Following in the footsteps of Australian pop star Cody Simpson, swimming has lost another potential star to music, at least for now.
Former Saint Petersburg Aquatics swimmer Macy Marshburn, going by the stage name “Macy Kate,” was featured on Sunday night’s premier of the new ABC music reality show Rising Star, and received a 93% approval rating to advance to the next round.
See her performance here, last on the page.
This new format by ABC makes a significant tweak off of the standard reality-music format. Whereas most reality shows have judging done exclusively by music professionals or by after-the-fact voting, Rising Star allows viewers to vote live via their smart phones while contestants are performing. This means that exact percentages of the votes are revealed.
Macy Kate was “surprised” (though the setup of that seemed potentially staged) by being called out of the audience during the premier on Sunday night, ostensibly not knowing she was to compete. She had submitted an audition video via her Instagram account, and was chosen. She performed “Me and My Broken Heart” by Rixton.
When she performed on stage, 93% of the viewing public approved, as did the three judges: music superstars Brad Paisley, Ludacris, and the incredibly-popular-among-swimmers-two-years-ago Ke$ha. With the highest score of the night, this means that she, along with 6 other contestants from the first night, will advance to the next round.
Marshburn hasn’t competed in a USA Swmiming event since 2011 when she was 13, but her promise was already clear. Even at such a young age, she showed off impressive range and had seemingly huge potential.
Her best in the 100 breaststroke, 1:05.16, was ranked 12th in the country among 13-year olds in the 2011-2012 season, her best in the 200 of 2:20.16 ranked her 6th in the country for the same age. She came from the same St. Petersburg Aquatics program that produced U.S. National Teamers Melanie Margalis and Megan Romano.
There’s little doubt that she would have become a Division I swimmer, at least, had she so desired. Instead, it seems as though she’ll take a different career path – one in which so far, she seems poised to be equally successful.
Best times:
- 50 free – 26.10
- 100 free – 56.94
- 100 back – 1:01.72
- 200 back – 2:07.82
- 100 breast – 1:05.16
- 200 breast – 2:20.14
- 200 IM – 2:09.77
- 400 IM – 4:33.78
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She had a StageIt show planned that night and had to cancel it last minute for “something exciting that she couldn’t tell us about yet”. I doubt she’d do/say that just to be in the audience. The “surprise” was definitely staged.
“There’s little doubt that she would have become a Division I swimmer, at least, had she so desired.”
I see your point, as she was definitely a talented 13 year old. To me, though, that sentiment rings hollow. Desire is the WHOLE POINT, it’s not incidental. I realize it is not Macy claiming to have been able to do this, but if I had a nickel for every quitter that told me what they could have done I’d be retired in Hawaii.
NONA – part of what we have to do at SwimSwam, like any good journalists, is to give perspective. Not every one of our readers will look at those times and know just how fast that means she was at 13, so we have to give them some context (especially given the subject matter which may draw in a different audience). This is not a high-level, motivational training piece for experienced coaches and serious Olympic level athletes.