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Ervin Fundraising Campaign 

Written by Bobby Savulich

Olympic Gold Medalist, Anthony Ervin, created a fund raising campaign to support his travels around the globe to compete in the World Cup Circuit 2012. He will be representing the United States at stops in Dubai, Doha, Stockholm, Moscow, Berlin, Beijing, Tokyo, and Singapore. However, his expenses for this global tour are not covered in full. In an effort to fund his trip, he reaches out to his fan base to help raise $10,000.

After reading of Anthony’s efforts, I felt compelled to inspire our readers to help him by sharing my short, but impactful interactions with Anthony. Since Athlete Approved prides itself on supporting Olympic athletes, if you feel compelled to help Anthony like us, please do so.

I vividly remember watching swimming in the 2000 Olympic Games when I was 12 years old. Since the Olympics were in Australia, I recall fearing the trouble I would get into for staying up way past my bedtime to watch this race. When Anthony tied with Gary Hall Jr. for the gold medal in the 50 Freestyle, I was inspired and dreamed of racing at Anthony’s level. Luckily for me, I was granted that opportunity 12 years later at the 2012 Olympic Trials 100 Free Semi-Final.

When Anthony made his come back, my coach Mike Bottom was sure that he would make the team. Mike coached Anthony in 2000 and told me stories about how talented and special he was. I quickly realized this for myself after meeting him throughout the Grand Prix Series. He was extremely humble and personable.

After advancing through the heats (the top 16 swimmers) of the 100 Freestyle at the US Olympic Trials, I was due to swim in lane 8. By chance, Anthony was next to me in lane 7. You always hear stories about interactions that may seem insignificant, but greatly impact someone. This is one of those stories about my interactions with Anthony Ervin!

Sitting in the ready room, Anthony took the time not to psych me out or intimidate me, but talked to me as his peer. I was sitting in the ready-room with the likes of Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Ricky Bernes, Jason Lezak, David Walters, and Scot Robison; 6 out of the 7 other people in my heat were not only Olympians, but also Olympic Gold Medalist! Anthony’s short interaction with me calmed me down and helped me enjoy this special experience.

In the end, I ended up coming in last place with Anthony coming in second to last, touching me out by .01! However, that is not the important part of the story! I was able to walk away from my last race next to someone I admired since I was 12 years old. Since I was able to approach that race relaxed and enjoying the moment, I can walk away from the sport knowing my last race (even though I got 8th) was nothing else but an amazing experience.

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Bobby is the Aquatics Director at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. He works with beginner to advanced level swimmers. He has developed a variety of swim programs for children and adults that includes learn-to-swim, competitive, and masters.

In masters swimming, he is the Head Coach of the 2023 USMS National Championship team and won 3 individual masters national titles.

He is the Race Director of the world famous Trans Tahoe Relay, which is an 11 mile race across Lake Tahoe with over 1200 participants.

At The University of Michigan, Bobby was a 6x NCAA All-American and a 13x Big Ten Champion. He also won a Short Course National Championship. He was named captain his senior year and was a member of two Big Ten Championship teams.

On the international level, in Bobby was a member of the United States Junior Pan Pacific team. He swam at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China, winning a gold medal as anchor of the 4X100 Freestyle Relay. He also represented the United States as a member of the Pan Am team, winning two silver medals.