Nestor Aparicio, x-Archive

Here are #WNSTSweet16 people who had a dream in Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

Baltimore Positive is the vision and the creative extension of four decades of sharing the love of local sports for this Dundalk native and University of Baltimore grad, who began his career as a sportswriter and music critic at The News American and The Baltimore Sun in the mid-1980s. Launched radio career in December 1991 with Kenny Albert after covering the AHL Skipjacks. Bought WNST-AM 1570 in July 1998, created WNST.net in 2007 and began diversifying conversations on radio, podcast and social media as Baltimore Positive in 2016. nes@baltimorepositive.com

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9. Murray Stephens

There’s no question that Michael Phelps could be on this #WNSTSweet16 list but the real dreamer of his dream was first North Baltimore Aquatic Club head coach Murray Stephens who began putting local kids into pools in 1968. Stephens immediately started sending NBAC swimmers to Olympic trials and the pool became a mine for gold over the years.

An Olympic coach on the 1996 team and involved in Pan American, Goodwill Games and any other place where a stop watch was used in a natatorium, sure you can trace Phelps and a long string of gold medals back to Meadowbrook.

Olympians Theresa Andrews, Anita Nall, Beth Botsford, Jessica Long and thousands of other kids (and families) got their first swim with Coach Stephens. He dreamed, one stroke at a time. And the rest happened magically and the world took notice…