The compelling story of Charles Daniels, the first American swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal set against the rebirth of the modern Olympic Games in the Victorian age. The Watermen, a term used at the time to describe men skilled in water sports, tells an engrossing story of grit, of the growth of a major new sport in which Americans would prevail, and of a young man’s determination to excel. Michael Loynd, JD ’99, who was instrumental in bringing the Olympic rings to the Danforth Campus, has woven an inspiring story that transcends sports.