Background
Tappin was born in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.
Tappin was born in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.
She attended Saint Martin"s Episcopal School in Metairie, Louisiana.
Tappin competed at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, where she earned a gold medal by swimming for the winning United States. team in the preliminary heats of the women"s 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In the January 1996 issue of Swimming World, Tappin was featured on the cover with the caption "Ashley Tappin University of Arizona"s Sprint Free Champ". She again was on the cover for the March 1999 issue with the headline "Tappin"s The Name: Winnin"s The Game".
Inside that issue is an article on Tappin titiled "Tappin on the Door to Success" by Kari Lydersen with photos by Lori Adamski-Peek.
Tappin attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she swam for coach Mitch Ivey and coach Chris Martin"s Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (National Collegiate Athletic Association) competition in 1993 and 1994. Tappin served as the head coach of the United Nations Organization Privateers swim team at the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 2004 to 2007.
She is a veteran celebrity swimmer for Swim Across America (Severe aplastic anemia), a charitable organization that raises funds for cancer research, and she has participated in three Severe aplastic anemia events in Boston, Massachusetts.