Emory University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will participate in the Swim Across America (SAA) Open Water 5K Swim fundraiser on Sept. 23 at Lake Lanier.
SAA is a national organization that raises money for cancer research and clinical trials. Traditionally, only Olympians swam the Open Water 5K Swim for SAA, but the event is now open to everyone — doggy paddle or butterfly.
SAA Board of Directors member Vicki Bunke said she is “excited” about Emory’s participation.
“I’m so happy for what the Emory swim and dive team are doing,” Vicki Bunke said. “It’s really a big deal.”
Vicki Bunke first got involved in SAA because of her daughter, Grace Bunke, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when she was 11 years old. Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer that is most common in children and teens, and it requires extensive chemotherapy and surgery. However, Grace Bunke’s treatment uniquely entailed a leg amputation.
According to Vicki Bunke, both her and her daughter were originally runners, but Grace Bunke transitioned to swimming after her leg was amputated. Grace Bunke then found out about SAA, allowing her to combine two of her passions: swimming and trying to find a cure for childhood cancer. She swam in an event in 2017 before passing away at the age of 14.
Before she passed away, Grace Bunke challenged her mother to “carry on her swim cap,” so Vicki Bunke, who had very little experience swimming laps, began training. She swam her first mile in 2018, an Open Water 5K Swim in 2019 and the Amazing Grace SAA Tour in 2021. The tour consisted of fourteen events, and Vicki Bunke swam them all in honor of her daughter, who would have been 14 years old at the time. By 2021, Vicki Bunke said she swam a cumulative 43 miles.
Vicki Bunke will not be swimming in the Open Water 5K Swim this year because she said she has to “make sure that everything gets done on the land.” She added that the 5K swim is only part of SAA’s mission.
“The swim is really just the ‘how,’” Vicki Bunke said. “If the swim becomes the ‘why,’ then we’ve lost sight of why we’re doing this.”
Junior Nolan Lahmann was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 2 years old. He underwent three years of chemotherapy before being deemed cancer-free at 5 years old and began his swimming career. When Lahmann heard that Emory was participating in SAA, he said that “is definitely something that [he] really want[s] to partake in.”
Lahmann added that charities like SAA directly impacted him during his recovery, and he is always trying to give back. As a cancer-survivor, Lahmann said his life motto is “taking everything with gratitude.”
The National Cancer Institute only allocates 4% of its federal funding to childhood cancer research. Vicki Bunke said that is “really unacceptable,” and SAA is working to accomplish immediate change through their donations.
All of the donations that are raised in Atlanta stay local, going to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Additionally, some funds go to researchers at Emory working on new cancer treatments. So far, SAA has reached about 85% of their $450,000 goal, and the Eagles are one of the top fundraisers for the Atlanta event.
Emory Swim and Dive Assistant Coach Bob Hackett is at the top of the team’s roster, having raised $9,606 as of Sept. 19. Senior William Kerscher isn’t far behind, having raised $5,899. Kerscher, who applied to be a collegiate ambassador for SAA this year, set the swim and dive teams’ initial fundraising goal at $30,000, which they have surpassed by over $20,000.
“I think my team’s getting annoyed with me for how much I text them about [the fundraiser],” Kerscher said. “I don’t care, because it’s worth it.”
Kerscher added that the swim and dive teams have raised three and a half times their previous fundraising record. He also plans to get involved on the national level of SAA after he graduates.
Lahmann, who swam in the fundraiser last year, said that open water swimming is difficult compared to indoor swimming.
“It’s a very weird experience because when you’re in one of the pools in the [Woodruff Physical Education Center], it’s one black line and you’re looking at that, back and forth,” Lahmann said. “I was kind of expecting the same thing last year, except, as soon as I got into the [lake], you just couldn’t see anything. The water was so murky.”
Even Hackett, a former Olympic swimmer who will also be swimming on Sept. 23, acknowledged the challenges of an open water swim.
“It’s very different because there’s no lane lines and there’s no walls,” Hackett said. “You have to sight yourself. When you’re breathing, you have to pick your head up and sight where you’re going because you don’t want to swim crooked.”
Hackett said he is excited to continue his participation in the event. He was close with one of the founders, former Olympian Janel McArdle. He will be swimming this year for three of his close friends who have suffered from glioblastoma.
The SAA tagline is “Making Waves to Fight Cancer,” and Vicki Bunke believes the Emory swim and dive team is doing precisely that.
“They are wave-makers,” Vicki Bunke said. “They’re trying to make a difference in their local community.”
