Sugar Creek Swim Club member Luke Spencer can lay claim to beating two-time U.S. Olympic Gold medal swimmer Jason Lezak.

As part of this past Saturday's Mutual of Omaha Breakout! Swim Clinic in Indianapolis, 150 participants had the opportunity to face off against two of the world's top swimmers - 2000 Olympic gold medalist Misty Hyman and Lezak.

They took turns racing against the elite-level competitors, with Spencer taking on Lezak.

And the 13-year-old Spencer will take this victory.

Even if he did have a one-second head start and Lezak didn't give a full all-out effort.

"I got to race him. He gave me a one-second head start and didn't try, but I beat him," said Spencer, a Northridge Middle School seventh-grader. "They were older. But that was what makes them more legendary. Working with Jason Lezak who had that legendary anchor leg [in the 400 freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics] and to see him as a [33]-year-old was really awesome."

Eight Sugar Creek Swim Club members participated in the Mutual of Omaha Breakout! Swim Clinic sponsored by Indiana Swimming at North Central High School in Indianapolis.

Sugar Creek Swim Club coaches Mark Hesse and Sarah Dowd, along with swimmers Cami McGrady; Clare McGrady; Alex McDonald; Jessica Priebe; Alyssa Corp; Charles Frey; Lauren Odle; and Spencer attended the clinic, which was part of the Indiana Swimming annual meeting.

Swimmers from any club in Indiana could attend the clinic which was open to them on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Clinics are offered throughout the United States this fall and winter.

They offer swimmers the chance to reverse bad habits and build new skills, with help from elite-level swimmers.

Youth also received small-group instruction on the four swimming strokes (breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle and butterfly) and learn how their body, mind and heart can affect swimming, according to the clinic's Web site.

Some Sugar Creek Swim Club members have already put those instructions to work.

After attending the clinic, 11-year-old Claire McGrady has a new swimming set practice plan.

Hyman advised participants to take five kicks before coming up out of the water during practices and three during meets.

"I've tried hard to do it. I just couldn't get it down very well. But I'm going to keep practicing on it," said McGrady, a Southeast Fountain Elementary School sixth-grader.

Claire's younger sister, Cami, said she learned better ways to perform leg kicking and breathing sets. She's also worked on those in practice, along with her stroke technique.

But 8-year-old Cami liked one part of the clinic even better.

"It was cool because we got to get their autographs," said Cami, a Southeast Fountain Elementary School third-grader.

Spencer thinks this clinic will help him reach a new level - especially with his underwater dolphin kick and in the freestyle.

Having two Olympians explain how they practice them will remain etched in his mind forever.

"Having Misty Hyman give us more detail on how to do the underwater dolphin kick and butterfly will definitely help me and stick into my brain much better now that I've heard her talk about it," Spencer said. "With Lezak and the freestyle and watching him do it and helping us, that was really helpful. He helped us out with our strokes. He made sure our form for every part of our pull and kick was correct so that we can fix that in practice so we could do it in a race."

By John Groth
Sports Editor