Hamilton a surprising swimmer

It seemed like one of those things, so Shamond Hamilton said, yea, sure ...

'Little did he and others know at the time that he would follow through on it. And enjoy it.

Hamilton, a three-year starter at running back for Mullen, was casually asked the past fall about joining the Mustangs boys swimming and diving team for the spring season. Keep in mind there has been little crossover historically between football and swimming in the prep ranks, the Mustangs are in the always powerful Centennial League and Hamilton had never even dreamed about swimming competitively, let alone actually jumping in the pool with the best Colorado has to offer.

But there was something between Hamilton, Susan Stone, the boys swimming coach, and her husband, Steve, who assisted with the football team.

“We had two meetings before the season started and I thought he was kidding,” Susan Stone said. “And I said to him, ‘You’re not going to swim.’ But he came to the second meeting and I said, ‘You’re serious.’ I have a soft spot for him anyways. So I asked him about his swimming.”

And she got her answer.

“They thought I was just playing at first and I went out that first day and I could barely do one lap,” Hamilton said. “I thought that this will help me stay in shape and I don’t do track, so I decided to stay on the team because it was something different and better than sitting at home and doing nothing.”

It really was that simple. A non-swimmer became a swimmer.

“So I said to him, ‘What’s your swimming ability?’ And he said, “I can swim,’” Stone said. “We got together and he swam a couple of times. He went under water like a 5-year-old, he took a couple of strokes and learned to blow bubbles.”

However, Stone added that “right away I could tell he was serious. I think he wanted to prove all the doubters wrong and be successful, maybe prove he was more than just a football player.”

Hamilton said swimming “is different than football,” but not unlike running into an All-Colorado linebacker. It was tough. “Swimming is like nothing I’ve ever done,” he said. “It works all the muscles and after practice I really just wanted to crawl out of the pool and take a nap.”

This wasn’t the case of a coach being charitable. Hamilton earned his way. And Stone saw to it, being impressed by her new competitor’s diligence.

Despite being relegated to the B team, Hamilton competed in the 50-yard free style, medley relay and 200 free relay. And his most success? It came in the 100 breaststroke, where he finished second at the B league meet in 1 minute, 44 seconds. He had another goal of breaking 30 seconds in the 50 free, but had to settle for 30.24.

Not bad for a CSU-Pueblo signee who was used to gaining yards, not swimming them.

“It was great, great for the program and for those other kids to see someone like him to go out for the swim team,” Stone said. “No experience, never done it and you can see him do it and be successful.

“He was a very hard worker, very coachable, very dedicated.”

Better yet, Stone added, “none of the kids on the team are Shamond’s friends, so he earned a lot of new ones.”

Mustangs head football coach Tom Thenell said he was moved by Hamilton’s work ethic and willingness to adapt.

“It surprised us all and yet I think Shamond is in a place where he has come through our school and is not afraid to take a risk, so to speak, not afraid to maybe do some things outside of the box that were good for him,” the coach said. “I think he’s a happy kid.”

Hamilton, who said he will study athletic training and business at CSU-Pueblo, brought his senior GPA up to 3.8 and his cumulative near 3.0. He said
he owes Mullen a lot in the areas of academics, athletics and character, and enjoyed himself immensely.

Plus, if he should find himself at a pool or a beach with friends, he won’t be afraid to go into the water. He knows he can now handle himself.

“And I won’t drown,” he said with a hearty laugh.