He swims in Manassas to help a cause

Friday was a typical summer day at Stonewall Park Pool in Manassas.

Children were everywhere - splashing, laughing and cavorting in the hot summer sun. All the while a lone swimmer was celebrating his 50th birthday by chugging along in a roped-off lane, ears tuned into his waterproof mp3, focus-ing on the task at hand.

His name is Austin Haynes and his mission was simple: Finish at least 20 miles in 24 hours in an effort to raise $25,000 for a sprayground.

By mid-day, Haynes had already finished 7 1/2 miles in less than six hours and was feeling fine despite the 90-degree temperatures. He had a cooler full of bananas, grapes and energy gels and had just finished listening to 4 1/2 hours of Bruce Springsteen.

"I could use a steak," joked Haynes during a brief break.

A sprayground is a zero-depth pool that shoots water jets into the air. For the second straight year, Haynes swam to raise money for this popular amenity, which serves as a way to stay cool in many urban areas around the nation.

Last year, Haynes totaled 8 1/2 miles and raised $7,000 toward the $350,000 project. This year, his fundraising efforts are off to a good start. Several businesses have promised varying amounts of money for every lap and mile he finishes.

All in all, Haynes needs to swim 644 laps or 1,288 lanes in order to hit the 20-mile mark, a mark he's hoping to eclipse.

Haynes' inspiration came a few years ago when he was president of the Stonewall Pool swim team. One day he came to the pool and noticed a child in a wheelchair who couldn't even get into the baby pool with his friends.

And while the baby pool has since been renovated to accommodate the handicapped, that situation made a deep impression on Haynes.

"This was [Manassas Recreation & Parks Director] JoAnn Higgs' vision when I was chair person [of the Recreation & Parks Committee] and initially I was kind of against it, but I changed my mind," Haynes said.

Higgs said the only way the sprayground will be built is through a public/private partnership. According to Higgs, the city council made a motion to support the sprayground a few years ago but allocated its budget to renovate the pool, not the sprayground itself.

Wife Linda said her husband's quest to swim 20 miles in 24 hours doesn't seem that crazy knowing his charitable side and the commitment he has to the pool and the city. Haynes was the swim club's president for many years and is very active with his children's swimming careers.

Son Austin III swam for Osbourn High School three years ago, while daughter Nicole just finished an all-state campaign as a freshman at Brentsville High School.

" I joke that he volunteers for everyone in our family," Linda said. "He likes it and enjoys it, and he's a people person anyway."

"It's for a good cause and I appreciate that he's doing this for the city," added Stonewall Club swimmer Candy English, a family friend that was sunbathing at the pool on Friday.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.