Aimee Bobruk's ButteryFly Stroke: Local Singer Swims for SIMS

The Austin Chronicle Article Online
By Abby Johnston

Bobruk swims race to raise over $500 for Austin's SIMS Foundation.

The local singer set a $500 fundraising goal for the local foundation, which provides low-cost mental health services for local musicians. It was a counselor there that encouraged Bobruk to seek regular exercise. She’s used SIMS services for the last two years.... Bobruk, possessed of a quavering alto and this year’s breakthrough disc, joined a swim team early this summer. It meets mornings three times a week for an hour, during which she works on her flip-turns and does integral training. As with most outside activities for a musician, gigging sometimes gets in the way.

Aimee Bobruk hasn’t competed in a swim meet since her childhood in Huntsville, so she’s a little nervous. “I’ve definitely got butterflies,” she says. “It’s not like I expect to win anything, but it’s cool to swim for a cause.” Deep Eddy Pool (401 Deep Eddy Dr.) should feel equally refreshing tomorrow at 8am.

Saturday’s 12th annual Deep Eddy mile race benefits Us TOO International, Prostate Cancer Support, Education, Awareness & Advocacy. Meanwhile, Bobruk – say /ba.’brook/ – competes for SIMS. The local singer set a $500 fundraising goal for the local foundation, which provides low-cost mental health services for local musicians. It was a counselor there that encouraged Bobruk to seek regular exercise. She’s used SIMS services for the last two years.

“All I know is that when I’m mentally stressed about work or gigs or things I need to do to prepare for a tour, as soon as I get in the water and swim, everything’s dissipated and it’s all manageable,” says the singer. “There are no more mountains that I have to climb. They’ve all become rolling hills and valleys.”

Bobruk, possessed of a quavering alto and this year’s breakthrough disc, joined a swim team early this summer. It meets mornings three times a week for an hour, during which she works on her flip-turns and does integral training. As with most outside activities for a musician, gigging sometimes gets in the way.

“[Thursday] was the first time I’d swam in a week, and I timed myself. I still did better than I thought.”

Though swimming has added a sense of balance to her life, the athlete in her feels like this is the first time her hobby’s given back.

“Before I decided to enter the race and do it on behalf of another organization, it felt self-centered. Then, when I was in the water, I was thinking about my friends that are musicians and their stories with health issues. It felt good to swim for someone other than myself.”

Bobruk accepts donations on her Indie GoGo page through next Saturday, well after tomorrow’s race is done. At the time of this writing, she’s just $3 over her goal.