A video of Olympic gold and silver medalist Tripp Schwenk went viral in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Colin. Schwenk, now a policeman in Sarasota, Florida was captured on film saving an unmanned boat during the storm. See the video here courtesy of NBC affiliate Channel 8 News where Schwenk hangs perilously over the boat’s bow.
Tripp, aka Trippy, was a teammate of mine during the 1992 Olympics, and we swam together at the University of Tennessee. The video above doesn’t surprise any of Trippy’s teammates. He is and always has been fearless. Kind and selfless, almost to a fault, Trippy would and will do anything for the team he’s on or protecting. We’ve all known and experienced teammates like him, someone you think back on and simply smile. Trippy made painful practices and/or stressful swim meets easier–more often than not he made them fun. His good nature was absolute.
Tripp Schwenk was 5th in the 200 back at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He won gold as a member of the 4×100 medley relay and silver in the 200 backstroke at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Tripp still loves swimming and coaches part-time.