Asphalt Green swim team’s Ali Wright has been named the New Yorker of the week by Spectrum News for her work in water safety. The weekly recognition highlights outstanding New Yorkers making a difference in their communities. Recipients are selected internally by Spectrum News from viewer nominations submitted via email describing candidates’ qualifications and community impact.
The sophomore at Nightingale-Bamford School, who’s part of the class of 2027, is a freestyle specialist with best times of 24.73, 52.99, 1:53.94, and 5:05.80 across the 50-500 yard events.
Wright is tackling water safety through her “Turning the Tide” swim-a-thon, an event that raises money for learn-to-swim classes. She got the idea after making a documentary about the PDR swim team and Coach Jim Ellis back in 2024.
“I was moved to learn about the barriers many kids, especially those in urban areas, encounter in learning to swim, let alone competing in the sport, and felt inspired to try to do something about it,” Wright said.
The numbers behind her mission really help paint the picture: drowning is the top cause of accidental death for kids four and under, and the second leading cause for those 14 and under.
“Financial situations should not be the limiting factor in how a kid learns how to swim,” Wright told Spectrum News’ Pat Kiernan. “Learning how to swim is either life or death.”
Beyond financial barriers, Wright has noticed another troubling trend.
“I’ve seen so many pools that don’t have lifeguards that are being shut down because they can’t have lifeguards,” she said. “And I think being one of those people to step up and help the community is something I want to be a part of.”
Her swim-a-thon money goes to Asphalt Green’s free and low-cost water safety programs. The nonprofit has been teaching New Yorkers to swim through its Waterproofing program and bringing instruction directly to public schools across all five boroughs with its Wave Makers initiative.
“AGUA and Asphalt Green have been huge supporters since day one when I came to them with the idea for a swim-a-thon,” Wright said. “Everyone at AG has been so helpful in getting the word out about the event, assisting with things like renting pool space, and really just happy to do anything they can to make this year’s event as successful as possible. I feel like my experience making the swim-a-thon a reality with AG has brought the definition of teamwork to life. My coach even signed up to swim in the event!”
Wright’s results speak for themselves. Her opening fundraiser in 2024 raised $5,000, but saw a 1,400% increase in 2025 with $75,000 raised at the May 31 event.
Very impressive, especially for a high-school sophomore (rising junior?). Wish I’d known about it earlier.