SWIMMING FOR LIFE • IOWA

Every child safer.
Every swimmer stronger.
Every community better.

The Armbruster Swimming Foundation exists to expand access to swimming, strengthen water safety, and build a sustainable pathway from a child’s first lesson to lifelong participation and competitive excellence.

Help Us Grow Explore the Vision

PEOPLE • PURPOSE • A BRIGHTER TOMORROW

WATER SAFETYEDUCATIONEXCELLENCECOMMUNITY

OUR MISSION

Swimming is more than a sport.
It is a life skill, a community, and a pathway.

We believe every child should have the opportunity to become safer and more confident in the water, regardless of family income or background. We also believe Iowa can sustain a nationally respected swimming ecosystem—one that develops athletes, retains outstanding coaches, supports families, and creates opportunities for people to swim throughout their lives.

Save Lives

Expand access to high-quality learn-to-swim instruction and water-safety education, especially for families facing financial barriers.

Build Swimmers

Create a clear developmental pathway from first lessons through age-group, senior, collegiate, masters, and lifelong swimming.

Strengthen Community

Use swimming to build confidence, leadership, healthy habits, belonging, and durable connections across the Iowa City area.

WHY WATER SAFETY MATTERS

A skill learned in a pool can save a life anywhere.

Drowning is preventable. Formal swim instruction, attentive supervision, life jackets, and safer aquatic environments all reduce risk. The Foundation’s goal is not simply to teach strokes—it is to help children and families develop confidence, awareness, and safer habits around water.

Explore CDC water-safety guidance →

#1 Drowning is the leading cause of death for U.S. children ages 1–4.

Safer Formal swimming lessons can reduce drowning risk among children and young adults.

For all Water competency should not depend on a family’s ability to pay.

THE IOWA MODEL

A future built around Swimming for Life.

The Foundation’s vision is broader than operating a swim club. It is to help create an integrated, community-supported swimming model with a strong competitive program at its center—preserving the legacy and community built through IFLY while creating the flexibility and resources needed for the next generation.

START

Water Safety

Affordable lessons, scholarships, family education, and outreach.

DEVELOP

Age-Group Swimming

Skill development, teamwork, confidence, and a love of the sport.

EXCEL

Competitive Excellence

Stable coaching, strong training environments, and ambitious goals.

CONTINUE

Swimming for Life

Collegiate, post-graduate, masters, fitness, mentoring, and service.

COMPETITIVE SWIMMING • A FOUNDATION PROGRAM

Preserve the Flyers tradition.
Serve a broader mission.

Competitive swimming is one important part of the Armbruster Swimming Foundation’s broader mission. ASF will operate its USA Swimming competitive program as First Flyers Swim Club, carrying forward the Flyers tradition while placing the club within a community-focused nonprofit dedicated to swimming, water safety, education, access, and lifelong participation. The program will build on the community, competitive tradition, families, swimmers, coaches, and aquatic opportunities developed through IFLY.

The Armbruster Swimming Foundation remains the primary organization and public-facing mission. First Flyers is the name of the competitive club it operates—not the identity of the Foundation itself. ASF’s larger purpose is to improve water safety, expand swimming education and access, provide scholarships and community opportunities, support competitive excellence, and create pathways for swimming throughout life. Through that broader mission, the Foundation can also broaden water-safety programming, expand access, host larger events, support coaches, and create new opportunities for swimmers across ages and ability levels.

OUR NAME • OUR IOWA SWIMMING HERITAGE

A tradition of innovation in the water.

First Flyers Swim Club carries forward a swimming tradition with deep roots in Iowa. The Armbruster Swimming Foundation honors legendary University of Iowa coach David Armbruster, who led the Hawkeyes for more than four decades and became one of the sport’s great innovators. At Iowa, Armbruster and Hawkeye swimmer Jack Sieg helped develop what became the modern butterfly stroke—Armbruster pioneering the over-water arm recovery and Sieg developing the dolphin kick that ultimately became integral to the stroke.

That legacy reflects what ASF and First Flyers aspire to carry forward: innovation, teaching, competitive excellence, and a belief that swimming can change lives. We look to Iowa swimming’s remarkable past not simply to preserve it, but to inspire the next generation of swimmers, coaches, and leaders.

From water safety to competitive excellence. When Armbruster came to Iowa in 1916, teaching students to swim was among his important responsibilities. That history gives the Armbruster name special meaning for a Foundation whose mission begins with water safety and swimming education and extends through lifelong participation and competitive excellence.

SEEKING GROWTH

Build what our community needs next.

Growth should be purposeful: more access, stronger coaching, better opportunities, and a sustainable financial model. Philanthropy can accelerate that work without placing the full burden on swimmer dues.

Expand Learn-to-Swim

Develop scholarship-supported instruction and partnerships that reach children who may not otherwise have access to formal lessons.

Invest in Coaches

Build a compensation and professional-development model capable of attracting and retaining exceptional coaches.

Support Athletes

Create financial assistance, equipment support, travel opportunities, and programming that allow swimmers to pursue their potential.

Grow the Aquatic Community

Explore masters swimming, post-graduate training, clinics, community events, and partnerships that use Iowa’s aquatic resources more fully.

Build Meet Capacity

Support equipment and infrastructure that can help Iowa host larger, higher-quality meets and become a regional swimming destination.

Create Sustainability

Develop a balanced model of dues, philanthropy, grants, sponsorships, programming revenue, and community partnerships.

LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE

Meet the ASF Board.

The Armbruster Swimming Foundation is guided by leaders whose experience spans competitive swimming, coaching, USA Swimming, nonprofit governance, finance, law, medicine, organizational leadership, public recreation, aquatic facilities, University relationships, and swim-parent perspectives.

Professionally Coached. Parent Informed. Community Connected. Independently Governed.

Jon Landon

ASF Board Member • IFLY Parent • Former University of Iowa Swimmer

Jon is an attorney with Fredrikson & Byron, a four-year University of Iowa swimming letter winner, Masters swimmer, and current IFLY parent. He brings extensive experience advising nonprofit organizations, governance, organizational structure, transactions, strategic partnerships, and community leadership.

Jon has served on numerous nonprofit and community boards, including as a founding board member of two organizations. He served six years on the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation Board, including one year as Board Chair, and currently serves on the Greater Iowa City, Inc. Executive Council and the Johnson County Community Foundation Board. His combination of swimming, legal, nonprofit governance, community leadership, and IFLY family experience helps ASF build the organizational and partnership foundation for long-term success.

Steve Bird

ASF Board Member • Masters Swimmer • Former Collegiate Swimmer & Swim Parent

Steve was a four-year collegiate swimming letter winner at Valparaiso University, where he served as team captain and was recognized as team MVP. He remains a Masters swimmer and brings both swim-parent and public recreation experience to ASF.

Professionally, Steve has significant supply-chain and operational experience with University of Iowa Health Care. He has also served on the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission, including as Commission Chair. His background gives ASF valuable perspective at the intersection of swimming, organizational operations, public recreation, and community aquatic facilities.

Mark McGlaughlin

ASF Board Member • Former IFLY Swimmer • Collegiate Swimmer & Olympic Trials Qualifier

Mark grew up swimming for IFLY and Iowa City West High School before competing at North Carolina State University. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, competed nationally, continues as a Masters swimmer, and still holds several IFLY and State of Iowa swimming records.

Mark combines firsthand IFLY knowledge and elite swimming experience with financial and business expertise. His professional background with TrueNorth Companies adds an important analytical perspective as ASF develops a sustainable operating and financial model and strengthens connections with the broader swimming community.

Missy Ortman

Proposed ASF Board Member • IFLY Parent • USA Swimming Official • Former Swim Club Board President

Missy is a current IFLY parent, member of the IFLY Parent Advisory Committee, USA Swimming official, and former President of the Iowa City Eels Board of Directors. She brings direct experience with community swimming, club governance, volunteers, officials, parents, and coaches.

Professionally, Missy serves as Director of Nutrition & Food Services for the Clear Creek Amana Community School District. Her youth-serving operational experience, USA Swimming knowledge, and current family perspective will help ASF develop a professionally operated and family-informed swimming organization.

Marc Long

ASF Board Member • Former University of Iowa Head Coach • Former Hawkeye Swimmer • IFLY Founder

Marc is a former University of Iowa swimmer, 17-year Iowa head swimming and diving coach, former University aquatics director, and one of IFLY’s original founders. He brings exceptional institutional knowledge of Iowa swimming, coaching, facilities, and IFLY’s origins.

As an Iowa athlete, Marc was a six-time All-American, three-time Big Ten champion, NCAA finalist, team captain, and 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials participant. He later developed numerous All-Americans and NCAA qualifiers as a coach, helped design the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, and was inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

Alicia Gerke, MD, MBA

ASF Board Member • IFLY Parent • University Leader • Former Collegiate Athlete

Alicia is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa and Director of the Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. A former collegiate tennis player and current IFLY parent, she brings healthcare, academic leadership, athletics, and family perspective to ASF.

Alicia continues to compete regularly as an athlete. Her experience is especially valuable as ASF considers athlete development, health and safety, organizational accountability, University relationships, and the role lifelong sport can play in healthy communities.

Experienced Leadership. Deep Roots in Swimming. A Commitment to the Future.

Together, the Board brings the range of experience needed to preserve what the swimming community values while building a sustainable organization capable of serving swimmers, families, and the broader community for decades to come.

“The measure of success is not simply how fast our best swimmers go. It is how many lives we make safer, how many young people we help grow, and whether we leave a stronger swimming community for the next generation.”

THE ARMbruster SWIMMING FOUNDATION VISION

JOIN THE NEXT CHAPTER

Help us build a swimming community designed to last.

We are seeking families, alumni, coaches, community partners, businesses, and donors who believe in water safety, youth development, competitive excellence, and the lifelong value of swimming.

Donate to ASF Partner With Us Replace this email with the Foundation’s preferred contact address before launch.

OUR COMMITMENT

Mission-led. Community-supported. Built for the long term.

The Armbruster Swimming Foundation is organized as a charitable nonprofit to advance swimming, water safety, education, and community benefit. As the organization grows, we intend to pair ambitious programming with responsible governance, financial transparency, measurable impact, and strong partnerships.

Water-safety information on this site is informed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USA Swimming Foundation.

Every child safer.Every swimmer stronger.Every community better.

Swimming is more than a sport.It is a life skill, a community, and a pathway.