GOING THE DISTANCE
Speedos to Scalpels
by R . ALEX SWEET II , MD
There is no doubt that both medicine and athletics are two pillars of my life that have defined and shaped the person that I have become . From an early age , I had a difficult time concentrating . My mom used to make me run laps around the house to get rid of some excess energy so I could focus on my elementary school homework . It was around that time that my parents realized I had to be in sports to focus effectively on school . My dad was a collegiate swimmer at the University of Kentucky . Although he may downplay his talent , he set a school record his senior year . Sadly for him , he only held it until a hotshot freshman came in the next year and smashed it !
In middle school , I was on the swim team and played basketball . Being part of a team taught me time management and forced me to develop efficiencies that would serve me academically . Unfortunately , I was not athletically gifted as a child . I rode the bench on the basketball team and was in the “ slow ” lane in swimming , never even making the B or C relays . But I learned to show up , do my part and keep improving . I swam year-round competitively until the age of 12 when it was clear to my coaches that I really had no future in the sport .
In high school , I concentrated on basketball , but I also enjoyed being a part of the golf team . Swimming was an afterthought . With the extensive basketball training requirements , I never made it to swim practice . Our high school swim coach couldn ’ t swim and was afraid of water , but she was kind enough to volunteer as the coach so that there could be a team . Riding the coattails of some very talented high school swimmers , I made it to the state swim meet each year on relays . I was never fast enough to qualify individually . I had fun , but my heart was with basketball .
When I was making my decision to go to college , I decided to attend Washington and Lee University , a small Division III school where I hoped to walk on to the basketball team . I trained extensively after my high school basketball season ended . I was lifting , running and cross training on a daily basis . I hardly ever took a day off . As a freshman , I made the team . I was far from the most talented , but I was willing to outwork most of my peers . I wish my basketball story had a better ending but shortly after making the team it all went downhill . There was a new coach still striving to change the culture of the program . Senior leadership was having drinking parties for the team on nights before games . That team ’ s 2-23 win / loss season was far from a surprise to those that knew what was going on . I ’ m ashamed to say I took part in those parties with the rest of the team . I could blame the fact that I was a freshman and did not know better , but I was 18 and fully capable of making my own decisions . Shortly after the season began , I developed a stress fracture in my leg . Weeks later , I got sick from mononucleosis , had to be hospitalized and lost 25 pounds all over Thanksgiving break . All of a sudden , my one competitive edge , being able to out condition my competition , was gone . I was weaker , slower and just couldn ’ t keep up . That spring during my attempt to recondition , I competed in an intramural swim meet . During that meet I must have raised a few eyebrows . I was recruited hard by the swim coach and members of the team . However that summer I continued to train for basketball , never even discussing the prospect of swimming with friends or family . Nonetheless , the idea remained in the back of my mind .
I went back to school that fall to start my sophomore year . I was participating in all of the off-season workouts and drills . I was very much on the surface still trying to be a basketball player . Then one morning I woke up and walked into the basketball coach ’ s office . I really wasn ’ t sure what I was going to say or what I truly wanted to do . Before I could even utter the first word he says to me , “ Sweet , you ’ re not quitting … unless you ’ re gonna join the swim team .” As a freshman basketball player I had logged a total of three minutes , two
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