He looks around in his first high school meet trying to figure out where to go. Competitors rush past him trying to get to the blocks. A teammate notices, offers him a smile, and leads him to position. He grins and puts his goggles on. The starter beeps and he dives into the water.
Sophomore Peter Marvin is part of the inclusion program at the school. He is the first person with Down Syndrome to participate on a sports team at De Smet.
“We’ve had some experiences where he was not encouraged, and he was not nearly as welcome,” Peter’s mom Amy Marvin said. “So it’s really heartwarming and touching for his dad and I to be able to see how the team has embraced and encouraged and watched out for him.”
Peter grew up in a family of swimmers, which led to him starting his career at the age of four. He began with lessons from his uncle to become water safe which turned into joining the Shrewsbury swim team when he was eight. He participated in the Special Olympics when he was 12.
“He likes to win gold medals,” Mrs. Marvin said. “He loves the feel of the water. He’s a natural swimmer.”
Instead of joining the swim team last year as a freshman, he decided to wait a year because of the new school and environment. He worked on a swim team with the school’s swim coach Qi Franz this summer which got him used to swimming every day. Peter has been attending practices for the school every day just like all the swimmers.
“It was hard for him, he was tired after school,” Franz said. “But Peter is smarter than most people think. He’s more committed than a lot of people on the team.”
As Peter touches the wall in his 50 freestyle race he looks up to see both teams, the stands, and the parents erupt in cheer. Although he’s exhausted and breathing heavily, this doesn’t stop a smile from spreading across his face.
“I know he’s so proud to be a Spartan,” Mrs. Marvin said. “We see what happens during school and what happens on the swim team which ends up as the rest of life. So it’s heartwarming and encouraging to see how [the school] has encouraged and looked out for him.”
