Sandra Bucha received her Bachelor’s of Art degree in History, with distinction, from Stanford University in 1976 and her Juris Doctorate degree from Indiana University in 1979. A former prosecutor and public defender, Attorney Bucha has extensive jury trial experience. Since 1990 Attorney Bucha has also successfully represented plaintiffs in all areas of civil jury trial litigation and currently devotes her expertise to the area of medical malpractice as an associate with the Bradenton Florida law firm of McCue, Reams and Associates. Attorney Bucha is a member of the state bars for the states of Florida, Illinois and Wisconsin and is also a partner with her husband in the law firm, Kerscher & Bucha Law Offices, with a home office in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  Attorney Bucha is also a member of the Federal District Court trial bars for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Florida Justice Association.

Sandra was a nationally and world ranked age group swimmer for all of her swimming career.  Under the guidance of her coach, Don Watson, a 2015 ISHOF honoree inductee, in Hinsdale, Illinois, she became an American record holder and national champion. Sandra was allowed to train with the boys’ swim team at Hinsdale Central High School during the 1968-1972 high school years as there were no organized sporting activities for girls during that time. Recognizing the discrimination all female athletes entering high school faced due to the lack of opportunity during those years, and with the assistance and encouragement of her parents and Coach Watson, Sandra filed suit against the Illinois High School Association in federal court.  The court’s opinion in Sandra Lynn Bucha, et al, v. Illinois High School Association, et al., United States District Court, N.D. Illinois, E.D. 72 C 378, (Opinion issued November 15, 1972)  was a precursor of things to come as Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, and a number of ever more inclusive amendments was soon thereafter enacted.  Although Sandra did not personally prevail in her independent action, the case was cited often in subsequent legal cases.

Sandra was a finalist in the 1972 Olympic trials and narrowly missed making the 1972 Olympic team.  It was while attending Stanford University that Sandra embarked on her professional marathon swimming career.  She joined the professional marathon swimming circuit in the summer of 1973 and for the next three years, competed in nine marathon swims. While competing against men and women, she was undefeated as the first female in all of her marathon swims, consistently placing second overall to ISHOF inductee, John Kinsella, earning her a place in the ISHOF, class of 2014. Her accomplishments in the water and as a social justice advocate helped pave the way for thousands of girls and women to participate in sports, the acceptance of women in the male dominated sport of marathon swimming and for marathon swimming to become an Olympic sport.