Rick and Ruth Ann Dressel’s yard sign is something all can get behind
It’s a rather safe bet that most people in the Cape Region are cheering for the American athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but one couple is banging their drum a bit louder, and for good reason.
Rick and Ruth Ann Dressel’s nephew is Caeleb Dressel, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and one-quarter of the 4x100m free relay that secured Team USA’s first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It's always exciting to be part of that party and know [Caeleb] from a child to today,” Rick said. “Where they started and where they are now.”
Caeleb is the son of Rick’s brother Mike; Rick said he knew Caeleb would be special when he saw him swimming as a child. While his brother would never boast, Rick said Mike was a phenomenal swimmer, and although Caeleb may get his talent from his dad, Mike never forced Caeleb or his accomplished siblings into the sport.
“[Mike] was very low-key about it – never hyped him up,” Rick said. “He just let them do their thing, because he was an exceptional swimmer. He swam for Delaware and was a butterfly specialist.”
Rick and Ruth Ann said their favorite event Caeleb swims in is the butterfly, and both think it is a beautiful stroke that is not easy to do. Their nephew is also a beast in the 50m and 100m free in addition to the relay events he is part of. The Paris 2024 gold medal was the eighth of the Team Toyota swimmer’s career. He collected two at Rio 2016 in the medley and freestyle relay before cleaning up at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.
Top finishes in the 50m free, 100m free, free relay, medley relay and butterfly were witnessed by his friends and family during a watch party in Florida.
“I got teary-eyed because his mother and his wife were together in that picture and they were tearing up – I'm an emotional person,” Ruth Ann said. “I was so excited! Everybody was jumping up and down and screaming.”
“You just felt this overwhelming sense of togetherness because the room was full of people who were there for him,” Rick said.
Prior to Caeleb winning his five gold medals, Ruth Ann and Rick created a support video for their nephew, altering the lyrics of the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song to “Swim Prince of Gainesville,” a nod to his alma mater University of Florida.
Unable to join some of the Dressel clan in Paris for this year’s games, Ruth Ann and Rick have decorated their living room with a patriotic swimming theme featuring two cutouts of their nephew, one nice and one mean-looking. They have also put out a sign letting neighbors and visitors to Canal Pointe know one house is pulling extra hard for an American swimmer.
The Olympic gold medal won July 27 by Caeleb and his relay team not only kicked off a string of top finishes for Team USA but also was made even more cool when the iconic Snoop Dogg was spotted cheering him on alongside Caeleb’s wife Meghan and their son.
Rick and Ruth Ann, who retired to Rehoboth Beach in 2014, took notice of the Long Beach legend’s support of their nephew and have made another video for Caeleb, this time playing off Snoop’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
While they don’t mind the attention they receive from these playful antics, Ruth Ann and Rick said their nephew likes to remain low-key, just like his dad.
“He is, by far, the nicest person you ever want to meet,” Ruth Ann said. “In the stands, I've watched him give away some of his medals to people. Just random people. He never not stops to sign a swim cap, or give them his goggles. He's always very kind to all the kids, particularly the younger swimmers, and I love that about him. He doesn't like a lot of notoriety – he's not about any of that. Now that he's a dad, I think he has a whole different perspective on things.”
If Caeleb advances out of the heats, his finals will begin with the 50m freestyle at 2:30 p.m., Friday Aug. 2. The butterfly semifinals will follow about 30 minutes later, and the butterfly finals will start at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 3.
