Women's History Wednesday Profile: Summer Sanders
Summer Sanders first started swimming at 18 months old. She didn’t take to it at first, “I would hang onto the side of the pool for dear life … using my fingers to inch my way around the kidney-bean shape all day long” writes Sanders for The Cauldron, Sports Illustrated.
Sanders stuck it out to be like her biggest inspiration, her older brother. Although her brother “retired at the age of ten”, Summer went on to become an Olympic medalist with Team USA.
Team USA
Sanders first got attention from Team USA in 1988 when she was just shy of making Team USA leading up to the Seoul, Korea. The 15 year-old Sanders finished third in the 200-meter individual medley and missed the Olympic team by .27 of a second.
In 1989, Sanders placed second in the 200 individual medley at the 1989 Pan Pacific Games. At the 1991 pan Pacific Games, she won gold in the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly.
By the 1992 Barcelona games, Sanders would make Team USA and bring home four medals. Sanders won gold in the 200-meter butterfly, breaking an Olympic record with a time of 2:08.67. Summer also won gold in the 400-meter medley relay, silver in the 200-meter individual medley, and a bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley.
Stanford Years
Sanders swimming for the Cardinal. Photo Credit: Summer Sanders/Facebook
Summer Sanders went on to swim at Stanford University for two years before withdrawing from her NCAA eligibility. She ended her college career as a 12-time All-American, with 8 individual NCAA National Championship titles and two consecutive NCAA Swimmer of the Year honors. Sanders also won the Honda Sports Award for Swimming & Diving for the 1991-92 season. She helped win a National Title for Stanford in 1992.
“The Place Where Kids Do Cool Things”
Summer Sanders gets slimed during the last show of the first season of Figure It Out.
Anyone lucky enough to grow up in the early 1990’s probably remembers Sanders as the host of the Nickelodeon show “Figure It Out” game show. The show would film four shows a day, and Sanders emphasized the family and team aspect. In an interview with Bilaal Smith, Sanders recalls her time with the popular show, “Nickelodeon and Figure It Out hold a very special place in my heart. I feel very honored that I got to be in the lives of such a very cool generation of kids that are now out in the workforce … we touched the hearts of that generation of kids.”
Sanders also hosted shows on MTV and worked with NBA Inside Stuff. Sanders covered the 2012 Olympics for Yahoo!Sports, she currently works with the PAC-12 Network.
Sports Ambassador
Summer Sanders at The Big Red Ball fundraiser in 2015
Sanders has offered her celebrity to several initiatives throughout her career. In 1994, she joined Olympic Aid (now Right to Play) as an Athlete Ambassador. Right to Play provide opportunities for children to be children, while also impression life lessons, “We use play to engage kids in their education, to teach them health lessons and to show them how to build peaceful communities.”
In addition to attending annual events and fundraisers, Summer also promotes Right to Play in other ways. In 2010, she appeared on Celebrity Apprentice and raised $100,000 for Right to Play. In 2013, Sanders ran the Boston Marathon and raised an additional $10,000. Sanders has been a mainstay since the beginning of the organization, founded by Olympian Johann Olav Koss, “Why I love Right To Play is very simple. I got so much from sports; I learned so much about how to be a good person, upstanding person, teamwork, dealing with failure, dealing with success, and having so much fun” said Sanders. “As a mom of two kids, it’s my responsibility to show them these same things and to help children around the world have the opportunity to learn and grow through our programs.”
Sanders has also been vocal about her brush with skin cancer. After having two malignant moles removed, Sanders has gotten serious about her skin health. She has also been sure to share her story via social media, contributions to Sports Illustrated, and recent partnered with the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention for #DontFryDay.
Sanders strongly advocates for early detection and self-awareness. Additionally, she implores fellow parents and families to educate children on protecting their skin while enjoying play fun in the sun.
Follow Erica Ayala on Twitter @elindsay08
