Today would have been Victor Davis‘ 51st birthday.
Davis was one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with the sport. Watching him win the 200 breaststroke at the 1984 Olympics in world record time is a memory that I will never forget.
I will also never forget the day I met my swimming idol. I was 11 and had a rare opportunity to play cards with him, to see his intensity and desire to win first hand, even during a game of crazy eights.
The following are 5 of the things I remember about a Canadian Olympic legend.
1. Pre-Race Rituals
Victor’s pre-race rituals were awesome.
I could describe them to you, but I could not match the eloquence and accuracy of the description that the iconic Australian coach Laurie Lawrence gives in his book Lawrence of Australia,
“His pre-race ritual was enough to intimidate even the most experienced of competitors. He would shadow box, bound, skip, stalk the pool deck – commanding the attention of spectator and competitor alike, before lying on the deck beside the racing block and plunging his magnificent, well oiled body into the beckoning water. Any opponent not accustomed or alert to this domination ritual – although physically harmless, like the chest-beating of the mountain gorilla – was often beaten before the starters gun sounded, psyched out and intimidated by Victor’s very presence.”
In the documentary The Fast and The Furious, which chronicled both Davis and Alex Baumann‘s journey to the 1982 World Championships, he spoke about how he wanted let his opponents know he was a force to be reckoned with.
Then in Davis fashion he went on to say, “I don’t throw things at them or anything, I just let them know I am there.”
Post 1984 you could look on the pool deck at many competitions in the Canada and see several boys shadow boxing and even some plunging their upper bodies into the water before they stepped on the blocks.
2. The Seoul Olympic Games 4 x 100 medley relay
One of the most iconic photos of Davis was snapped at the 1988 Seoul Olympics when the Canadian 4 x 100 medley team out swam the Russians to collect the silver medal. With Sandy Goss in the water Davis stood on the block, every muscle flexed, cheering for his teammate, almost willing him to the finish.
Goss had the race of his life, swimming two full seconds faster than he did in the individual event. If you watch the NBC telecast of the race you can see the American team celebrating an incredible world record performance, but the reaction of the Canadians beside them is priceless.
You can see Mark Tewksbury jumping up and down looking like a madman while Davis almost falls off of the blocks because of the ferocity of his fist pumps.
His commitment to excellence and how much he cared about his performance each and every time he hit the water was inspiring. After watching the 1988 Olympics every Canadian swimmer found just a little bit more energy to encourage their teammates.
3. Not Your Typical Canadian
Quite often Canadians are known for taking pride in their humility, almost having an apologetic reaction in the midst of victory.
That was not Davis. He loved to win and he showed it. He hated to lose and he showed it.
“He was an intense person, knew what he wanted to do, knew how he wanted to achieve it and wore his heart on his sleeve a lot,” Alex Baumann told the Toronto Star in 2008.
“Victor was an atypical Canadian. He wasn’t happy with second place because he knew he could beat the other competitors.”
“Victor was the most intense and passionate athlete I knew.”
Davis had a passion for success and a commitment to excellence that was contagious. He showed young swimmers that it was okay to hate losing, that it was okay to exude confidence and express your passion. In fact you should hate losing, you should exude confidence and you should display your passion.
4. What a Coach and Swimmer Relationship Should Be
Victor Davis and Cliff Barry seemed to be made for one another. Victor had a huge personality, he had a temper and could be a handful. Barry has a softer personality, tempered intensity and could be a calming influence.
They seemed to create a perfect balance. Barry knew exactly how to guide the talented young man to the top of the podium. A process that was not without many challenges.
You could and can see to this day just how much Barry cared for Davis. Just as you could see how much Davis cared about Barry. This extended far beyond the pool.
In a recent interview with the Montreal Gazette Barry explained what he thought the best part of coaching was, “The one on one, working with motivated individuals,” said Barry.
“Making that connection with someone who is really motivated, sharing the same goals. It’s quite a wonderful process.”
He certainly had that connection with Davis. The way the two worked together is an example of what a coach and swimmer relationship should be.
5. His Legacy
The impact that Davis had on Canadian Swimming and on the hearts and minds of many young swimmers is only part of his legacy. Motivated by the fact that he did not want to see the memory of Davis’ fierce desire to win or his ability to motivate others Barry created The Victor Davis Memorial Fund and Award.
Swimming Canada’s description of the award is as follows:
The Victor Davis Memorial Fund was established to remember Victor, his contribution to competitive swimming in Canada, and to encourage other young Canadians toward excellence. Each year awards may be made from the Fund to promising, high performance Canadian amateur swimmers to assist them to continue their training, education, and pursuit of medals at the international level of competition.
In an article Barry wrote for Swim BC he describes exactly what the intention of the award is, “Personally, I think The Victor Davis Memorial Fund is one of the best things in Canadian swimming,” wrote Barry.
“The money is given with no strings attached. It is intended to reward the moms and dads who do everything in their power to support their children towards success. It is also meant to be a financial bridge until SNC carding can be realized. Finally, it brings honour, recognition, and affirmation to the successful recipients.”
The list of recipients have included names such as:
- Ryan Cochrane
- Brent Hayden
- Annamay Pierse
- Brittany Reimer
- Audrey Lacroix
I will never forget being at a swim meet in Saskatoon when one of my teammates came up to me and told me that Davis had been struck by a car. My heart sank and it hit me that a man that appeared invincible wasn’t. It saddened me to realize that I had gotten my one and only chance to sit down with one of my swimming heroes.
Davis died on November 13th, 1989 at the age of 25. Once again Lawrence’s words may be the most appropriate:
“God bless Victor Davis. He left the world with many great sporting memories and I reckon he’d still be up there fighting in Heaven… I just hope Saint Peter doesn’t want to race him.”
I heard some stories about him from a teammate of mine who was also an Olympic gold medalist. I got the impression he cared very much for his team mates and was protective of them as well.
I remember a couple of things that don’t make the regular rounds when people think back to Vic Davis. I moved to Pte-Claire less than a year after he did, and I vividly remember it was Vic who went out of his way to make a new guy feel welcome at dinner one night at Summer Nationals. I also remember more than once he went out of his way to challenge me in training when maybe there wasn’t anyone up to it that night; we weren’t a lot of milers in the club back then–and he wasn’t one of them–but he made sure I was pushing myself, a favour I could not have returned as a rather lame breaststroke swimmer.… Read more »
Lovely article.
We all miss him a lot.
Greg Davis
I was a 13 year kid at my first junior nationals….I made it to the finals and was crazy nervous waiting behind the timers for my race .. Victor Davis was there walking around and as he walked past me he stopped asked to see my goggles (which were mirrored) ..He looked at them passed them back said “cool googles give it all you got ” I just about died right there …but suddenly I wasn’t nervous anymore and I swam to a best time and a 7th place finishing.. Victor was awesome and took the time to make a difference to a scared 13 year old he had never laid eyes on !!!!!!!
I remember that he was a genuine person… He did not discriminate… He respected his teammates no matter how new they were to the team… I was intimidated by him at first, but that soon went away when he acknowledge me as a teammate and with a simple “Hello”. Truly a swimming icon nit just for Canada but fir the world of swimming. He loved to win and he respected the process.
I swam for Etobicoke in Toronto for the 83-84 Olympic year and every breaststroke race of the season was like a World Cup final. Victor, Alex Bauman, Pablo Restrepo, Nick Nevid, Kirk Sanocki, to name a few of the regular top 8 field. It was hard to get a break. Among all of the world class swimmers I’ve known, none was tougher or more fierce than Victor. For most of that year, I didn’t know him, other than his pool deck persona, never spoke to him. He dominated. Knowing he swam a 1:58 200 fly SCM, when I probably couldn’t even finish one, left me in awe. At the Canadian winter nationals, I swam in the lane next to victor… Read more »
Beautiful. Thank you, David.
Well said David. I swam with Victor on the national team through the end of his career. He was a leader who inspired myself and many others to race to win every time we hit the water. The first time I split Victor and Alex up on the podium he leaned over the lane line and said “you are a tough little s**t”. That meant a lot to me at 16. He was not the man the media made him out to be, he was just intense. I wouldn’t have been the swimmer I was without Victor, Alex and Sandy. All of us who had the honor of swimming with him and knowing him, loved him.
I am a one of the fortunate 20 individuals that trained with Victor for 6 years before he and Cliff left for Point Claire. I travelled with Victor to many events and to this day do not forget his INTENSITY and his ability to be a practical joker. I know the stories of events being referenced and suggest to the likes of Gina to say nothing because you do not know anything about Brisbane. You certainly have no idea what happened in Quebec when Victor was taken from us in a pre-meditated act.
I started swimming at age 10 with Victor and set National age group records as I sponged off of the intensity around the pool. Cliff had… Read more »
I swam in Ontario in the 1980’s. I competed against Victor many times.
There is no doubt that Victor was an intense competitor and a fast swimmer. However to deny that he was a troubled young man is to sugar coat it.
Prior to the incident that led to his death, there were aggravated assault charges stemming from an incident at a party. There were many instances of angry over reactions at parties and on the pool deck.
I don’t think that any of this detracts from his legacy as a swimmer. But let’s not make him out to me more than he was, a great athlete.
I am currently at John Abbott College where Cliff Barry, Victors former coach, is coaching at the moment and you can tell everyone on this team love this man. His touch that he once had with Victor still remains the same with everyone. I am very lucky to have been coached by such an inspirational man like Cliff. His love of coaching is shown throughout the seasons and my team is fortunate to have him mentor us and to guide us.