Aaron Cole was a three-time NCAA champion.
Denison swimming legend Aaron Cole ’00 has a story to tell, one in which he rises to the top of his sport before plunging to great depths, shackled to a malaise he can’t explain.
Cole knew there was only one person with the athletic background and artistic expertise to bring his story to life. It was an old Denison mentor.
The last time Cole and Thomas Richner ’97 had teamed up in 1997, the Big Red won the NCAC championship, ending Kenyon College’s 43-year conference domination. Three years ago, they reunited to create a short animated movie that explores themes that transcend sports.
One, released in 2024, is an unflinching look at an elite athlete’s struggle with his transition to everyday life. It’s the tale of Cole, bullied as a teenager, who finds his strength and belonging through swimming at Denison but years later must pull himself out of a dark place mentally with the help of others.
“Writing this has been very therapeutic,” says Cole, who’s worked for Edward Jones, a leading financial services firm, since graduation. “So has working on this project with Tom.”
Most people with a story idea for an animated film would have no clue where to pitch it. Cole needed only to pick up his phone and ring his college teammate. Richner is best known as an acclaimed storyboard artist on The Simpsons. He also owns Cap City Studio, an animation production company based in Columbus, Ohio.
The teammates began discussing the movie shortly after Cole’s life-changing conversation with another former Denison swimmer in 2021.
“This person was struggling post-graduation,” recalls Cole, a three-time NCAA champion. “The alum said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever feel as good as I did in college.’ The themes the person was discussing hit me like a ton of bricks. There had been this big hole in my life, one that I wasn’t fully acknowledging until that eye-opening moment.”
On the surface, Cole was a successful professional in a lucrative field. Below it, he was struggling, unable to recapture the excitement of a big meet and the thrill of knowing nobody could beat him. The pool had become his sanctuary after years of physical torment growing up in Texas. Cole had been hospitalized once for injuries he sustained at the hands of bullies.
“Swimming was my escape,” he says. “I poured time and energy and passion into it.”
Richner was one of the first students Cole met at Denison. Cole saw the senior as a mentor, an athlete driven like himself. Cole and Richner both became 28-time All-Americans, meaning they finished in the top eight of every NCAA final race they swam.
Unlike Cole, Richner continued to swim after leaving The Hill. He earned his master’s degree in animation at UCLA and was so creatively invested in his work on The Simpsons that it took his mind off no longer competing at the highest level. However, he related to the void in his friend’s life. “You don’t always find the camaraderie, mentorship, and rush of adrenaline in the workplace that you did swimming on a team like ours,” Richner says.
Cole wrote the script and serves as the executive producer. Richner is the director, production coordinator, and editor. He assembled a talented group of artists to work on the project. Although Denison is never identified in the film, the scene of Cole arriving in front of Swasey Chapel is unmistakable — as is the purple-clad opponent in the big race, a nod to rival Kenyon.
Seventeen film festivals, including in Hollywood and Italy, have included the short in their showcases, earning the filmmakers numerous awards. The most emotional night came at Big Red Weekend in 2024 as Denison swimmers, their families, and others at the university watched the film.
“The response was tremendous,” coach Gregg Parini says. “It’s a piece that goes beyond the sporting world. It’s about shedding old skin and discovering new possibilities.”
Richner and Cole have been pleasantly surprised by the response from viewers outside the athletic arena. The film’s themes are relatable to people going through life transitions. The movie will be released to the public online later in 2025.
Cole has returned to competitive swimming, and next fall his son, Asher, will be a first-year on the Denison men’s team. Richner’s oldest daughter, Lauren ’25, was a senior on the women’s team.
Cole speaks publicly about his trials and finds solace in helping others work through issues.
The climax of One features Cole underwater, trapped in chains, feeling a hand on his shoulder that prompts him to drag his mental weight to the surface. Richner hopes one takeaway for viewers will be that everyone deals with adversity, and they don’t have to go it alone.
“We all suffer losses,” he says, “and you have to figure out a healthy way to fill those voids.”