

 Jody Braden
 Jody has been involved in swimming as a swimmer and coach since
 1976. As a swimmer he is a former PAC- 10 Champion and Pan-
 American Games Silver Medalist. He was inducted in 2006 to the
 University of Washington Hall of Fame and in 2016 the Bishop Blanchet
 High School Hall of Fame. Jody began his coaching career at the
 Bellevue Club shortly after 1992 Olympic trials coaching from 8 and
 unders to Elite level swimmers (he has followed the philosophy of not
great at 8). Over the years he helped develop Pacific NW Region and Section Champions to
eventually a 2004 Canadian Olympian and a former National Prep School record holder. Most
recently he coached the Portland Aquatic Club from 2004- 2020 building PAC from 110

swimmers to over 200, having at least one academic all- American each year, swimmers
compete and win Junior Nationals and swimmers at the last two Olympic Trials. Jody has been
the general chair, senior chair, age group chair, and admin chair over the years in Oregon
Swimming and has been the Age Group Region Chair and NW Section Chair. He has just
accepted a position with Blue Crush Aquatics where he will be working with all levels of
swimmers.

 Jesse Raskauskas
 Jesse has worked for Portland aquatic club & led the age group
 program at Mt. Scott since 2002. His favorite thing about working with
 swimmers is that it doesn’t feel like work at all! Sharing in swimmers
 joy when they achieve personal records in the pool is a highlight.
 Growing up, he swam with the Corvallis Aquatic Club and Corvallis
 High School. He excelled in multiple events including freestyle,
 backstroke, and relays. He finished his senior year as team co-captain.
Jesse then spent a few years working as a lifeguard, camp counselor, and swim instructor,
before he realized his talent for teaching. He moved to Portland and received a Master of
Teaching from Concordia and now teaches kindergarten in the David Douglas School District.

 Dee Sapp
 Dee is the founder and Executive Director of Accessibility Bridge
 Corporation and aspires to be part of a national systems transformation
 and propagate consciousness about inclusive practices so that all facets
 of community life – school, work, social activities – welcome people
 with developmental disabilities.

 Her middle child, Lawrence, is a sophomore at the University of
 Cincinnati, a Paralympian and has been a member of the NCAP
 Alexandria team for 7 years.

Ron Van Pool – Official
USA Swimming:
 President of USA Swimming (2002 – 2006)
 • Served on Board of Directors of United States Olympic Committee
 FINA Congress Delegate
 • Represented USA Swimming as a delegate to FINA General and Technical
 Congresses from 2004 – 2009
 Committees & Task Forces

• Chaired Governance Review Task Force (2002)
 • Chaired International Relations Committee
 • Member of Rules & Regulations Committee
 • Vice-President – Program Operations
 • Chair, CEO Search Committee (2017)
 USA Swimming Foundation
 • Founding Director & Secretary
 United States Sports Insurance Company (Barbados)
 • Board of Directors (2002 – 2015)
 • Secretary (2006 – 2015)
 Official (1982 – present)
 • Officiated at Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games
 • 2000 USA Swimming Olympic Trials referee
United States Olympic Committee National Governing Body Council
 • Represented USA Swimming on the USOC National Governing Body
 Council
FINA:
 • Served on the initial Disciplinary Panel (2005 – 2009)
 • Served on National Federations Relations Committee (2018 – Present)