Catherine Vorrasi, of Tucson, is not an average 32-year-old. Vorrasi, the Aquatics Manager at the Oro Valley Aquatic Center, gives private swim lessons and helps others reach their swimming goals. She also happens to be just one-seventh of a second away from qualifying for the Olympic trials in swimming in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle. 

It all started back in Nicosia, Cyprus, when, at the age of 5, Vorrasi won the 25-meter freestyle at the International School of Cyprus. When she was in 2^nd grade, her family moved back to the U.S., and her love of swimming took off. Swimming three days a week, she set and broke several records in high school and realized her passion.

In college, she began swimming six days a week and broke the record in the 50-meter freestyle. “It was during my years at George Mason University that I swam for DC Aquatics and earned All American status in the 50-meter freestyle,” Vorrasi says.

In 2013, Vorrasi got more serious and qualified for the Long Course National Competition, in Mission Viejo, California, where she earned nine medals with seven finishes in the top three. “I began to wonder at that time where this was all going. If I could medal in nine events after only swimming three hours a week, what could I do if I swam 36 hours a week like the Olympians in training did?” recalls Vorrasi. “’Olympics, Olympics, Olympics’ kept going through my mind.”

She later received eight medals at the Short Course Nationals in Santa Clara, California, Masters World Championships in Montreal, Canada, and Long Course Masters Nationals in College Park, Maryland. 

“I know that with swimming six days a week for two hours a day, working out in the gym, and closely monitoring my diet, I will easily qualify for the Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, in June 2016,” smiles Vorrasi. 

To get there, she needs our help. Donations are being accepted to get Vorrasi to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Most donations are tax-deductible, and Team Vorrasi can also give back to businesses through corporate sponsorships. Together, we can help Vorrasi represent Tucson in the 2016 Olympics.

For more information and to donate, visit GoFundMe.com/Team-Vorrasi or call 520-289-1297. Follow Vorrasi on TeamVorrasi.org.

Michelle Bense is a freelance writer and editor for Natural Awakenings. Connect at [email protected].