By Sports Section Editor, Edwin Sam ’13.
Following the retirement of legendary CCDS swim coach Marshall Adams, CCD hired Benson Spurling, current Cincinnati Aquatic Club head coach, to be the new high school swim coach. Coaching since 1980, the Knoxville native and Eastern Kentucky University swimmer looks to continue the pride and tradition embodied by Adams.
Though he started swimming later than most, he began his career in remarkable fashion, qualifying for YMCA Nationals in his first year. The ensuing year, he was named a Y National All-American and placed top 16 at Y Nationals. Spurling noted, “Although I hadn’t swum very long, I got fairly competitive pretty early.” He placed 3rd in the 100m backstroke at the Tennessee State meet.
After high school, Spurling enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University where he swam both backstroke and butterfly while completing a degree in business administration. Later, he moved to Cincinnati to
obtain a teaching certification in PE and Health and a master’s degree in education. “I taught a little bit at some small places and then my coaching career became a fulltime job, so I stopped teaching. Now my teaching is coaching,” Spurling said.
Spurling’s coaching career began around 1980, when he coached at the summer club level while in college. After moving to Cincinnati with his wife five years later, he began coaching at the Clermont YMCA in 1985. Shortly thereafter, Spurling accepted an offer to coach for Cincinnati Aquatic Club (CAC), later becoming the head coach and he never looked back during his 22 years for the club.
This past year, three of Spurling’s CAC swimmers swam for the USA World team and one represented the US in the 2012 London Olympics. Nick Thoman, son of Country Day graduate Henry Thoman ’75, won the silver medal in the 100m backstroke in London and won a gold medal in the 4×00 medley relay at the 2011 World Championships. Elliot Keefer, who graduated from Milford, placed 5th in 200m breaststroke at the 2012 Olympic trials. Lastly, David Plummer placed 3rd in the 100m backstroke just behind Thoman, barely missing out on qualification for the Olympics. Putting the spectacular occasion in perspective, Spurling said, “If you follow basketball, that would be like having three NBA all-stars on the same high school team.”
Spurling noted that his workouts at CCD will be more individualized than at CAC because of the varying levels of skill in the high school game. He hopes to, “come in and have each athlete have an opportunity to reach the potential they’re trying to achieve,” and for the team to compete for league and SOSL titles, and in the future become competitive at the state level.
Having launched the careers of successful swimmers in the past, Benson Spurling hopes to do the same for the current
swimmers of CCD, focusing on the “team concept of building towards our goals of achieving the highest level we can.”
