Sherwood swimmer Heather Denman can only vaguely recall her dad. It’s a shame. According to those who knew John Denman, few people were as magnetic.
He was athletic enough to star in two sportsat Wheaton High, trusted enough to room with the Baltimore Orioles’ prized farmhand, Cal Ripken, when they played together in the minor leagues, and handsome enough to work as a stand-in for actor Corbin Bernsen in the movie “Major League II.” But unfortunately, Denman also was unlucky enough to die of colon cancer at age 38, when his daughter was 4.
On thing John Denman passed on to Heather was athletic ability. Denman, a junior, is one of the best swimmers in the Washington area, on track for a scholarship to a major college program.
“Heather’s got great genes,” said Dan Haines, Denman’s coach at Flying Gull Aquatic Club in Fairland. “She’s a physically gifted athlete and she hates to lose. Put those two together and you’ve got the makings of a great swimmer.”
Last Saturday, Heather led the Sherwood girls to the Montgomery County Division II championship. This Saturday, at the Montgomery County Championships, Heather will defend her title in the 100 fly.
Heather’s best event, however, is the backstroke. At the county championships, she will vie with Richard Montgomery freshman Cara Chuang in a top-flight battle of national-level swimmers.
“A record will be broken,” said Heather. “I just can’t tell you who’s going to win.”
It’s a feeling with which Heather is familiar. At the Washington Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Championships last year, she swam the 100 breast in a meet record 56.77, only to finish second to Good Counsel’s Kelli Kyle (56.56).
“When you have someone pushing you, it makes you go faster,” said Heather. “That’s what you really want, great competition. That’s what I like most about swimming.”
Heather began swimming at age 8. Her mother, Eleni, a former cheerleader at Wheaton, took Heather to her first lesson and was shocked she could swim the length of the pool. Since then, it’s been all swimming for Heather, while brother Alex, a freshman at Sherwood, follows his biological father’s lead, playing football, basketball and lacrosse.
The Denmans’ athletic endeavors now are supported enthusiastically by step-father Lou Altobelli.
“To them, he’s simply their dad, not their step-dad,” said Eleni Altobelli. “And that’s really nice to see after what they went through at such a young age.”
Remembering Denman
» John Denman was a standout baseball and football player at Wheaton High.
» He played baseball at American University, was drafted in the eighth round, and roomed with Ripken as a member of the Charlotte Orioles in 1980.
» Cancer claimed the lives of three of John Denman’s relatives — a sister at age 39, a brother at age 52, and a nephew at age 34.
