Greenwood HS swimmer saves coach

A Greenwood High School swimmer is being touted a hero. The swimmer said practice was almost over Wednesday afternoon when the coach challenged the team to a competition: Who could swim underwater the farthest without coming up for air. For the coach, the outcome ended up being a near-death experience.

Freshman Hannah Fuller, 15, has been swimming competitively since she was in second grade. But she never thought she'd have to use those skills to save her coach's life.

"When I lifted up his face, he was dark blue-purple. He looked dead. His lips were dark, almost to the point of being black. There was blood trickling out of the side of his mouth," recalled Fuller. "I just kind of reacted. I got underneath him and I knew I needed to keep his head above the water."

Coach Chas Grimm was swimming underwater. He swam just over three lengths of the pool when he says he blacked out from lack of oxygen.

"When I pushed back off the wall for another turn, I went unconscious and I floated to the top," said Grimm.

Hannah said the rescue was a group effort. Other members of the team pulled the coach off her back and out of the pool. The lifeguard performed CPR and ended up reviving him.

"Being able to help me was nice, to say the least. I'm very grateful for it," said Grimm. "Her being able to handle the situation the way she handles her races wasn't too much of a surprise to me."

Hannah said the rescue felt like a dream. She still can't believe she was so quick to take action.

"I was really scared," admitted Fuller.

The team has a swim meet Saturday. Hannah said the first thing she's going to do is give Coach Grimm a big hug.