MOUNT VERNON — Riley Gaines spoke to a packed house Tuesday night as the second leg of the Tragedy to Triumph three-night event at the R.R. Hodges Chapel and Fine Arts Center on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Gains said she was pleased with the supportive crowd — comparing it to a negative response she received at the University of San Francisco, where she was speaking on behalf of Turning Point, the organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk.
Gaines was a 12-time All-American swimmer with five Southeastern Conference titles to her credit.
As one of the most prolific women’s swimmers in the history of the Kentucky Wildcat program, Gaines made waves outside of the pool when in 2022 she had an experience at the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship that would alter the trajectory of her life, both professionally and personally.
The former swimmer gained notoriety when she swam against transgender athlete Lia Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania, where Thomas and Riley tied for fifth place in the 200-meter freestyle event.
Even after three years, the decision by the NCAA to give the fifth-place trophy to Thomas still strikes a negative tone with Gaines. According to the swimmer, a conference official said, “We only have one trophy so we are giving it to Lia.”
“I asked the dreaded question no one dared to ask all season. Why are you giving the trophy to the man in the women’s 200 free? He did not have an answer. They didn’t give them a script of what to say when someone asked ‘Why?’”
Since that time, Gains has redirected her path. Rather than attending dental school, she has become an advocate encouraging debate and changes in the rules governing transgender athletes.
Rev Wendell Browning understands Tragedy to Triumph. He is now the District Superintendent of the North Central Ohio District Church of the Nazarene. In this role, he is the pastor to the pastors of some 64 churches across 22 counties.
Browning’s path from the 82nd Airborne to his present position and founder of T2T was anything but a direct route.
“I was a drug addict and God found me, changed my life and cleaned me up,” Browning said.
Where did the concept of T2T originate?
According to Browning a higher power, “straight from God. I was praying for a way to reach our community. The Lord called to mind the story from John 9 where Jesus healed the blind man. All he could say, when asked to heal him, he said, ‘All I know, I was blind and now I see.’ That was his story and this is mine.”
Wednesday night the three-session event closes with Super Bowl champion Michael Oher. The movie, the Blind Side, was based on Oher’s life and career.
“Tragedy to Triumph refers to the outreach ministry which shared stories of transformation and faith to help people overcome life’s challenges,” Browning said.