{"id":78,"date":"2018-03-07T14:41:05","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T19:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/?p=78"},"modified":"2023-10-16T12:10:01","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T16:10:01","slug":"10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Facts You Don\u2019t Know About Rowdy Gaines"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#Swimming_Trivia_About_SwimMirrors_Olympic_Superstar\" >Swimming Trivia About SwimMirror\u2019s Olympic Superstar<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#1_His_Real_Name_Actually_Isnt_Rowdy\" >1) His Real Name Actually Isn\u2019t Rowdy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#2_Hes_a_Florida_Native_but_Swam_And_Won_Titles_for_Auburn\" >2) He\u2019s a Florida Native, but Swam (And Won Titles!) for Auburn<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#3_He_was_the_Favorite_to_Win_the_Boycotted_1980_Olympics\" >3) He was the Favorite to Win the (Boycotted) 1980 Olympics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#4_He_Dominated_the_1984_Olympics_in_LA\" >4) He Dominated the 1984 Olympics in LA<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#5_He_was_Paralyzed_with_Guillain-Barre_Syndrome\" >5) He was Paralyzed with Guillain-Barre\u2019 Syndrome<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#6_He_was_the_Oldest_Swimmer_35_to_Qualify_for_the_1996_Olympics\" >6) He was the Oldest Swimmer (35) to Qualify for the 1996 Olympics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#7_Hes_the_Vice_President_of_Aquatics_at_The_YMCA_of_Central_Florida\" >7) He\u2019s the Vice President of Aquatics at The YMCA of Central Florida<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#8_Hes_an_International_Hall-of-Famer\" >8) He\u2019s an International Hall-of-Famer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#9_Hes_Still_Setting_Records\" >9) He\u2019s Still Setting Records<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/#10_He_Gives_Back_to_the_Community\" >10) He Gives Back to the Community<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Swimming_Trivia_About_SwimMirrors_Olympic_Superstar\"><\/span>Swimming Trivia About SwimMirror\u2019s Olympic Superstar<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In competitive swimming, winning a gold medal at the Olympics is #goals. Imagine winning a gold medal at the Olympics <em>three times<\/em>, and you might have an idea of what it\u2019s like to be Rowdy Gaines.<\/p>\n<p>If you watch Olympic swimming, you\u2019re more than familiar with Gaines\u2019s voice narrating events on NBC. (And if you keep up with us at SwimMirror, you know our pool mirror is the one he loves best!)<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this swimming superstar, though. Here\u2019s 10 facts you might not know about SwimMirror\u2019s favorite swimming analyst!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_His_Real_Name_Actually_Isnt_Rowdy\"><\/span>1) His Real Name Actually Isn\u2019t Rowdy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In fact, Rowdy Gaines was born Ambrose Gaines IV. His nickname comes from Clint Eastwood\u2019s character in \u201cRawhide,\u201d a TV series which aired the same year that Gaines was born.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Hes_a_Florida_Native_but_Swam_And_Won_Titles_for_Auburn\"><\/span>2) He\u2019s a Florida Native, but Swam (And Won Titles!) for Auburn<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A Florida native of Winter Haven, Florida, Gaines left the Sunshine State on a swimming scholarship to Auburn University. There, he became a five-time NCAA champion under the training of legendary head swimming coach, Richard Quick!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_He_was_the_Favorite_to_Win_the_Boycotted_1980_Olympics\"><\/span>3) He was the Favorite to Win the (Boycotted) 1980 Olympics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Everyone expected that Rowdy Gaines would win multiple medals for the 1980 Olympics, but unfortunately, the Moscow Games were boycotted by the US. Who knows what could have been?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_He_Dominated_the_1984_Olympics_in_LA\"><\/span>4) He Dominated the 1984 Olympics in LA<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Forget Moscow: once the Los Angeles games started up, Gaines earned three gold medals and won more races than any of his competitors, setting records for the 4&#215;100 meter medley relay and 4x100m freestyle relay events. He even broke his own record for the 100-meter freestyle.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_He_was_Paralyzed_with_Guillain-Barre_Syndrome\"><\/span>5) He was Paralyzed with Guillain-Barre\u2019 Syndrome<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Gaines was diagnosed with a rare condition called Guillain-Barre\u2019 syndrome in 1991, which attacks the peripheral nervous system, causing muscle weakness and nerve damage. This paralyzed Gaines, but fortunately, the condition was only temporary. After an intense two months of treatment, he made an astonishing full recovery, and had even integrated swimming into his physical therapy!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_He_was_the_Oldest_Swimmer_35_to_Qualify_for_the_1996_Olympics\"><\/span>6) He was the Oldest Swimmer (35) to Qualify for the 1996 Olympics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>\u2026but he turned it down, choosing to become a commentator for the events instead. Since then, he\u2019s been a recurring swimming analyst for NBC, where many younger swimmers have become familiar with him due to his distinct persona as the \u201cvoice of swimming.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Hes_the_Vice_President_of_Aquatics_at_The_YMCA_of_Central_Florida\"><\/span>7) He\u2019s the Vice President of Aquatics at The YMCA of Central Florida<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>And has been since 2014! &#8220;Rowdy is a natural fit for the Y,&#8221; said<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwired.com\/press-release\/ymca-names-us-olympic-hall-of-fame-swimmer-rowdy-gaines-vice-president-of-aquatics-1907505.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Ferber, President\/CEO<\/a><\/strong>.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>&#8220;He embodies the Y spirit and loves of all aquatics activities we host at the Y, from Safe Start for infants, to school age swim skill lessons and swim teams, to our senior water fitness programs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Hes_an_International_Hall-of-Famer\"><\/span>8) He\u2019s an International Hall-of-Famer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Having been the 1980 World Swimmer of the Year, and a former world record holder for men\u2019s 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle, it\u2019s no surprise that Gaines was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1995, and then the US Olympic Hall of Fame in 2005.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Hes_Still_Setting_Records\"><\/span>9) He\u2019s Still Setting Records<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Just because Gaines retired from the Olympics doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s stopped swimming! He\u2019s been breaking records in the 50-54 age group for the 50 and 100 meter freestyle in the Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic, and shows no signs of stopping.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_He_Gives_Back_to_the_Community\"><\/span>10) He Gives Back to the Community<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In 2013, Rowdy Gaines visited and hosted a swim clinic that included children from Sandy Hook Elementary School, who had recently faced that year\u2019s tragic shooting. Of the experience, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelimucompany.com\/blog\/2013\/limu-ambassador-rowdy-gaines-celebrates-the-children-of-newtown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rowdy said<\/a>, \u201cI wasn\u2019t going in to change their lives. My goal going in was always about putting a smile on their faces for a couple of hours. They [hadn\u2019t] had a lot to smile about for the past few months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gaines also works with charities including \u201cRowdy\u2019s Kidz\u201d and \u201cSwim Across America,\u201d which focuses on cancer research.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">These are only 10 facts about Rowdy Gaines, but they don\u2019t even begin to explain all of the reasons that the essential swimming pool mirror, <strong>SwimMirror,<\/strong> is proud to be endorsed by this Olympic champ.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Want to learn more about this swimming superstar? Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rowdygaines.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RowdyGaines.com<\/strong><\/a>, or follow him on Twitter:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RowdyGaines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@RowdyGaines<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swimming Trivia About SwimMirror\u2019s Olympic Superstar In competitive swimming, winning a gold medal at the Olympics is #goals. Imagine winning a gold medal at the Olympics three times, and you might have an idea of what it\u2019s like to be Rowdy Gaines. If you watch Olympic swimming, you\u2019re more than familiar with Gaines\u2019s voice narrating<a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/10-facts-you-dont-know-about-rowdy-gaines\/\" title=\"More\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,27],"tags":[21,33,30,29,46,40,28,52,17,32,31,5],"class_list":["post-78","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rowdy-gaines","category-swimmirror-news","tag-competitive-swimming","tag-nbc-analyst","tag-olympic-medalist","tag-olympic-swimmer","tag-olympic-swimming-technique","tag-pool-mirror","tag-rowdy-gaines","tag-swim-mirror","tag-swimming","tag-swimming-legend","tag-swimming-trivia","tag-swimmirror"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189,"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions\/189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swimmirror.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}