By Charlotte Wells on SwimSwam
John Manison, the founder of the non-profit swim school Stride Aquatics, died in September at the age of 32. Manison was an active member of the swimming community for many years, starting as a teenager, and dedicated himself to giving back to others through his role as a swim coach and his non-profit.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1993, Manison moved to North East, Pennsylvania, with his family as a child. Growing up, he participated in an array of sports, including skiing and baseball, but did not express interest in aquatic sports until he was nearing the end of high school.
In 2009, Manison was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological condition that occurs when a section of the spinal cord becomes inflamed on both sides. The resulting damage can have long-term impacts such as pain, muscle weakness, or, as with Manison, paralysis.
At the age of 16, Manison was paralyzed from the waist down and lost the use of his legs. It was a long road to recovery, as it took six years of physical therapy before he was able to walk fully again.
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Manison began swimming as part of his rehabilitation at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute shortly after being diagnosed with transverse myelitis. During his senior year at North East High School, he joined the swim team and competed for former head coach Bill Mackin for the 2011-2012 season. The two of them even came up with a nickname for Manison: the “cripple threat”, which Manison embraced as he became an integral part of the team.
Manison was one of three athletes who were honored as inspirational athletes as part of the Erie Times-News’ Varsity Cup awards in 2012.
After graduating high school and wrapping up his rehab at Kennedy Krieger, Manison headed west to Los Angeles to pursue acting. While there, he was featured in several episodes of different crime shows and had a role on Glee, but swimming never stopped being a priority for him.
Manison helped coach swimming at Sierra Canyon, a private school in Chatsworth, California, and in 2015 he founded Sailfish Swim Club, which aimed to make swimming accessible for both able-bodied athletes and para-athletes.
The club grew over the years, eventually becoming the Sailfish Swim School and offering a flexible teaching model customized for every swimmer.
In 2024, Manison transformed the organization again and created STRIDE Aquatics, a non-profit swimming school. The school is committed to breaking physical and financial barriers in swimming education and offers swim lessons for all students regardless of their physical ability or income level. The organization now has four locations around the United States.
After ten years in Los Angeles, Manison moved to North Carolina and began coaching for Durham Academy while still running STRIDE. He also owned Apex Tutors, an online tutoring company based in Los Angeles.
Manison was baptized as an adult in North Carolina and did his best to always give back to other people. Outside of his work in the community, he loved outdoor activities like hunting and fishing, going to concerts, watching movies, reading and spending time with his friends and his two dogs.
Manison is survived by his fiancée, Kayla; two surrogate kids, Cash and Logan, whom he took under his wing upon meeting; his sister, Jessey; his parents, John and Shelley; his maternal grandparents and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A funeral service was held in North East on Oct. 10, followed by another visitation and memorial service at Durham Academy on Nov. 1.
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