Salinas ‘Superman’ needs permanent pool to swim in

You probably remember him, swimming phenomenon Clark Kent, known as Superman in the water.

KION told you the story back in July about Clark smashing Michael Phelps’ longest standing record. Since then, Clark has received global coverage. News stories made him a recognized name around the world. Sometimes success means the most when it’s close to home.

Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo told Clark, “You are now the official Superman of Monterey County.”

The Monterey County board of supervisors named Sept, 18 “Superman, Clark Kent Apuada Day.”
It’s an honor only ever given to two other people and was an emotional ride for his parents.

Clark’s mom said, “Surely at this moment, this is God answering prayers for us.” With all the success, Apuada still stays humble. “Not everyone gets them their own day in their whole county. So I think it’s, I’m really grateful,” says Clark.

Despite all of his success, Clark no longer has a pool in which to practice. His coach, Dia Rianda says that Clark’s swim team left the Salinas Aquatic Center after threats and nearby gang violence. “It’s heartbreaking, because we have lost a number of our kids to other teams in the area. They didn’t want to go there, but they had to go there,” says Rianda.

Clark has since joined some members of his team at a pool in Soledad, but he continues to look for a place closer to home.

Until then, Clark and his family are accepting the positive feedback from the community and plan to celebrate. “Have a sit down and just have a nice dinner with our family,” says Clark’s dad, Chris.

Since breaking that Phelps record, Apuada has upped his training to five days a week, keeping that goal to beat the national age group records and one day make it to the Olympics.