‘We’re saving lives.’ UPS alumni, students unite to provide free swim lessons
In North Tacoma, Robert Jackson and Robert Moore are appropriately known as “The Bob Squad.”
Graduates of the University of Puget Sound in 1982, the former roommates starred on the swim team and etched their names in program record books. Jackson’s all-time mark in the 100-yard breaststroke still stands today, the only NCAA Division-II athlete to earn first-team All-American honors in both swimming and football.
Together, they spearheaded the fundraising campaign that built new swim and dive facilities at Puget Sound in 2016. And their new mission? Keeping local children water-safe.
This week, Jackson and Moore united the UPS swim team with No More Under, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization “dedicated to saving lives through water safety education,” providing free swim lessons to 60 local children. They raised $4,200 in alumni contributions and donated money from their own pockets, allowing families to attend the weeklong course at no cost.
It’s The Bob Squad’s second year hosting the event. Last spring, some 30 children showed. Participation has nearly doubled this year — with a waitlist.
“It’s an awesome experience,” Jackson said. “It’s here at UPS. It’s involving swimming. It’s kids, it’s water safety. It’s all the things that, for us, are important.”
So how did all of it come to fruition? Moore swims regularly with Seattle Prep girls swim and dive program head Kirsti Rochon, who serves on No More Under’s board of directors. When she suggested UPS as a potential host for lessons, Moore turned to UPS head swim coach Jay Daniels.
“(The team’s) going to be heading into finals here very quickly. They’re super busy,” Moore said of the Loggers swim program. “It’s a big chunk of commitment. It’s like three hours a night for a full week, a busy time of year.
“And Jay said, ‘Absolutely.’ He was all over it.”
Thirty college students from the UPS swim team signed up to volunteer this spring. Event leaders begin each session with a daily agenda and reconvene with parents an hour later, all while teaching the importance of water safety to roughly five dozen Tacoma children.
“It’s fun to do this because you see the joy on the kids’ faces,” Moore said. “The parents really appreciate the time that they get with the coaches.
“It’s one of those rare win-win-win-win situations.”
NO MORE UNDER
Chezik Tsunoda founded No More Under following the tragic, accidental drowning of her three-year-old son, Yori, in 2018. This year, the nonprofit plans to provide free swimming lessons to 1,500 children across five states.
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children aged 1-4 in the United States, the CDC says. Nearly 4,000 people drown nationwide each year, a figure that disproportionately affects people of color.
No More Under aimed to pair college swimming programs alongside communities with at-risk children. A trial began at the University of Denver three years ago, and the nonprofit added seven more schools last year.
Moore and Rochon partnered with No More Under program director Natasha Lloyd to bring free swim lessons to the South Sound. On day one, some children were scared to enter the water. By week’s end, several had jumped in on their own.
“The kids walk in… and they get goggles and a cap,” Moore said. “This is the 10th year of this pool. We ran the alumni effort for the building of this pool, as well. We always wanted this to be used for the community, because it’s such a great facility.
“This is really a fulfillment, and part of our vision going back 10 or 12 years ago.”
“WE’RE SAVING LIVES”
When Wednesday’s session began inside the UPS Aquatics Center, Emory Burden and Amelia Mercado were front and center.
The Puget Sound swimmers were selected by Lloyd and their head coach to serve as team leaders — in charge of building curriculum and leading talks with families before and after lessons.
In Moore’s words, the college kids take over. Burden and Mercado trained all 30 student volunteers before the week began, hosting two daily sessions from Monday through Friday while overseeing daily operations.
When freshman instructor Anthony Sampson learned one of his students was deaf, he taught himself the basics of sign language.
“It gives you hope for the next generation,” Moore said. “Sometimes, you can’t believe what you’re hearing in the news and then you see these kids working with the younger kids. It’s just great.”
Burden, a junior, taught group and individual swim lessons in high school. It’s his first year volunteering with No More Under.
“Most of them are always super happy,” he said. “They get cold sometimes, and then the instructors get them moving and then they’re back in action and they’re having fun.
“It’s fun seeing them learn something new, have it be fun for them, and potentially help them in the future.”
Mercado teamed up with The Bob Squad in 2025, bringing free lessons down Interstate 5.
It’s her mission to give back.
“We trained so much in this pool,” Mercado said. “To put it to such great use with so many kids… It sounds dramatic, (but) we always say we’re saving lives because these skills could definitely save these kids’ lives.”
