Contributing Writer
Bob Moro
Living in Massachusetts most of my life, I always thought of Florida as a place of wonder. A tropical paradise brimming with places to explore. My wife Cathy and I bought our Whiskey Creek home 25 years ago, and we’ve lived here full time for the past 15. I get around. I’m curious. And writing this column for the past 11 years has given me plenty of people, places and things to explore and learn from down here. But I had never heard of The Gulf Coast Swim Team (GCST).
So when Ariya, the beautiful, precocious, talented, outspoken, unpredictable, and utterly charming 10 year old swimming phenomenon daughter of two close friends of ours announced that she might be competing in the huge (200-300 swimmers) GCST event, I looked to her parents, Chris and Kendeep Ruhomon, to see if she was once again pulling my leg. “Nope!
It’s true Bob,” her parents explained. “Though Ariya is still undecided about participating in the April 12th race, she’s a devoted member of GCST. There’s a major swim meet along Fort Myers Beach on April 12th. Her coach is looking for boats to help manage the race, do you think your Power Squadron could help?” they asked. My Board quickly agreed; we’ll be sending three support boats.
“Ariya was 4 when we moved to Florida, and unlike most Florida kids she couldn’t swim. She was often the only non swimmer, wearing floaties, at pool parties. We were determined to get her into swim lessons, but we weren’t seeing the progression from the lessons that we had expected.
Our neighbor, a high school swimmer, suggested she join a swim team. That’s when we discovered Don Henshaw and his GCST organization. We were drawn by the friendliness of the coach and other parents, and impressed by the organization and practice sets,” her mom Kendeep explained. “GCST provides a wonderful opportunity for swimmers of all abilities to develop up to a competitive level; to forge connections and friendships with team mates. These are dedicated coaches assigned to the different ability levels/ages of the swimmers. You begin at the Novice or Bronze level and as you develop and improve, you move up through Silver, Gold and ultimately Seniors. There is also a Masters group.
The swimmers train during practice sessions in advance of swim meets – home meets held at FGCU Aquatic Centre, or away meets hosted in locations such as Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Orlando and Ocala,” Kendeep (Ken”) added.
You’ll find Chris and Ken at every event, cheering Ariya and her team mates on. “We love the camaraderie with other parents, and cheer together for all our children. Every time a swimmer improves their personal best time we enjoy celebrating! We love watching Ariya’s growing confidence.
When she joined at 6, she was excited but nervous; terrified of being in the wrong lane; but now you can see her improved focus, maturity, discipline and determination as she readies herself at the blocks. Her mental and physical strength have given her a champion mindset-she now identifies herself as an athlete. She makes healthier choices.
Her diet has improved, and she has no problem with an early bedtime before morning practices and meets. We are so proud of her,” Ken said. How many parents would love to be saying this about their children?
Ariya’s coach Don Henshaw started swimming when he was about Ariya’s age, and has been coaching swimming since 1975. He’s the Founder, Senior Coach, and Open Water Director of the Gulf Coast Swim Team, formed in 1998 to promote swimming in SW Florida, and he’s President of the Southwest Florida Swim Club, Inc. Accomplishments? Hold onto your hat: He counts several national Age Group Record Holders, High School State Champions, Junior and Senior National Qualifiers, several National Top 16 swimmers, Florida LSC Record Holders, High School State Champions, and (four!) Olympic Trials Qualifies as part of his coaching career.
“We started with about 10 swimmers, and grew the organization to around 100 currently,” Don explained. “We run our Non-Profit at the San Carlos Park Community Pool under the guidance of the Lee County Parks and Recreation and the Lee County/FGCU Aquatic Center.”
Here’s what Lee County Parks and Recreation Calusa Blueway Coordinator had to say about Don and his organization:“This is a great event that highlights Fort Myers Beach as open for business while bringing competitive young swimmers from across the region. We’re proud to host it in partnership with the Gulfcoast Swim Team and showcase our beautiful open water.”
Don recalled numerous youth who excelled in his organization, including then-Lee County High School student Molly Dubrasky, named Female Athlete of the Year by the News-Press for 2010-11, and local Marathon Swimmer Heather Roka who swam the English Channel. Twice.
One of just four Americans to accomplish the over-and-back swim. He and his group continue to train some of the area’s top high school athletes, producing 21 National Age Group Records (USAS), and 47 Florida Swimming Records. Don’t put your hat back on just yet.
“We began swimming Open Water in 2007, and have had several National qualifiers, placing third in the 2021 US Open Water Nationals at FMB. We won the Florida Open Water Team title from 2009 to 2022, and we’ve been runners-up since then.”
Guess what Don’s wife Connie does for a living? “She’s a great coach and does the development of our top age group swimmers. She gets them ready for my group and high school and Senior club swimming. We met while in high school at a swim meet in Jacksonville, FL. We were both in our Sophomore year at different high schools. Got married in April of 1976.” said Don, who added this: “Connie and I are blessed with two daughters Heather and Jen.” Guess what they do for a living? Yes, swimming coaches. Heather and Jen have seven children between them. Guess what all Don and Connie’s grandchildren do for fun?
“This will be just the third event held on Fort Myers Beach since Hurricane Ian. Everyone was excited to get things going again at the beach,” Don said. We have previously hosted four USA Swimming National Open Water Championships, one Canadian Olympic Trials 10K Open Water race, three Southern Zone Open Water Championships, 14 Florida Open Water Championships, as well as the Fran Crippen Foundation Benefit 10K Open Water Race at FGCU Waterfront back in 2016,” Don said.
“We always need boats to get our USA Swimming Officials on the Course for safety, and to monitor the swimmers through out the race. Bob, your Fort Myers Power Squadron is going to be a huge help to our event!”
“Don is a coach who is driven to encourage youth to be committed to a healthy and active lifestyle. He motivates kids to be successful through mental and physical discipline instead of watching video screens and spending large amounts of time indoors. We also appreciate the way coaches ensure the swimmers are taking responsibility for themselves and their sport early at an early age.
It’s so much more than swimming – they are building a foundation of essential life skills – perseverance, grit, determination, and self-confidence. We’re in awe of the discipline, work habits and personal responsibility these kids set for themselves. Anyone from age five on up can join GCST. It’s another option for parents looking to find the right path to help their children find their passion,” Ken added.
My Squadron is honored to help Don and his group with this spectacular race. Don noted that it’s a free event, and the best viewing is right from the beach. Boaters can also anchor off the course to watch, but if you get too close our boats will let you know. “We packed the pier when it was usable during the USA On the Water National Championships in 21, and 22,” Don recalled.
The races run from 8 a.m. to noon. Let’s give the swimmers a good crowd to watch this event. Maybe we’ll see a future Olympian or two.
Past Commander Bob Moro AP
Fort Myers Power Squadron-America’s Boating Club
