Samantha Laughlin and Ross Spock used to share the same pool as
teammates on the Bluewater Bay Barracudas as baby-faced
9-year-olds.
Earlier this year, it was Laughlin and Spock who turned in the
fastest combined times to win a short pentathlon at Parkwood
Pool.
The two long-time friends were also there to cheer on the other
during last November’s Class 2A state swim meet in Orlando.
Laughlin, a Fort Walton Beach senior, finished fourth in the 100
backstroke and ninth in the 50 freestyle while Spock, a senior at
Niceville, punctuated his prep career by capturing the gold in the
100 backstroke.
Now, the two friends have something else in common as they have
been named the All Sports Association/Daily News Swimmers of the
Year.
Laughlin, who will continue her swimming career at the Air Force
Academy, used the state meet to further etch her name in
Vikings’ swimming lore, capturing two top 10 finishes after
helping Fort Walton Beach earn a second straight Okaloosa County
Championship crown and a second-place finish at
districts.
Individually, Laughlin was peerless, setting school records in the
50 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay as well as the 100 back.
After earning a runner-up finish at regionals in the 100 back,
Laughlin turned in an All-American time of 57.93 to take fourth at
the state meet.
After briefly leaving the area due to her dad’s obligations
with the Air Force, Laughlin’s return to Fort Walton Beach
was a smashing success.
“I was super-happy with it,” Laughlin said. “It
was so much fun. Coming into my senior year and to be able to win
so much was awesome.”
Vikings coach Pam Braseth, who coached Laughlin on those Barracuda
teams, relished the opportunity to take in the senior’s
development.
“Obviously to watch her, I was very excited to see her
realize some of her goals,” Braseth said. “It’s
always nice to be able to watch somebody from when they were little
realize their goals when they get older.”
Braseth was commenting on Laughlin, but her words could just as
easily been used in reference to Spock, who was also the Swimmer of
the Year in 2007.
Having earned a fifth-place finish at the state meet a year ago,
Spock said it was during the medal ceremony that he began to turn
his attention toward a return engagement in
’09.
“Everybody was so much bigger than I was,” Spock said.
“I didn’t think I could ever be like that, but then I
started working out to improve my swimming.”
Spock put on nearly 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason thanks in
large part to a workout regimen that stressed building strength but
not at the cost of losing flexibility. The results were evident
from the early going as Spock re-established himself as an area
force, highlighted by his first-place regional finishes in both the
100 free and 100 back, the latter of which he never suffered a
loss.
“He just came back and built on what he did the year
before,” Niceville coach Kathy Ritacco said. “For years
he heard he was too short … He proved that if you have the
passion, you can achieve your goals. He was the perfect example of
that. I’m really proud of the growth he has had all
around.”
It was just a year-and-a-half ago that Spock nearly dropped
swimming altogether. Fortunately, Spock’s friends
wouldn’t allow it.
“All my friends told me, ‘You should keep going,
you’re an amazing swimmer and you shouldn’t throw it
away,’ ” Spock recalled with a laugh.
As it turned out, Spock’s swimming ability, along with an
even more impressive academic performance in the classroom, landed
him an athletic scholarship to Emory University in
Atlanta.
“I think it’s going to be a lot different from high
school swimming,” Spock said. “I can’t
wait.”
