Fuqua revels in her milieu, the pool
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Fuqua revels in her milieu, the pool |
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Fairport senior is devoted to swimming |
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James Johnson Staff writer October 22, 2004 - The phrase competitive swimmer is just about interchangeable with the word dedication. Practices are no parties at the pool. Improvement comes to those who swim thousands of yards a day. There is no scenery to view as you do laps. Self-motivation is key. Fairport senior co-captain Marlys Fuqua, a high honor roll student, has plenty of that. "She goes 24 hours, seven days a week for swimming,'' Red Raiders coach Mike Kennedy said. "It's been a long time since I've seen a swimmer with so much pride and work ethic. |
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"She will literally cry if she has to miss practice." Fuqua, a Section V champion in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races as a sophomore, battled an ear and sinus infection earlier this season. Here are some of the reasons why Fuqua loves her sport Are there days when even you are not so thrilled to be at practice? "Whenever I feel like I'm going to die, I tell myself that it's illegal for (coach) to kill us.'' The team here at Fairport seems to have fun with what can be a tough sport. True or false? "In the water we're serious and get the job done. Everyone pulls their weight. We enjoy being around each other. It doesn't seem mandatory. "If you're not having fun, what do you come to practice for?" Can swimmers get a little anxious this time of year? "On top of school work and everything, it's coming down to our big meet, the sectionals. Everyone wants to prove that all of their hard work has paid off. "Sometimes it's frustrating when you don't have the best meet. You get upset about it, but you have to refocus." You won two sectional titles as a sophomore and finished second in both races last season. How disappointed were you when that happened?: "I don't like to lose, but I know I tried my best, I had nothing more to give. It hurts but then again, the girl who beat me (Pittsford's Hailey Weniger) is one of my best friends. It was good to see her do well. No, you don't want to regress, but you've got to grow from it." What was your reaction to watching Kara Lynn Joyce win Olympic medals in Greece? "It's so motivating. She's made it to where all of us want to be and came from Webster, a place like this (Fairport)." Have you met Joyce? "We were at the Junior Olympics (five years ago). It (Joyce's performance) was the most amazing thing that I'd ever seen. "I remember I gave her a blow pop (sucker) as a congratulations because I had nothing else to give her! She had no idea who I was, but she was the nicest girl." What famous swimmers have you met? "Michael Phelps, of course. Amanda Beard. Jenny Thompson. I met Jenny Thompson at a USA sectional meet. We were in the 200 free, and she ended up scratching. Since she was No. 1 and I was No. 17, I moved up a spot and got to swim at night (top 16 advanced). "This is so dorky, but I said to her 'Thank you for giving me the opportunity to swim at night.' She probably thought I was weird or something.'' Finish this sentence: In 10 years, I'd like to be....: "I'd like to still swim, probably not competitively, because I'll probably be slow as a slug. I'd like to be a mom, and have little swimming kids.''
Originally published in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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