Caruthersville swim team making big waves

Friday, December 26, 2014
Coach Spence Royer on deck and the Diane Sayer Recreation Center during a previous heat this year.

Just 24 months ago Coach Spence Royer arrived in Caruthersville with a dream to build a successful swimming program. Two years later that dream has come to fruition with the Bootheel Racers Swimming Team. Royer currently has over 50 athletes on the team which consists of both beginner level athletes and top tier swimmers.

Despite the success, swimming is still relatively new to this area and there are still a lot unfamiliarity and questions around the sport, so I caught up with Coach Royer to shine a little more light on the great things going on in the pool and hopefully clear up some of the questions surrounding the sport.

One aspect many citizens question is when is the sport's competitive season. "Swimming is a sport that can be done year round," explained Coach Royer. "Typically successful swimmers train and compete 11 months out of the year. Organizations such as USA Swimming and AAU swimming provide competitions year round. Swimming is definitely a sport that you can compete in for more than just the three months in winter or summer."

Another misconception seems to be around the possibility of earning a scholarship in the sport of swimming. Coach Spence knows first hand that scholarships are available for swimmers who are willing to put in the work. "I trained for years and was fortunate enough to have received a scholarship to swim for the Drury Panthers in college," stated Royer. "Everything begins with a dream so I always encourage my athletes to think big and realize there are awesome things you can do in swimming. Of course as with all sports, the invitation to compete collegiately is attained via hard work and dedication."

Coach Spence also wanted to relay the fact that just because swimming isn't offered at our local schools, doesn't mean you can't earn a scholarship in the sport. "Many nationally ranked swimmers never competed in a high school swimming program. As our athletes get closer to college age I can help facilitate the process and utilize my extensive contacts in swimming."

One of the most ridiculous misnomers that Coach Spence and other swimming coaches deal with is the idea that people have formed that male swimmers must wear a speedo "brief" suit to compete. "I am not sure where this untruth comes from but I have heard it frequently. While many top tier NCAA swimmers choose to wear this suit, it's certainly not the norm nationally. There are many suit options for male swimmers to choose from. In fact, not one of our male athletes wears a speedo "brief" suit."

There is no doubt that this area is dominated by the three main sports of football, baseball and basketball. Those sports can definitely get the respect they deserve, but Coach Royer wants people to know that swimming, even though is new to this area, it's still a challenging sport. "In high school I got into a tense altercation with a football and hockey player who believed that swimming was not a real sport. After being told that I challenged them to compete in my next practice. They both accepted, but neither lasted more than 5 minutes I and never heard anything from them again," explained Royer. "While swimmers do not have 'contact' during their competitions, they are some of the toughest athletes out there. The workouts are grueling. Also, swimming has long been known as the best aerobic activity that you can compete in. It's also a sport you can do for life. How many people do you see playing football at 50? There are thousands of athletes across the country competing in US Masters swimming well into their 80's and beyond."

Now that Coach Royer has put in 24 months in this area, he is proud of many things that he and his athletes have accomplished. When asked what he is most proud of as a coach so far, Royer replied, "I think the biggest thing is just getting Bootheel swimming back on the map. I am completely amazed at the transformation that has taken place with our athletes. When our team began, the majority of our athletes had never been in swimming or had limited exposure in the summer league. This transformation has come from hard work and a focus on fundamentals. That is my strong belief and we will continue this focus as a team. I am also proud of the support we have received from the city and community in general. Our team has added some energy back into our pool which is a great thing for everyone."

There is no doubt that swimming and Coach Royer have made their mark in the community in the past two years. If you have not had the opportunity to watch the Racers in action, you should come out and give it a shot. You might just have a child that will be impressed and want to take a shot at the sport and all it has to offer.

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