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Competitive swimming is an individual sport, George Sushkoff says. But to win, it requires teamwork and collaboration. Like fighting cancer.

On Saturday, Aug. 26, Sushkoff, a lifelong competitive swimmer and cancer survivor, will participate in the fifth annual Swim Across America Richmond event, a one-mile swim to help #MakeWavesAgainstCancer by raising money for cancer research at VCU Massey Cancer Center. It’s an event Sushkoff has participated in in the past. But this year, it’s personal.

Massey sat down with Sushkoff to talk about how lessons he’s learned over his swimming career have helped him to win — not only races but, he hopes his fight against cancer as well.

An individual sport but a team effort – like fighting cancer

George Sushkoff knows what it takes to excel in the sport of swimming – and in life.

The former Division 1 collegiate swimmer and high school coach values self-discipline, hard work as critical to success in competitive swimming. But the key to winning, he’ll say, is teamwork.

“It’s important to surround yourself with others who you can count on to encourage and push you to be better,” he said. “And to lift you up when you need that, too.”

At age 58, Sushkoff still participates in (and often wins) competitive pool and open water races hosted by U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS). He swims with a USMS training group in Midlothian called Team River City, and he says training and competing with a club is important to better your swimming and to build camaraderie that contributes to success.

This was never more important than earlier this year when Sushkoff was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer.

Immediately, his teammates sprung into action, using connections they had in the swimming community to put Sushkoff in touch with experts at VCU Massey Cancer Center.

Now, as Sushkoff undergoes a rigorous treatment schedule for his cancer, he’s continuing to swim and is training for the fifth annual Swim Across America event at Quest Swimming in Midlothian on Saturday, Aug. 26. He’ll swim one mile to raise money for cancer research at Massey.

It will be his most important swim yet. For Sushkoff, it’s personal.

Through it all, Sushkoff’s teammates have stood by him, raising funds and awareness for cancer research in his honor. Team River City currently sits atop the Swim Across America Richmond fundraising leaderboard, having raised over $30,000 this year and nearly $70,000 as a team over the past three years.

The power of teamwork

As a native of Southern California, Sushkoff grew up on the water, swimming, water skiing, snorkeling and body surfing. He dabbled in a number of sports as a kid, but it was swimming that stuck. “It was the first sport I tried that I was able to have immediate success in,” he said. “There’s just something about it.”

That success would carry into high school, where Sushkoff developed a specialization in freestyle and distance swimming. Recruited to swim Division 1 at The University of Utah, he was part of teams that were crowned conference champions and reached the top 25 college programs in the nation. Sushkoff’s love of the sport led him to a role as coach of a high school swim team, where he instilled these same ideals of sportsmanship and teamwork into his young swimmers.

Team River City teammates celebrate completing Swim Across America Richmond benefitting Massey.

Going the distance

For Sushkoff, going the distance in swimming – and in life – is not something he does alone.

Distance and open water swim events can range from a mile to the Olympics marathon swim’s 10K (6.2 mile) distance and beyond.

Sushkoff’s first open water distance swim in Virginia was the Jack King One Mile Ocean Swim in Virginia Beach, a race he has competed in and won a number of times since 1997. He won the 2022 Lake Moomaw 1-Mile Open Water Swim, outswimming all other competitors including the second-place finisher, who was a current competitive collegiate swimmer. “I was well ahead of her at the turn to the finish,” he remembered. “I was pretty proud of that result.”

Sushkoff’s proudest personal swimming accomplishment to date, he says, though, is finishing the Swim the Suck, a 10-mile, open water course that twists and turns through the steep canyon walls of the protected Tennessee River Gorge. By his side were two of his Team River City friends – one of them a fellow cancer survivor.

“Being part of a training group with coaches there to write the workouts and provide feedback, and where you can build camaraderie with teammates, is great,” he said. “For me, it’s more than a swimming club. It’s become a family.”

That family is battling alongside him against cancer too.

Within 24 hours of Sushkoff’s diagnosis, his friend and teammate Erica Burgess had reached out to Swim Across America and connected him with Massey, Sushkoff said.

“The Massey team immediately swung into action. They called me the next day, saying, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do for you.’” he said.

That set into motion a collaborative, team approach to determine an optimal course of treatment.

On Sushkoff’s newfound medical care team fighting with, and for him, was Khalid Matin, M.D., FACP, a medical oncologist and colorectal cancer specialist at Massey, who was recently appointed to lead Massey’s global oncology efforts.

Matin and his clinical team offered to review Sushkoff’s current scans and conduct additional tests of their own. They consulted with doctors within and outside of Massey, ultimately revising Sushkoff’s original diagnosis of a stage 1 colon cancer to stage 2, which was critical to knowing how to design the best treatment plan for Sushkoff.

“Every member of the Massey team, from Dr. Matin to the nurse navigators, was generally interested in my situation,” Sushkoff said. “I can tell they all genuinely cared about me.”

“It’s a privilege to be part of a team that shares information and expertise to best help patients, like George, who are facing the challenges of a cancer diagnosis,” Matin said. “We all have one shared goal: to offer our patients the best and most up-to-date treatments available to help them not only survive, but to thrive despite a cancer diagnosis.”

Massey doctor, Khalid Matin, M.D. (left), receiving a check from Swim Across America, with Charmica Epps Harris, then director of annual giving at Massey, and Jay Peluso, event director, at Swim Across America Richmond 2021.

Sushkoff is currently undergoing a strict treatment regimen that includes bi-weekly infusions, and he has a pump to deliver another medication for two days at home. He just completed his fourth round of treatment and expects to be done by May 2024.

“It’s a long road,” he said, but added that knowing so many doctors came together to determine his best course of treatment is comforting. “I am forever grateful to be part of Team Massey.”

Importance of cancer screenings

Sushkoff and his family and friends are grateful he kept up-to-date with his cancer screenings, which enabled doctors to find his cancer at an early, and more treatable, stage.

In the midst of it all, Sushkoff is continuing to stay active, swimming and exercising with his training group.

“I’m trying to keep things as normal as possible, but I need to be smart,” he said.

He has adjusted his swim schedules around his treatment to avoid unnecessary risks, like potential bacteria that could enter his body through his port.

“I have a Mantra,” Sushkoff said. “If the needle’s not in, I can swim.”

When not swimming, Sushkoff still meets up with his training team to run or walk together, or he’ll kayak alongside his teammates as they swim.

With one in three women and one in two men diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime – and the resulting impacts on their friends and family – cancer impacts every one.

That’s evident when you hear from Sushkoff’s Swim Across America teammates.

Burgess started the team in 2020 and enlisted Suskoff to join before his diagnosis. Burgess’ father and mother are both cancer survivors, and her cousin’s wife is currently battling a rare bile duct cancer. John Vivadelli is raising money in memory of his sister, a 25-year-old neighbor and a lifelong friend all of whom all passed from cancer, and to honor his friend’s wife who is a current cancer warrior. Teammates Spencer Spevak and Andy Grayson are swimming in memory of a grandfather and a mother, respectively. Marty Hammer is himself a cancer survivor, like Sushkoff.

“These are just great, great people,” Sushkoff said of his friends and teammates. “They have always supported and pushed me to be better in the sport – and now, in fighting cancer.”

George Sushkoff (back, center) and members of his training and fundraising team, at the Swim Across America open water event in 2022.

Swim Across America - Richmond #Makingwavesagainstcancer

On Saturday, Aug. 26, Sushkoff and his team will participate in a one-mile swim, culminating months of raising funds and awareness about cancer research at Massey, at the 2023 Swim Across America Richmond event.

Swim Across America hosts swim events all across the U.S. – from Sushkoff’s native Southern California to Maine and everywhere in between – and have raised more than $100 million since its founding in 1987. The Richmond event alone has earned more than $250,000 for cancer research at Massey since 2018 – not including money already raised in 2023. Sushkoff’s team alone has raised more than $70,000 for Massey.

The Richmond event this year is a pool swim at Quest Swimming in Midlothian – that seeks to raise $200,000 this year. It is open to swimmers of all ages and abilities, including families and kids, who can join in the fun with options to swim as many laps as possible or even float on giant inflatables (picture a giant pink flamingo or yellow rubber ducks) in a designated float lane.

Participants in the 2022 Swim Across America Richmond event donned crazy wigs to honor those fighting cancer. The act was inspired by Richmond race director, Jay Peluso, and his sister who is a cancer survivor.

The family-friendly pool event features live music, fun-and-games, food and refreshments, and swimming legend and three-time NCAA champion and record-holder, Gretchen Walsh, who swims for the University of Virginia, will be there.

We’re all swimming to make waves against cancer.
- George Sushkoff, Team River City

Sushkoff’s Team River City sits atop the SAA Richmond leaderboard having already exceeded their $30,000 fundraising goal.

Sushkoff credits all his team members for their successful fundraising, noting that Burgess, for one, is especially tough to compete with.

“I wish I could keep up with Erica on fundraising. I can beat her in the pool but not in fundraising,” Sushkoff quipped.

“We’re all swimming to make waves against cancer,” Sushkoff said. “We’re going to hit our team’s goal, but we hope others will raise even more. The more we raise is a win for us all.”

At the end of the day, the real winners are the patients like Sushkoff, who benefit from the work of Massey’s researchers and scientists whose advances in the lab rely on philanthropic support and the generosity of donors. Nearly a quarter of Massey’s annual operating budget — 23% in FY21 and 21% in FY22 — comes from philanthropy.

For Sushkoff, the fight against cancer is one race he intends to win – and he’s got a team behind him to get it done.

About Swim Across America – Richmond

Fundraising through events like Swim Across America fuels research and innovation in the fight against cancer – one lap, one raised dollar at a time. Funds raised through the Aug. 26 event in Richmond will help Massey scientists and researchers build cancer prevention programs and advance research through clinical trials that can deliver the newest and most effective treatments to cancer patients before they are widely available.

Visit www.swimacrossamerica.org/Richmond to learn more and to register for the Aug. 26 Swim Across America Richmond pool swim event. Join or support George Sushkoff and Team River City, by searching for “Team River City” or “George Sushkoff.”

Written by: Katherine Layton