Ambrosio Makes A Splash

To say swimming changed Mike Ambrosio's life is an understatement.

The Port Washington native never played a sport in high school. He debated trying out for different teams at times, but "decided against that out of fear of being humiliated for never having played before," he said.

That wasn't an issue at Goucher College.

In the fall of 2006, Ambrosio arrived at Goucher, a small liberal arts school in Baltimore, for its early immersion program for incoming freshmen. As part of the program, the students went on bonding trips and one included a swimming session in a pond.

Tom Till, the head men and women's swimming coach, happened to be running the trip.

"One of the juniors on the team asked me if I'd be interested in joining the swim team," Ambrosio said. "My first response was 'I barely know how to swim,' but she said, 'Don't worry, you don't have to be a good swimmer, we'll teach you.'"  

A few minutes later, Ambrosio made the decision to try out that year.

"I had never been part of a team, but had always wanted to," he explained. "Why turn down this opportunity now?"

Ambrosio had his work cut out. At his first practice, he had no idea what the "100" was when team captains said they'd start off with "4 x 100s."

"Not to mention, I could barely swim a lap," said Ambrosio, who graduated from Schreiber High School in 2006. "For the first several weeks or even months, I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I could barely swim a few laps, and couldn't flip-turn for the life of me."

He remembers his first meet vividly. It was against Marymount University and Hood College on the road.

Till entered him in the 50-yard and 500-yard freestyles.

"It was kind of one of those memories you try to forget as soon as it's over," Ambrosio recalled.

It's been about three-and-a-half years since his first practice and things have drastically changed. Today, swimming is a way of life for Ambrosio, who learned quickly that being a water athlete is demanding on all levels.

"They say sports build self-esteem, but that's only the surface of it," he said. "The team bonds built from it, the physical outcome of it, and the mental strength gained from it, all have led me to be a better, stronger person."

It didn't take long for Ambrosio to settle into his main event – the breaststroke – which he has competed in for nearly three years now. He swims the 100, 200 and 200 individual medley.

By his junior year he was named team captain and more importantly, he figured out what he wanted to do in life.

After taking classes in a variety of fields, he realized that education interested him the most. He has been a lifeguard and certified water safety instructor since 2006, offering him the opportunity to teach kids about swimming.

"After my experiences working with children in the pool, I have come to find a strong passion for educating children in the classroom as well," he said.

Ambrosio will graduate from Goucher this spring and hopes to become an elementary school teacher.