My name is Carol Ann Redfield, founder and owner of Point Me to the Water. After retiring from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 2008, I planted my roots in North Carolina to raise my kids. I come from a family of triathletes, so with time on my hands I started coaching the local chapter of Girls on the Run and also trained 22 women to compete in a triathlon in April 2010. It was incredible to train alongside these ladies, all teachers and their friends, and help them tap into their inner athlete.

As I continued coaching in the running and triathlon community here, people found out that I had been an All-American swimmer at the United States Military Academy at West Point and started asking me to teach swim lessons. The pool has always been home for me, especially when my world turned sideways. I often took my soldiers to the pool for physical training and taught countless ROTC cadets how to swim.

I eventually returned to work teaching Junior ROTC for ten years at a local high school. I loved planting the seeds of success in my high school students, and was lucky enough to see those seeds grow and flourish in those of whom I helped find their path and maximize their potential. I believe that there is no greater calling than helping someone find these things, even if sometimes it takes a little longer than I had hoped!

In July 2019, my brother Kevin Heller, also a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the greatest athlete in our family, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, ALS. This diagnosis came just three months after our father passed. Our family was completely crushed, and yet my brother rose to the challenge and inspired us all. He showed me what it means to find your purpose, and to live life joyfully and intentionally.

When COVID-19 closed the gyms, I found myself back in the water and taking over my neighborhood water aerobics program. In honor of my brother and I’s shared love for swimming, I decided to start an adult swim fitness program to get even more adults in the water and tapping into their inner athlete.

Kevin led team #GiveEmHeller in the Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS as long as he was able. Kevin was an advocate for ALS research and treatment, working tirelessly with Google’s Project Euphonia to develop seamless speech recognition technology, helping people with atypical speech to be better understood. Kevin also shared his ALS story with the company he worked for, Looker, as it was acquired by Google and through connections in Silicon Valley, he and his team were able to gain a sponsorship from Looker while also leading the Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS in its best fundraising year to date.

​Kevin passed away on January 5, 2021 after nearly a year and a half of living with ALS. After his passing, I retired from teaching JROTC in April 2021 to devote my time to helping people use the water for a lifetime of fun and fitness, and knowing how to do so safely. I have also taken on the mission to help find the cure for ALS. The disease is a death sentence, and veterans like my brother Kevin are twice as likely to be diagnosed. It was once said that ALS is not incurable, it is underfunded. While I point people to the water to help them live their best lives, I hope to also honor my brother and find a cure for ALS.

My goal is to support team #GiveEmHeller by pointing my athletes to swimtodefeatALS.org or tritodefeatALS.org. No white flags. Never give up. Go Army. Beat Navy!