The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Vanderkaay said. "To do it in my final NCAA was really special for me." Vanderkaay's feats were not limited to Michigan, though. Following the conclusion of his sophomore season, he earned his first trip to the Summer Olympics and would help Team USA triumph in the 800-meter freestyle re- lay, garnering a gold medal. "My goal was just to find a way to get on the team," he said. "Didn't mat- ter what event, or how, I just wanted to be an Olympian. "The top two swimmers in each event qualify and I placed third in the 400 free on the first day so I missed by one spot. But in the 200 free, because it's also a relay event, they take the top six, and I knew that was my best chance. I finished third and punched my ticket. "It was a total whirlwind experience. I had no idea what to expect. I was just along for the ride, and then the race was so exciting. We were the un- derdogs to Australia, who beat us in 2000, so there was a rivalry, and a lot of intensity to that event. "I look back and the Games changed my life." Vanderkaay swam at two more Olympic Games, winning gold in the 800-meter relay again in 2008. That year, he also took bronze in the 200-me- ter freestyle in Beijing, and later earned a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Games. "I never encountered anyone that said, 'You're a one-hit wonder,' or 'You're just a relay guy,' but I kind of wanted to stand up there by myself and see what that felt like," he said. "I had that opportunity twice, and am very thankful I was able to place as an individual. "I am really proud of those two medals." At the conclusion of the 2012 Olym- pics, Vanderkaay, then 28 years old, announced his retirement, looking for new endeavors. Two years earlier, he and his family had joined forces with YMCA Detroit SWIMS — an organiza- tion that seeks to provide swimming instruction in a city in which seven of 10 children cannot swim. "I'm a spokesman, a fundraiser, an advocate in anyway that I can be," Vanderkaay said. "My mom does a lot of the administrative stuff behind the scenes and she also teaches some of the lessons. "For me, I want kids to be water safe. As a competitive swimmer, it's been a big part of my life, and I can't imagine being a kid in Michigan and not being able to go to the pool or the beach to enjoy the great resources we have in this state because you can't swim. "So it's a safety issue for me, and then the more kids that learn how to swim, the more they can enjoy our lakes and pools." Vanderkaay's work with the organi- zation furthers a legacy taught to him by coaches and mentors to be more than just a great swimmer. In the pool, his legacy is one that echoes off the walls of Canham Natatorium — sim- ply put, Vanderkaay is one of U-M's all-time best. "In terms of elite swimming, Peter was the total package," Bowman said. "He had the physical attributes, the