Alex Ott never expected to swim for KHS. Now, though, he stands at the edge of the pool seconds before the 50 meter freestyle race, waiting for the start. The signal sounds, and Alex leaps into the pool, slicing through the water.
His mom, Mimi Butler, watches every race from the pool deck. In the summer before his sophomore year, Butler called the school in hopes that Alex, who had been swimming his entire life, could somehow get involved with the team on any level. He was hoping to swim in practices and maybe attend meets to cheer on the team. Somewhere along the way, a new swim coach, Matt Beasley, was hired, and Butler was put in touch with him. Then, expectations changed.
“My philosophy is that if you’re making practices and working hard, you deserve a chance to compete,” Beasley said. “Alex never misses a practice, and he works his hardest at every one, so he deserves a chance to race.”
Alex, junior, never thought he would swim in races. He has Moebius Syndrome, which causes partial facial paralysis, and he also suffers from vision problems, which make elements of competitive swimming like starting races off starting blocks more difficult for him. He started off the blocks during his summer season, but for the school team, it is a skill Alex is working to perfect.
“I never expected to compete,” Alex said. “The first meet that I actually swam at, I was really nervous, but when I dove in and started swimming, they all, especially Connor Hansen, last year’s captain, just lined up on the side of the pool and cheered.”
For Alex and his mom, that was a big moment. “It wasn’t like the coach told the boys to do that. They just all had that in them,” Butler said. “It wasn’t only me. There were tears in other people’s eyes.”
Alex said the team keeps him motivated to continue racing. He has made lasting friendships with team captains Zach Beuckman, senior, and Zach Smith, senior, along with other members of the team since joining last year as a sophomore.
“I just like being around everyone that’s on the team,” Alex said. “I’ve really become really good friends with some of them. They’re all great.”
According to Butler, the friends Alex has made are lifelong. Those friendships have also contributed to some major changes for Alex just in his high school career.
“He told us he really feels like he’s in high school now, being a part of the team,” Butler said.
The same work ethic Beasley recognized is what keeps Alex motivated to do better when he swims. He is still new to competition and swam on a summer competition team for the first time this year.
“I was just supposed to try my best. I wasn’t the fastest swimmer on the team by any means,” Alex said. “I’m still not, but the expectation is that everyone works hard and takes it seriously.”
The entire experience has been a learning opportunity for Alex. He has learned to shave seconds off his events, along with what it feels like to be a member of a team and find a niche in high school.
“Everybody learns,” Butler said. “He learns, the team learns. It’s really a good thing.”
Beasley recognizes Alex’s attitude as a reason for his success above all else.
“He beats other guys on the team just because he’s there every day doing what he’s supposed to be doing, and he earns his spot,” Beasley said. “That’s Alex Ott.”
