JUST KEEP SWIMMING: HOW ONE U.S. PARALYMPIC MEDALIST PERSEVERES, FROM POOL TO SCHOOL TO WORKRetired U.S. Paralympic athlete and world champion swimmer Tucker Dupree shares his path of tenacity, and the drive that fueled his athletic achievements and career journey.

From Dupree’s Team USA.org profile: Dupree began swimming in 2004 and took up Para swimming in 2007 at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was diagnosed with Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy in October 2006 and lost most of his eyesight over the following six months. He won the 2011 Roger McCarville Male Athlete of the Year Award from the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame.

After accomplishing all he could in swimming, Tucker Dupree was ready to move on. What he did in his sporting career was important in setting him up for the next chapter of his life.

“I thought my success in the pool was going to translate into endless sponsorships, but I was wrong. While I did receive some amazing sponsorship opportunities, it wasn’t easy, and it was a lot of work to continue fostering those relationships. I learned a lot about building my personal brand and how to give value back to a sponsor,” said Dupree.

While he felt a university degree would be one key to his future, after graduating from high school in 2007, he took two years off from college to focus on the Paralympic Games London 2012. He took an additional three years to prepare for Rio 2016. Though it wasn’t the initial plan, what typically takes four years to complete, wound up taking nine.

“I probably would not have taken off school,” he laughed, when asked if he would have done anything differently during his sporting career. But he was able to complete his studies by taking online classes at DeVry University, which was in partnership with the United States Olympic Committee.

APPLYING HIS PASSIONAs a visually-impaired athlete, Dupree knew the importance of digital technology. He was also passionate about communications, driven largely by his presence as a Paralympian and motivational speaker. Both interests led to him working towards a Bachelor of Science in Communications.

During his sporting career, he was also marketing himself as an athlete and brand to help him secure top sponsors, skills which he used to transition into the corporate world. Ultimately, education, preparation, passion and hard work opened the next door.

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THE BUSINESS LANE“As much as we live in the bubble of ‘Oh this is a lot of fun and a lot of people think highly of you as an elite disabled athlete,’ that type of environment, while positive, is not as recognized in the rest of the world,” says Dupree.

“Outside of sport, unless you find a company that really understands what [being a Paralympian] entails, it doesn’t really hold a lot of value to them, which can be hard to hear if you haven’t put any preparation into your life after sport.

“We are people first and athletes second,” notes Dupree. “I see a lot of opportunities where athletes could start to prepare for life after sport and gain tangible business skills with the support of their federations.”

Tucker Dupree is a four-time Paralympic swimming medalist and two-time world champion. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native has competed in the 50-meter freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly at the Rio, London and Beijing Paralympic Games (not to mention two world championships), where he collected four and 16 medals, respectively. In his free time, he plays the piano, collects swim caps from his travels and spends time with his parents and sister. He is currently employed as a Digital Media Communications Coordinator at BP.

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