June 18, 2009

Reprinted with permission from the June 2009 issue of Northern Connection Magazine.

Diving into a Healthy Lifestyle with Local Swimmer Ronald Gainsford
By Paula Green

Move over Michael Phelps, we have our own local swimming legend. He first surfaced in our magazine eight years ago. In the Winter 2001 Issue of Northern Connection magazine, I had the pleasure of writing my first Mover & Shaker of the Month column. The gentleman that I wrote about is Ross Township resident Ronald Gainsford. We also featured this healthy, active senior on our Sept. 2001 cover.
Today, he is still a newsmaker, so we decided to update you on his latest accomplishments. In December 1994, Gainsford underwent a heart transplant at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). This life-saving operation was a necessity for Gainsford, since his heart was severely damaged due to a heart attack he suffered in 1989.
After his operation and while he was on the road to recovery, he began an extensive rehabilitation program. "For my rehab, I started off by walking, then I worked my way into bicycling and then I moved onto swimming," Gainsford said.
Getting back into the water for therapeutic purposes helped him to regain his competitive drive; he trained diligently for an entire year. In 2000, Gainsford began swimming again competitively with the United States Masters, an adult swimming group for ages 70-74.
That same year, he garnered numerous accolades for his aquatic sportsmanship on a national level as well as at World Masters Swimming Championship in Munich, Germany.
In July 2008, he won four gold medals at the National Transplant Games held at Carnegie Mellon University. "There were over 2,000 people who participated in the transplant games. I was the oldest swimmer in the competition. Additionally, I was the longest surviving heart transplant recipient," Gainsford said.
Gainsford's swimming accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. In 2006, he was inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He was selected into the Hall of Fame for being a champion high school and college swimmer. He was also a state champion while a sophomore at Schenley High School.
From 1952-1954 he was also an All-American swimmer at the University of Pittsburgh. After he graduated from college, Gainsford was hired as the head swimming coach for the University of West Virginia. He maintained that position from 1956-1959, then he went on to become a middle school gym teacher in the city of Pittsburgh.
Gainsford ran a scuba shop in the Bellevue area for 15 years. He has spent many years in training trying to keep physically fit. In the summer he works out at North Park swimming pool and during the winter, he trains at the Sewickley YMCA.
This agile heart transplant recipient will turn 80 this August. I am sure there are some of us could probably learn a few pointers from him on being healthy and physically fit.