ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 13, 1996 TAG: 9607150048
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
WHEN BRIAN MARSH JUMPS into the swimming pool, he brings with him plenty of talent and diligence. What he doesn't bring along is a wristwatch.
There are plenty of things a person could do in six hours: drive to Myrtle Beach, catch a double feature at the movies, play a round of golf (or two), shop till you drop.
Brian Marsh spends six hours a day at the pool.
Some sun-worshippers might spend six hours a day at poolside, but Marsh's time is spent in the water, endlessly swimming laps while perfecting his stroke and building his endurance.
``It's not bad,'' Marsh said after a workout Friday morning at Fallon Park, site of the swimming competition in the Commonwealth Games. ``But sometimes, when you're doing distance work, you've just got to turn your brain off.''
Marsh spent three hours in the pool Friday morning and was scheduled for another hard workout at mid-afternoon. Then, around 7 p.m., he got back into the pool and won the 400-meter individual medley, among the most grueling events in any meet.
Is it any wonder most of Marsh's childhood rivals have turned to less demanding activities?
``There's not many of us left,'' said Marsh, who still swims against Roanoker Matt McLeod, a University of Virginia sophomore, when their schedules coincide. ``I always thought of staying and getting a college scholarship. The thought of quitting never entered my mind.''
Marsh fulfilled his goal this past fall, when he signed a letter of intent with North Carolina, but it would be wrong to say his dedication never wavered. As recently as two years ago, he missed an entire summer while recovering from mononucleosis.
``When I came back, even the slowest kids were beating me,'' Marsh said. ``I was depressed. I didn't know if I could get back into it.''
Marsh, who had been with the Gators swimming program since age 8, turned to former U.S. Olympic coach Ray Bussard. Marsh has since returned to the Gators, but credits Bussard for a resurgence that culminated in the offer from North Carolina.
There was little question Marsh was scholarship material - he also had offers from Alabama and South Carolina - but he had let his classwork slide.
``I lost focus in swimming and everything went half-cocked,'' he said. ``For a while, I thought I might have a learning disability, but it was more a case of not working hard enough.''
Marsh corrected that as a senior at Patrick Henry High School. He said he had a 3.6 grade-point average as a senior and scored better than 1,000 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).
Actually, his academics have been more impressive than his swimming times of late, but that was understandable. Marsh missed a week of training after graduation while enjoying ``summer beach week'' and only recently has started to pile up the yardage.
``I really haven't done that much this summer,'' Marsh said. ``I'm just trying to get myself in good shape so I have some time to concentrate on academics when I get to school.''
Marsh is one of a select group of Roanoke-bred swimmers who have received scholarships from nationally ranked programs. Dan Summerlin, who swam for the Gators when Marsh was a pre-teen, was an 11-time ACC champion for North Carolina in the early 1990s.
``That was one of the deciding factors in me going there,'' said Marsh, 18. ``He was my idol. ... Still is.''
Summerlin, who swam in many of the same events as Marsh, was listed at 6 feet 2 and 170 pounds. Marsh is 5-8, 150, although he does not consider his relatively small stature a disadvantage.
``For distance swimming, body types range,'' Marsh said. ``In the 1970s, a guy named Brian Goodell, who was about 5-6 or 5-7, was the first guy to break the 15-minute mark in the 1,650'' freestyle.
Swimming can be as much mental as physical and Marsh admits burnout is a constant concern. The demanding training has forced him to make many sacrifices.
``I think it's cost me friendships,'' he said. ``I have friends, but not many close friends. Almost all the friends I have are through swimming or athletics. A lot of people looked at me weird in high school. They thought I was crazy.
``I couldn't go out on weekends, and that was one reason I really got sick of it. I haven't had any problems with burnout in the past year, though. I've learned that sometimes the best thing you can do is take some time off.''
At least every six hours.
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. Brian Marsh won the 400-meterby CNBindividual medley during the Commonwealth Games on Friday at Fallon
Park. Marsh will enroll at the
University of North Carolina in the fall. color.