PALATINE, ILLINOIS - APRIL 28, 2007 -- Roselle high school freshman Will Landgren has recently earned a spot on the U.S. Deaf Swim Team which will represent his country at the 2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships in Taipei, Taiwan this August. 

 

Landgren (15) has been swimming competitively for six years and has been with the Palatine Park District Tigersharks Swim Team for the last three years.  The Tigersharks is one of the area’s top swim clubs with more than 260 swimmers ranging from age 7 through college ages.

 

He attends Conant High School as a freshman in Hoffman Estates where he stepped in right away as one of the top members on the school’s swim team.   Landgren uses a sign language interpreter for his classes, the high school swim team, and the Tigersharks swim club.  He also plays for Conant’s freshman baseball team.

 

“I am extremely excited to help lead this team into Taiwan.  We have an incredible core of young swimmers who are only going to continue to improve.”  Said Bill Snape,   the head coach of the Deaf national team.  Snape is also the head swimming coach at Gallaudet University in Washington DC.

 

“Will is an incredibly dedicated and motivated individual.  His continual success is a testament to the work ethic and focus he displays everyday.”  Said Andy Rose,  Head Coach for the Palatine Tigersharks.  “I can not think of a more deserving individual than Will to represent the Tigersharks and the United States at the 2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships.”

 

The other challenge besides the intense training for the world championship meet is the cost.  Although a member of USA Swimming, United States Deaf Swimming, and the USA Deaf Sports Federation, the burden of cost for training and international competition is entirely his.  The USA Deaf Sports Federation, an affiliate national governing body of the USOC, is not a USOC funded entity.  While able-bodied and paralympic athletes receive training and travel funds, deaf athletes do not.  Projected cost per athlete for World Deaf Swimming Championships is $6,000 and projected training cost per athlete is $1,500.