Courtesy of SPIRE, a SwimSwam partner.
For a coach or athletic director, one of the best things you can hope for at the start of the season is the return of enough veterans to ensure a strong level of leadership and mentorship among the incoming class, the rookies. By all accounts, that’s exactly the situation facing SPIRE’s Swimming program, and they couldn’t be happier about it.
“We’re off to a good start this year,” says the Director of Aquatics, Thad Schultz. “We have a younger team than we’ve had in the past, and are definitely excited for what the newcomers can bring…but our veterans set the team culture and we have a great group of them, real leaders.”
At a place like SPIRE Academy, a boarding school built around the idea of maximizing the youth sport experience, the proper mix of veterans and newcomers is critical, given the high level of athleticism these student-athletes are expected to maintain. Again, Schultz, “The type of student-athlete we attract is goal-oriented and craving success. We’re an elite-level program and our student-athletes need to buy into that every year, whether they’re new to SPIRE or returning.”
On the subject of elite, SPIRE is happy to report that Erkhes Enkhtur is back in the water for his junior year. Erkhes hails from Mongolia, and at 15 years old the young swimming phenom broke his own national records in the 50m and 100m backstroke earlier this year. Schultz sees potential for Erkhes even beyond that. “The focus was mostly 50’s in Mongolia,” Schultz told SwimSwam in March. “He didn’t have experience with some of the longer swims … but I think his strength is going to be the 200 backstroke when all is said and done. We’re working on getting him the confidence to take the 200-meter backstroke out fast and bring it home.”
And whether you’re talking about facilities or facilitators, SPIRE Academy has everything needed to take in these passionate student-athletes, like Erkhes, and maximize their potential, inside the pool and out. “We offer our student-athletes world-class facilities and support staff,” says Molly McCulloch, Assistant Swim Coach at SPIRE. “For example, we have someone whose sole job it is to help kids find the best college fit for them. We have someone who makes sure all the kids have mental health support. I could go on and on…but in short, we do everything we can to prepare our student-athletes for future success at many different levels.”
Of course, any athletic enterprise is going to have its ups and downs, its strengths and weaknesses. From the glass-half-full perspective, there’s always room for improvement, and that’s how the SPIRE staff approach each new season. “Our goal is to evolve every year,” says Schultz. “Each new season is a time to reset and evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. We constantly try to improve our capabilities in the water and in the weight room. We evaluate how to be better with rest and nutrition, and how to optimize training. We’ve made great improvements in performance already, and anticipate continuing to improve in the water.”
Swim events to keep a close eye on this season include the Junior Nationals. Per Coach McCulloch, SPIRE has “a handful of kids that are close to the time standards.” As such, SPIRE is hoping these student athletes can qualify so they can be sent out to compete. The Black History Month Meet in Washington, D.C. is always a successful competition for SPIRE swimmers, as well. And for the first time, SPIRE will be competing in local high school swim meets, facing off against the Ohio High School State Champs the first weekend in December.
“We have kids that come from all corners of the Earth,” says Schultz. “But no matter where they come from, they’re all great young men and women and I look forward to reading stories about them now and into the future. Of course, the real story is that everyone has a great story, and much of it remains to be written for these young swimmers. We’re here to do our part.”
Learn more information about SPIRE Academy here.
About SPIRE Academy
SPIRE Academy is a comprehensive academic, athletic, personal skills and college-and-career development boarding school located in a world-class event and wellness complex. Constructed on 750 acres under 850,000 square feet of roof, SPIRE Academy (spireacademy.com) has five divisions: (1) SPIRE Academy & Camps, an accredited college-preparatory international boarding school and multi-sport/specialty training and development academy for grades 9-12 and post-grads; (2) SPIRE Leagues, Clubs & Professional Teams, including SPIRE Academy affiliated leagues and club programs; (3) SPIRE Events, a facility and associated team that host local, national and international tournaments and events with the NCAA, the Big East, Big Ten, Atlantic 10 conferences, the Olympics and world championship qualifiers; (4) SPIRE Institute, the research and development arm of SPIRE Academy, studying performance improvement across multiple disciplines through corporate affiliations and university relationships; and finally (5) SPIRE Fit, a membership-based fitness, swim, personal training and health center open to the community. Sports currently featured at SPIRE Academy include mens’ and women’s basketball, esports, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, track and field, volleyball and wrestling.
