A CALL TO FAME PIERCES
STAR'S WORLD OF SILENCE
BY JEAN SHARLEY
Free Press Staff Writer
The silent world in which Fred Savinsky lives and dreams is
singing
for him now - and the dreams are of gold medals.
The 15-year-old swimmer from the Cousino High School in
Warren was chosen
in October as a candidate for a spot on the United States squad for the
10th International Games for the Deaf to be held in Washington, D.C. in
June, 1965.
He is an entrant for the 100-meter, 400-meter and
1,500-meter freestyle,
for the 200-meter butterfly and for two relay competitions. The three
young
men chosen for the U.S. team will compete against deaf athletes from 25
other countries.
* * *
IN THE FITZGERALD High School pool, in Warren, Mich.,
Savinsky recently
swam the 200-meter butterfly in 2:20 minutes - the best for any young
athlete
in the country, his coach, John Wieck, believes.
"He'll improve his time before June." said Wieck. "He'd had
a long layoff
last summer and lost all of September as well."
Wieck, Fitzgerald coach for nine years and summer swim coach
at the
Birmingham Athletic Club, also coached Ron Morris, the young Birmingham
diver who won the gold medal for diving in the 1961 Deaf Olympics in
Helsinki,
Finland.
* * *
SAVINSKY, who began swimming at 7, has 128 trophies-all won
in competition
with non-handicapped youngsters. "He may be ahead of the other deaf
swimmers
because he's working out with high school swimmers with full hearing,"
Wieck said.
Savinsky, the younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Savinsky, of
11708 Canterbury
Drive, in Warren, lost his hearing from an ear infection shortly after
birth.
"He's always been cheerful," his mother said. "He accepts
his handicap
without bitterness: he likes being with people.
* * *
"HE STARTED swimming at Nolan Elementary School and seemed
to be a natural.
The minute he gets home from school, I drive him over for a two-hour
workout.
We heard that the Olympics would be held in the United States for the
first
time and sent for an application."
On June 15, the training period for the meet will be held at
Gallaudet
College, in Washington, the world's only college for the deaf. During
the
two weeks, the three starters for the men's swim team will be
chosen.
The final competition will involve 700 athletes. In 1961,
Russia and
Germany each won 68 medals, the United States, 66. But the United
States
won 36 gold medals compared to 26 for Russia and 24 for Germany.
* * *
IN TRYING to achieve Olympic form, Savinsky has problems. He
cannot
hear the coach's instructions, cannot pace himself by the sounds of
swimmers
behind him. Although he lip-reads, he often has difficulty
understanding
and speaking.
"But he has an excellent attitude," Wieck said. "He's
inspired every
kid here. They know what he's training for and when he goes to
Washington
everybody will be pulling for him."
|