Global Answers for Nicaragua Include USC Chet Dudzinski
It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. If that is true, what does it take for a generation of youth to rise up out of poverty? How could some of the most under-served children in the world possibly be introduced to leadership and educational skills? What The first practice for Coach Timmy Hayes and his small group of swimmers it takes is passion… and the sport of swimming. Water surrounds Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. To the east is the Caribbean and to the west is the Pacific Ocean. In the middle are Central America’s largest natural lakes. Despite that, when Timmy Hayes moved to Nicaragua in 2013, he realized very few of the locals knew how to swim. More troubling was the extreme poverty he witnessed. Two years removed from college, Timmy began working with a nonprofit in Managua, Nicaragua. Assigned to help improve classes at a local public school in the outskirts of Managua, he began to develop meaningful relationships with a small group of students. Timmy often asked himself “Why can’t I do more for the citizens of Nicaragua, and how can I make the difference?” His answer was to invite a few kids over to a backyard pool of a home owned by a mission group to teach them how to swim. Enter the Nica Nadadores. Timmy, Kyle Shoemaker, and Scot Robison all swam collegiately; Timmy and Scot at the University of Virginia and Kyle at Clemson. Each a lifelong swimmer, they personally know the benefits of the student-athlete lessons they learned along the way— hard work, goal setting, dedication, and commitment—provide lifelong skills destined to lead to success. But while this notion is second nature to those in the United States, could it also be true in a country with the many challenges of Nicaragua? They were ready to find out… and now, four years later, are realizing the answer is a resounding “Yes!” The program began with only a handful of swimmers in a kidney shaped pool, where kids formerly afraid of water began to learn how to blow bubbles while wearing jeans and T-shirts because they had no swim suits. After four years of growth and moving to a pool at a nearby mission that is a “whopping” three lanes and 20 yards long, they are looking to purchase their own property on which to build an aquatics facility. Their vision? Their own eight-lane, 25-meter competition pool, a learning facility, computer lab, recreational area, and dorms for the frequent visitors and interns whom they host. How does Upper St. Clair tie into this equation? Plenty. Timmy and Scot swam at the University of Virginia, where they met Kyle Dudzinski. Kyle began swimming for Upper St. Clair Swim Club at the age of eight, further developing his athletic talent and love for swimming through high school and college. Upon graduation as a student-athlete from Virginia with a bachelor’s degree and from the University of Michigan with a master’s degree, he began working in the Washington, DC area and volunteered to assist the Nadadores from afar. Through this volunteer position, Kyle learned that the three founding Nadadores board members were looking to expand board membership. Enter the writer of this article, Chet Dudzinski, who now sits on the board of the Left to right: Timmy Hayes, Kyle Shoemaker, Scot Robison Nadadores. But that is not all. The Upper St. Clair High School swim team permitted an informational booth to be set up at their annual Black and White scrimmage in the fall of 2017, where approximately $2000 was raised. Additionally, Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics (PEAQ) aligned with USC and held a 2018 summer swim meet where Chet and Kyle Shoemaker provided information about the Nadadores. As a result of this effort, dozens of pieces of swimming equipment, including hard-to-find snorkels, were donated by PEAQ and the Dudzinskis to the Nadadores this past summer. During a summer 2018 board trip to Nicaragua, Chet toured the area scouring land where the Nadadores could feasibly build its own facility. All of this effort seems to be working, although slower than hoped. “Most of these children in our program could not swim when we Chet Dudzinski gives a high five to a deserving swimmer started the program,” said Timmy. “Our home base of Chiquilistagua for a great practice. 14
UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
Winter 2018
