Coach Greg Rhodenbaugh likes for his swimmers to be involved with the community. The team participates in a variety of service projects each year, ranging from tutoring at Great Circle to working at food banks.
This week, Missouri swimmers and divers will bring their next volunteering project into the water.
On Saturday, the team will have a chance to do both. All 58 swimmers and divers will participate in Swim Across America, an open-water swimming event that has raised over $65 million for cancer research in the last decade.
This year is the first time Swim Across America will hold a race in St. Louis. Assistant coach Mark Gangloff, who will swim in the event, is friends with Rob Butcher, the CEO of the organization.
“The plan is for this to really get some traction,” Gangloff said. “That’s one of the reason they reached out to the Mizzou team, because we are the best swimmers in this area. So to have some of us come alongside and partner with them (will) raise money, but also bolster the credibility of the event.”
Gangloff, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, said he has attended previous Swim Across America races that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. All proceeds from the St. Louis event will go to Washington University’s Siteman Cancer Center.
Rhodenbaugh feels that service opportunities like Swim Across America are good for his team.
“Number one, it gets them out and gets them serving, and I like that a lot,” Rhodenbaugh said. “Number two, I think it’s incredible team bonding when you do that kind of stuff together. And number three, it helps the community around us and gets us out there and shows them another part of life. We do so much stuff for them, they need to get grounded a little bit.”
[The team surged past its initial goal of raising $5,000](http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=3948&team_id=18782). So far they have brought in $7,569, and Gangloff is the team’s top fundraiser at $850. Brittany Hammond has raised $625, leading current Missouri swimmers.
The event works well with Rhodenbaugh’s season plan. The coach was planning on holding open-water practices the first four Saturdays of the season, so the event fits into the team’s schedule.
“We figured we’d go there and raise money,” he said. “It was perfect for us.”
All swimmers will compete in the 2.4-mile swim, the longest distance offered. Some of the divers will do the half mile instead.
The race begins at 8:15 a.m. at Innsbrook Resort in Innsbrook, Missouri.
_Edited by Theo DeRosa | tderosa@themaneater.com_