Alumni Profile: John Waldman '80

John Waldman ’80 was inducted into the Hebron Academy Athletic Hall of Fame this fall. He was an All-American swimmer at Hebron and went on to continue his success at Indiana University where he again earned All-American honors and qualified for the Olympic trials. After graduation, he went on to set a number of Master’s Records that stood for decades. In 1987, John founded the company Fluid Mechanics. Fluid Mechanics is an athletic consulting company that takes a unique visual approach to help swimmers develop, achieve and exceed their goals. Fluid Mechanics creates a custom “track” for each swimmer using a visual system for learning, called FM VisionWorksTM, which is the world’s first program to use life-like avatars to teach the science of swimming. Swimmers involved with the company have competed in every major international competition including the Olympics, World Championships and World Games. 

In John’s Hall of Fame induction speech he shared his appreciation for the opportunities that Hebron presented for him. After explaining that he graduated 45th academically in a class of 47 students, his heartfelt tribute to Jack Suitor ‘62  resonated with the audience. Jack told him, ”We need more students like you at Hebron.” John Waldman recounted that he didn’t believe him at first, but when Jack explained about the importance of character, it meant the world to John. The accompanying photo shows John with his wife Lucy, oldest daughter Le Le and youngest Ciana on a trip to Monhegan Island to celebrate John’s 60th birthday!