Lisa Marie Elsener

The sport of swimming began the first of many for Lisa. When she swam her first race at 8 years old, she had no idea what she was getting herself into and that one day she would be an Olympic champion.

Lisa has a learning disability, which causes her to be a little slower (mentally) than others and takes her a little longer to do a certain task. The doctors are not quite sure what caused it.

“Lisa is a normal functioning person,” Cres Elsner, Lisa’s mother, said. “Although she may not realize it she is just a little bit slower than others.”

Lisa competes in basically every sport imaginable, and exceeds at all of them. The sports Lisa still competes in are swimming, volleyball, soccer, track and field, marathons, triathlons, speed skating, ice skating and bowling.

“She strives to be the best she can be. Lisa has been able to accomplish more than the average person in her lifetime, and still competes in all the sports,” Cres said.

Not the Average Joe

In 1983 Lisa won three gold medals when she competed in the Special Olympic International World Games in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her story was featured on “Good Morning America.”

“I was shocked that they wanted to film me, it was so cool, they came to my house and interviewed me they went to my swim meets,” Lisa said. “I was also nervous because I didn’t want to mess up.”

Lisa then decided swimming wasn’t the only thing she wanted to win medals in, so she took up figure skating. In 1985 she competed at the World Games in Salt Lake City, Utah and took home the bronze medal in figure skating.

In 1987, Lisa took up yet another sport to add to her Olympic career: pairs ice skating. She then competed at the World Games that same year in Reno-Tahoe and took the gold in pairs ice skating and the silver in figure skating.

“Ice skating is really hard, you definitely have to have strong ankles,” Lisa said.
After the outstanding performance in prior Olympics, Lisa was invited to the Olympic Festival in Minneapolis where she swam an exhibition race with other special olympians.

She was then requested to speak at the US National Swim Coaches Convention in Washington DC at the capitol building. She talked about making sure other special needs swimmers get the same opportunities she had in the swimming community.

“I was very nervous, it was super cool to go up there and talk,” Lisa said. “The coaches were so inspiring to listen to.”

State Record? Try World.

Lisa currently holds all 14 American records for paralympic swimming.

“It feels great being the fastest person in America!” Lisa said laughing.

Lisa also held the World Record in the mile from 2000-2002. She didn’t even realize she got the record until someone told her.

She was named the Physically Challenged Athlete of the Year in Kansas, and has been inducted into the Shawnee Mission Special Olympics Hall of Fame.

And You Thought You Ran A Lot.

Lisa is a long distance swimmer, and definitely a long distance runner.

She has competed in 7 half marathons, 10 full marathons one of which includes the Goofy Challenge in 2009 in Disney World, which is a half marathon one day and then a full the very next day.

“I was in so much pain!” Lisa said. “I could barely walk for a week!”

Lisa has competed in 28 triathlons. She took 3rd at Nationals in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

“Before races I tell myself that I can accomplish something great,” Lisa said. “It takes a lot of preparation and I still am always nervous right before the race.

Lisa currently swims with the Kansas City Blazers Masters program.

“Lisa is a hard worker, enjoys the sport for what it genuinely is,” Henry Morrow, one of Lisa’s many coaches said. “She takes advantage of everything that comes her way through training, traveling, meeting new people, and trying new things.”

During all of Lisa’s amazing accomplishments she has been able to hold down a job, at Johnson County Community College since 1989 in food service.

“My days are pretty busy from swimming to running and then working, but I am so used to it by now, it just seems normal.” Lisa said.

Inspiring to All

Lisa has had her fair share of accomplishments in her lifetime. She is an inspiration to so many people.

“My aunt is incredible. Its crazy how one person can accomplish so many things in one lifetime, and compete in so many sports,” Madison Ruffalo, a sophomore at Blue Valley Southwest, (Lisa’s niece) said.

Lisa has inspired so many different people, from her family, to coaches, other people with disabilities and just any person who knows her story.

“Lisa has inspired me that you can get through anything if you persevere and have a will to try,” Ruffalo said.

Lisa now has been swimming for 43 years. Many people ask her how she has stuck with swimming all these years, she gives them all the same reply.

“I couldn’t imagine my life without it.”