Spencer Walker grew up in a family of swimming coaches.
That might explain why his father, coach Scott Walker, mentions Spencer’s high IQ in the sport.
“He knows his body,” said Scott Walker, the longtime boys coach at Lyons.
Spencer Walker said he has turned the 20-lap 500 into a game. He said he will decide in the first or second lap how he will approach the race.
“I’ll see how good I’m progressing,” Spencer Walker said. “I will either hold back (early) and come back, or just go all out.”
Spencer Walker, a sophomore, has emerged as one of Lyons’ top swimmers in his second year as a varsity swimmer for his dad. The father-son combination helped lead Lyons to second place at its own invitational Saturday, Jan. 30, as Naperville Central (312 points) won the six-team meet. Lyons scored 268 points in the final invite of the season before the West Suburban Silver Meet Feb. 6 at Downers Grove North.
Spencer Walker was part of Lyons’ winning 200-yard medley relay (1 minute, 36.84 seconds) with Weston Credit, Henry Claesson and Ryan Hammond, and finished second in the 500 freestyle (4:49.45) and the 100 backstroke (53.81).
Spencer Walker has already finished under the state qualifying time of 53.63 in the 100 back and is close to reaching the state cuts in his other events.
He grew up around a pool, since both of his parents are swimming coaches. Scott Walker has coached Lyons’ boys since 1996 and was the girls coach from 1994-2011. Scott Walker and his wife, Melanie, both coach at the Bullets Academy at Riverside-Brookfield.
Both of Scott Walker’s brothers are swim coaches. Robin Walker is the girls swim coach at Glenbrook North and Rick Walker coaches Southern Illinois’ men’s and women’s swim teams. Like brother Scott, Rick Walker is coaching his daughter and Spencer’s cousin, Kelsie Walker, at SIU.
The three Walker brothers were swimmers in Kankakee and Robin Walker is Spencer’s godfather.
“When (Spencer) started swimming, he was pretty much on the deck all the time,” Scott Walker said. “But I prefer, most of the time, to have other coaches coach him.”
Spencer Walker said he and his father rarely talk about swimming away from the pool. Scott Walker said he won’t bring up swimming unless Spencer asks, and won’t talk with his son about Spencer’s teammates.
“We stay clear of it,” Spencer Walker said. “We don’t talk much about it. It takes my mind off it. If we do talk about it, I bring it up.
New Hornet
Senior Haddy Khatib transferred from Lockport to Hinsdale South for his senior year and has emerged as one of the Hornets’ top swimmers.
He placed eighth (58.96) in the 100 back at Lyons, but faces a sizeable drop in order to make the state cut of 53.63.
Khatib said being a member of the swim team helped ease the move.
“I did not completely hate it. Overall, it’s been OK,” Khatib said. “Swimming helps a lot. I already knew some people around the school a little bit. It gets me out of the house a little bit when I go eat with teammates.”
The Hornets finished sixth with 125 points.
Fluharty perfects flips
Oak Park-River Forest senior Joshua Fluharty has the same goals as nearly every top swimmer in the state: Make the finals.
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He reached the state meet last season in his favorite event, the 50 free, and placed 32nd. Fluharty has already made state qualifying times in both the 50 free and 100 free.
He met the state cut in the 50 again on Saturday with a winning time of 21.71 at the Lyons Invitational. He also won the 100 free in 48.02, just off the cut of 47.48, to help OPRF place third (208).
“I have been working on my turns,” Fluharty said. “(Qualifying in both) has been my goal from the beginning. I have stepped up in terms of my strokes that I am working on — my flip turn and staying streamlined as I come out of it.”
Back at York
York junior Alex Marlott placed fourth (56.84) in the 100 back and is looking ahead to the state meet. Unlike last season when Marlott appeared in different events, all of Marlott’s focus this season has been on one stroke.
“I found (my event) with the back,” Marlott said. “It’s my strongest suit. I have the legs to do it. It’s a different stroke because everyone else likes to be over their stomach.”
York, which placed fifth (136), took sixth in medley relay, fifth in 200 free relay and sixth in 400 free relay.
Twitter @geomwilcox