Among the awards given out on Friday night at the United States Aquatic Sports convention in Southern California were Katie Ledecky winning the Performance Award and David Marsh winning the Developmental Coach of the Year award.
They were the two best-known award winners, however they weren’t the only award winners. Others honored include:
- Ken Petigrew Award (Officials) – Ed Ruth
- Tricia L. Zorn Award (Athlete with a Disability) – Ian Silverman
- Athletes’ Appreciation Award – Cathy Durance
- Diversity Inclusion Award – Maritza (Correia) McClendon
- Jimi Flowers Disability Coach of the Year – Brian Loeffler
- Outstanding Service Award (Disability) – Mark Rieniets
- Adolph Kiefer Safety Commendation Award – Andrew Appleby
More details about some of these award winners:
Ian Silverman – Tricia L. Zorn Award
The 2013 IPC World Swimming Championships were an absolute slaughterfest of Para-World Records, the likes of which we haven’t seen since 2009. Though the Americans were far from the dominant team of this event, but Silverman was the S10 champion in the 400 free, took silver in the 100 free, and added bronzes in the 200 IM and 50 freestyles. Silverman also broke two World Records at the Can-Am Championships in April: the 800 freestyle and the 1500 freestyle (events not contested at the World Championships). He won the award over Cortney Jordan, who grabbed three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the World Championships.
Cathy Durance – Athletes’ Appreciation Award
Durance is the USA Swimming Membership Services Coordinator. Among her jobs are setting up hotel arrangements for athletes, and she was voted the recipient of this award by the Athletes’ committee as the “individual or organization perceived by the committee to have contributed most significantly to the Athletes’ Movement”.
Maritza McClendon – Diversity Inclusion Award
Correia was the first female swimmer of African-American descent to qualify for an American Olympic Team in 2004, and since has used that as a platform to promote racial diversity within the sport. Among her advocacies in 2013 was, through her work with Nike, sponsoring the 2013 Diversity in Aquatics Convention.
Andrew Appleby – Adolph Kiefer Safety Commendation Award
Adolph Kiefer is maybe best known for founding the Kiefer company and being one of the best swimmers in American history. However, Kiefer was also a massive safety advocate who gave lessons to American soldiers during World War II, and is credited with saving thousands of lives.
Appleby embodies that with his personal work with teaching swim lessons. He just graduated high school this spring, but before doing so he started his own local chapter of USA Swimming’s Make a Splash movement. Severe respiratory issues as a child led to Andrew’s passion for the movement to teach the whole world to swim.
Brian Loeffler – Jimi Flowers Disability Coach of the Year Award
Brian Loeffler has been the head coach at Loyola for 21 years, and in that time has made his program a destination for disabled athletes. Among the athletes that are a part of his Division I NCAA program include Paralympian Joe Wise and IPC World Champion Becca Meyers. He has also trained Paralympic Champion Brad Snyder in the run-up to the London Games, and is credited by Ian Silverman as the coach who got him into the world of Paralympic swimming.
