Learning to swim at 3 years old, Thomas Showers has always loved the pool. Now, as a senior backstroke/freestyle swimmer for the Eastern men’s swimming team, he gets to continue on a tradition in his life almost as old as swimming – sharing the pool with his brother Cody. Staff Reporter Richard Morse had a chance to sit down with Thomas to discuss his swimming career, memories with his brother and career aspirations.

Who has been the most influential person?

My high school coach, my club coach and the girls that taught me how to swim when I was three. They were twins that lived next door to me, and they swam in college. One of them swam for Indian River Community College, and the other one swam for Kenyon College.

How does this year’s team differ from past teams?

This year’s team is way more extreme in practicing. We practice more intense because of our new coach. I enjoyed swimming for Ray (Padovan). I did well with Ray. I swam the best meet of my life last year at conference that was with Ray. But this year I’m anxious to see what I can do with the different training, and I think that this year’s team, we were always focused on being faster, but I think this year’s team is more on top of things than it was last year.

Did you play any other sports in high school?

In high school I never played any other sports. In grade school I played baseball.

What is your favorite thing to do with your free time?

I probably sound like a fat kid, but going out to eat either here in Charleston or in Mattoon. My second favorite thing to do is just chill at my house with my roommates. I have a pretty good relationship with them.

What’s it like to swim with your brother Cody?

I’ve always shared the pool with Cody, its fun, and yet at the same time I have to be an older brother at some point. I have to motivate him and whatnot. My younger brother Cody, he has a certain way, you can’t yell at him to get him going. He’ll just shut down if you yell at him just to tick me off. It’s always fun because we’ve always raced, even though we don’t swim the same events, but in practice we compete against each other because it’s fun. We’ve always done things together.

Does the team have any nicknames for you?

When you’re a freshman, everybody is given a nickname. The seniors my freshman year nicknamed me Otis, I don’t know why. It’s probably because when I introduced myself to a swimmer the first night, and he asked me my name, and I said Thomas. And he said, ‘Otis, what the hell?’ And I said, ‘No, Thomas,’ He said, ‘OK, whatever Otis.’

What are some favorite swimming memories?

When I was swimming for (Mick) Nelsons’ swimming, which was my club team, getting yelled at by Mick Nelson, if you did something wrong, he would throw a kickboard at you. Not throw it hard, but toss it so it would land next to you, and he would yell at you. He was pretty strict, but that’s how you learn.

Which race do you like to swim and why?

I like backstroke because I’m faster at it I believe in the event, but freestyle, I like to see where I’m going. So I’d say I like freestyle.

What are your plans after you are done swimming?

I have an extra semester next year, and I’m going to live down in Charleston for an extra year. After I graduate in December, I’m going to stay down here and learn how to fly in Mattoon.

Once I get my private pilots license, then I’m going to while I’m learning how to fly. I’m going to apply somewhere around here or in Danville where I’m from for jobs as a police officer.

My family has a history of police officers, so I want to keep the tradition on.

And then after being a police officer for a few years, I want to apply to the Air National Guard to be a fighter pilot, I’ve always wanted to do that.

How do you balance schoolwork and your sport?

I wouldn’t say I’m the best student, as a swimmer I have to do four study hours a week. It’s pretty tough. School is like a first job, and swimming is like a second job. That’s all I really do, go to class, then to swim practice, then home to study and back here to Lantz to study and try to eat lunch and dinner in between. It’s pretty tough.

What are your thoughts on Matt Bos this year?

I think the cuts were necessary. Even though there were lots of kids that were willing to put in the time and work their butts off, yet they still wouldn’t have been fast enough to score in conference, or in the meets, they would have had to swim exhibition.

I think it as a good thing I think Matt Bos has done a lot of good things. Ray, I think was ready to retire a couple years ago.

He just stuck around trying to find the best coach that we needed. Ray found the good coach, what we needed here. He found it.

Matt Bos knows exactly what that is. Ray is a good guy, a great coach. I enjoyed swimming for him.

His hard training compared to Rays’, I think I would be a whole lot faster had he been here a few years ago. Everything happens for a reason, and I think that (getting faster) is going to happen for my brother.

How do you feel about the weather outside?

I love snow, since I was about 8 or 9 years old. My dad used to have two trucks with plows on them, and when he would go plow, my brother and I would go shovel.

Quick Hits

Breakfast Cereal: Oatmeal squares

Sports team: Bears

Teammate: My brother Cody

Song: Alone I Break by Korn

TV Show: Nip/tuck

Color: White

Cartoon Character: Tom and Jerry

Super Hero: Spiderman

Richard Morse can be reached at 581-7944 or at rjmorse@eiu.edu.

Eastern senior swimmer Thomas Showers and the rest of the Panthers are nearing the end of the season and approaching the Summit League meet. Showers will graduate in December. (Alycia Rockey/The Daily Eastern News)

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