When the Baller series was first conceived, I admittedly was a bit myopic. Just look at the first couple of articles. They were about football players. Not surprising, huh, given my journey with Geoffrey and Mitchell. Well, it’s time to broaden my horizons. Read on.
Imagine, as a young teenager, having your life uprooted by your parents’ decision to pack up and move to another country, where you don’t know a soul and don’t speak a word of the language, for the chance of a brighter future, for opportunities that wouldn’t be available in the country of your birth.
That was the reality of four-time (only 13 in history have won more) Olympic swimming gold medalist Lenny Krayzelburg. As a 13/14-year-old, his family moved from Odessa, Ukraine, then part of the USSR, to the United States in the hopes of beginning anew. They faced all sorts of challenges. Financial hardships. Language problems. Transportation difficulties. Adjusting to a metropolis with a population 3.5 times greater than from whence they came.
Growing up in Ukraine, Lenny was identified early on as a youth with special swimming talent. At 10, he was training five hours a day, likely setting the tone for his fanatical commitment to be the best he could be. He learned English quickly. What choice did he have if he wanted to adapt to his new environment, understand instruction and continue his swimming training?
The family arrived in Southern California, settling in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Upon arriving in So. Cal, his parents enrolled him in a Santa Monica-based swim club, a time consuming 45-minute commute each way by bus and on foot.
He acclimated to his new environment in short order as he progressed from Fairfax High School to Santa Monica College to the University of Southern California, all the while developing his extraordinary swimming skills. Those skills led to these accomplishments:
- Won 100 and 200-yard backstroke junior college titles.
- In 1998 became the first swimmer in 13 years to sweep all three backstroke events in the World Championships.
- One year later Lenny broke three world records that earned him recognition as the top backstroke swimmer in the world, and one of the best in history.
- Lenny then went on to set Olympic records and earn gold medals in the backstroke events of the 2000 Olympics held in Australia.
- Fulfilling a once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete in the Maccabiah Games in Israel for Jewish athletes in 2001, he earned two more gold medals and set another record.
From any perch, Lenny’s accomplishments in the pool were spectacular. But it’s what he’s accomplished after he hung up his trunks that, in my mind, qualifies him to be a featured Baller.
Lenny never forgot how the Southern California community embraced and supported him and his family from the time they set foot on these shores, allowing him to achieve his optimal goal – living the American Dream. So, after competing in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, and following his official retirement from the sport, Lenny was inspired to find a way to give back . . . and that he’s done, in spades.
In 2005, Lenny established two swim academies in Los Angeles with the intent of making a difference in the lives of children. Utilizing a unique and proprietary teaching curriculum known as The SwimRight© Method, Lenny’s Academies have touched the lives of over 40,000 children, from as young as three months old. Through partnerships, he has expanded his reach, establishing locations in Miami, Brooklyn, Boston and Dallas.
And never forgetting his Jewish roots and the antisemitism he experienced as a youngster, Lenny has made it his mission to support the Jewish community by partnering with the Jewish Community Centers Association to license his academies across the country. I recently visited his home base at the J Los Angeles (JLA), considered L.A.’s Westside, where I was able to meet Lenny for the first time.
As if two handfuls of academies spanning coast to coast, and tens of thousands of youth who now swim like “fish in water” wasn’t enough, take a peek at how else Lenny gives of his time to help others, where he is:
- A board member of Tikva Children’s Home, an organization that cares for homeless, abandoned and abused Jewish children in Ukraine and neighboring regions,
- A board member of the American Friends of Israel Sport Center for the disabled that provides physical and psychological support for children and adults with disabilities,
- Active supporter of the Jessie Rees Foundation, which provides support and resources to families whose children are battling cancer, and
- Treasurer of the Michael Phelps Foundation, an organization working to promote healthy, active lives for children by providing opportunities to enjoy the sport of swimming.
This world is in dire need of warmhearted people who are willing to improve the lot of those less fortunate because of their good fortune. Lenny Krayzelburg is a shining example of just such a person.