ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) - Hannah Kastigar has a goal, and it’s not a small one.
The Aberdeen native, a former national champion, a multiple-time All-American whose name litters more than a couple record books, has Olympic-level aspirations.
Literally.
Kastigar will make her way to Omaha, Nebraska., this summer to compete in her third Olympic swim trials, with the goal of qualifying for the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo.
And Aberdeen can help her get there.
That’s the idea behind a group of area businessmen who have come together to launch a fundraising campaign to help sponsor Kastigar as she trains for both the trials and the Olympics.
“It’s been one of those things I’ve been kicking around in my head,” said one of those men, Lloyd Hodgin of Aberdeen. “I thought, ‘It’d be really neat if there was a way to help out.’”
Hodgin noted that most Olympic hopefuls have one main sponsor that helps with the living, travel and competition expenses leading up to the Olympics. But he had a different idea in mind.
“It occurred to me that there ought to be a way for the whole town to adopt her,” he told the Aberdeen American News.
Hodgin, who has known the Kastigar family since well before swimming came into the picture, said getting a few big sponsors might do the trick. But getting the whole town involved? Well, there’s a way for the whole town to go along for the ride, because, frankly, Olympic hopefuls don’t come along every day.
Thus began a grassroots effort to raise funds for Kastigar, who is currently training in Phoenix.
Kastigar, who has been in Phoenix since the beginning of September, outlined her training schedule on most days, and it’s a full one.
Mornings are spent at the gym doing weight-lifting or dry land training. From there, she heads to the pool for about two to two and a half hours of constant motion.
“There’s not a whole lot of break between sets,” Kastigar said. “It’s pretty much straight swimming most days.”
By the time she’s done in the pool and gets back home, it’s close to 6 p.m. most days. Evenings are spent doing all the other little things that come along with training, like finding and entering meets - “Racing is a part of training,” Kastigar said - and a host of other tasks.
That leaves little or no time to find employment.
Which leads back to Hodgin’s fundraising idea. What if, he thought, Aberdeen could support Kastigar, not just in terms of financial support, but also emotionally? If Hannah knows her hometown is cheering her on, there’s some incentive there.
He approached Kastigar, who was both open to and grateful for the efforts.
“Lloyd has done so much for me out of the kindness of his heart to get Aberdeen behind me,” Kastigar said. “I’m so grateful. Aberdeen has always been behind me in everything I’ve done. They’ve watched me grow through all my competitions and been there for me. It’s nice to have that continued support.”
That support is especially appreciated after Kastigar’s original training plan sort of imploded when she got to Phoenix. She was originally slated to train side by side with the seventh-place finisher in the 400-meter individual medley at the last summer Olympics, but as soon as she got to Arizona, the pro team there dispersed.
Needing a new plan, Kastigar joined up with a masters group, but without anyone to push her, her training wasn’t progressing as she hoped.
She has a new group now and said she finally feels like she’s headed in the right direction.
“It’s definitely given me more training partners and pushing me more in practice,” she said. “Definitely some higher-quality training.”
Kastigar is entered in a meet in Wisconsin around mid-March, with other racing opportunities possible between March and the trials in June.
“I’m excited to see what my new training has done for me,” she said.
Anyone wishing to contribute to Kastigar’s Olympic journey or to keep up with her as she trains can do so at hannahkastigar.com.
“I’m just so thankful to everyone who helps me out,” she said. “Even if you can’t contribute financially, just watching and cheering me on, that means the world to me, too.”
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