Community dives in to help family

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- For 16 years, Aaron Peirsol’s family has stood behind

him. On Sunday night, it was the community’s turn to show its support.

More than 100 friends, neighbors and acquaintances of the Olympic hopeful

dined at the Newport Beach Yacht Club to send his family to the Olympic

Games in Sydney, Australia, this summer.

“We just have to support any young person willing to give his all to

achieve his goal,” said Pat Lilijegren, a parent whose children swim for

Santa Margarita High School, Newport Harbor High School’s rival.

Aaron, a sophomore at Newport Harbor, holds the third-fastest time ever

in the 200-meter backstroke. His time is one second behind the holder of

the world record, Lenny Krazelburg of USC, making Aaron the

second-fastest in the world. And he is without a doubt the fastest for

his age.

“Over the last two years, he has been slowly but surely working his way

up the ranks to be in the top three in the country,” said Dave Salo,

Aaron’s coach at Irvine Nova. “This year he has become the solid number

two.”

In just 60 days, Aaron will travel to Indianapolis for the Olympic

trials. He will go up against the very best swimmers in the United

States, and only the top two will compete in Sydney.

With every confidence that Aaron will join the U.S. team, his parents,

Tim Hartig and Wella Peirsol, and his 14-year-old sister, Haylay, have

been searching for a way to go and cheer him on.

“I want them to go -- it’s something you want them to see,” Aaron said.

“I think it would be really nice to have them there.”

For his parents and sister, whose individual medley time is only two

seconds off Olympic trial times, it is extremely important to be there to

support him.

“It’s a long way away from home,” Hartig said. “It’s significant. And

we’re also dealing with the youngest person who’d be there.”

Although they would have a place to stay with friends of friends, plane

tickets were $1,700 apiece.

So it was family friend Michele Mullen who decided a fund-raiser was in

order.

Mullen’s goal for the night was to raise at least the $5,000 for the

family’s tickets. Anything above that will help pay for Aaron’s expenses.

For instance, the 10-day trip to the Olympic trials will probably run

$15,000 for Aaron alone, Salo said.

So Mullen gathered donations -- gift certificates for hair cuts and

facials at Pazzaz, a one-year free membership to the Newport Beach Yacht

Club, a basketball signed by George Yardley even a free eye tuck from

Aaron’s uncle, Henry Bikhazi, a plastic surgeon.

Through ticket sales and donations from those unable to attend Sunday’s

event, Mullen had already collected $3,000. It was her hope that the

raffle and auctions would put them well beyond their goal.