Rafael Spear spent the first 14 years of his life in Columbus, but it wasn’t until he moved to Texas that he took up competitive swimming.
So when Spear moved back to Columbus in August, he joined Donner Swim Club and the Columbus North High School swim team. Now a senior, he’s the top sprinter for the Bull Frogs, who are set to compete in the Conference Indiana meet Saturday at Indiana University.
"I really wanted to keep swimming, so I showed up for my first day of school and I said (to coach Logan Schaefer), ‘Hey, can I join the club?’" Spear said. "He gave me some forms, and I filled those out, and then I just started showing up."
Although he played some football, basketball, baseball and soccer growing up in Columbus and played football in middle school, Spear’s splash into swimming came about two years ago. His family moved to Spring, Texas, midway through his freshman year, and at the end of his sophomore year, his best friend invited him to swim practice.
"He was like, ‘Hey Raf, do you want to come and swim with me?’" Spear said. "I was like, ‘Sure.’ I was actually thinking about running track until then, and I ended up becoming a swimmer."
That summer, Spear swam for a club team. He joined the Klein Oak High School team as a junior and was primarily a junior varsity competitor with a top 50-yard freestyle time in the 24-second range.
But after moving back to Columbus, Spear’s times have dropped. He has gone 22.8 in 50 freestyle this high school season to become North’s top swimmer in that event.
"He’s given us fantastic energy," Schaefer said. "He’s been a very coachable athlete, a very hard-working athlete, willing to do whatever he’s asked to do. He’s been a great leader for our team in an event where we were looking for some leadership this year."
Spear also swims the 100 freestyle, the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay.
"He’s blossomed," Schaefer said. "He loves the water, loves pushing himself, and all those things have come together to get him to where he is today."
Spear would like to swim in college, perhaps at BYU, where his father — also named Rafael — is an alumnus. But first, he wants to make the most of what is left of his only season with the Bull Frogs.
"I think there’s a lot we can still learn in this upcoming 40 days we have left," Spear said. "I want to go as fast as I can go."
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What: Conference Indiana boys and girls swimming and diving meet
When: Saturday, 8:30 a.m. (diving), 9 a.m. (swimming)
Where: Indiana University Aquatic Center
Teams: Columbus North, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Southport, Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South
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