The YMCA has been a starting point for many Olympic hopefuls in swimming – here’s a list of this year’s Olympic and Paralympic trials qualifiers who have a YMCA connection.
Here on the First Coast, we have several ties to world-class swimming, including with one of our most beloved partners, Joyce Delifus. Joyce is an incredible advocate for children learning how to swim and has partnered with the YMCA to offer those services to the community through the Shawn Delifus Foundation. The nonprofit is named after her late son who was a swim instructor with several organizations in the community – including the YMCA – and taught Olympic gold medalists and former Bolles School swimmers Ryan Murphy and Caeleb Dressel. Shawn passed away in 2016 but Joyce has kept his memory, and love for swim instruction, alive in the community.
Joyce’s team instruct hundreds of kids at the Johnson Family YMCA and was recently interviewed by First Coast News about the foundation and Shawn’s legacy. Watch the First Coast News story here.
