HATING THE ACHIEVERS

My family recently had an eye-opening experience. I'd like to share it with you.

My daughter Larah Beaver is a Yorktown High School swimmer. She's pretty good, a high school All-American at the age of 15, and a qualifier for both the upcoming U.S. National and Junior National meets. You don't get invited to those meets because you're lazy, or because of who you know, or how wealthy your parents are--the only way to get in is to swim the qualifying times--you have to EARN it. And she did.

On November 11th, The Star Press newspaper in Muncie published a feature story about Larah to kick off its coverage of the girls high school swimming season. But it's the online comments posted by readers that are the real reason for this post.

Here's what the haters, nutjobs and fools who hide behind anonymous user names accused us of, in no particular order, and my responses.

Inaccurate accusation 1: I actually wrote the story, and submitted it to The Star Press for publication, verbatim.
FACT 1: Reporter Jesse Temple approached YHS Head Coach Brad Grieshop about doing the story last week. Temple asked for interviews with the coach, Larah, and me. All three of us agreed. Sorry to disappoint you conspiracy theorists, but I didn't write a word of it--the story is Jesse Temple's, not mine.

Inaccurate accusation 2: That we've overblown my daughter's medical condition to make for a better, more dramatic story ... and that her condition is no big deal, anyway.
FACT 2: Larah's pain is real, not imagined, not manufactured, and at times that pain is absolutely debilitating. Sometimes she can fight through it and complete a workout; other times it prevents her from even getting in the water. If you suffer from the same condition and tolerate the pain better, my hat's off to you.

Inaccurate accusation 3: That there are better swimmers than Larah at Yorktown, let alone in Delaware County.
FACT 3: The story was about girls high school swimming, not boys high school, not girls middle school or club. Adam Voss, Austin Dunn, Michael Heavilon, Dan Proctor, and yes, even Lauren Elston, are all outstanding swimmers in their own rights. The last time I checked, Adam, Austin, Michael and Dan were still male. And Lauren is a middle schooler. So much for people actually reading and comprehending the written word. Nice literacy, y'all. And just for the record, Larah is the best girls high school swimmer in Delaware County. Not because she says it, not because I say it, not even because The Star Press says it--her TIMES say it.

Inaccurate accusation 4: That Larah's parents live through her swimming.
FACT 4: I don't speak for anyone but myself. Do I live through my daughter? Absolutely not. Her life is her own. Do I live FOR my daughter? Absolutely yes. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. If you expect me to apologize for being proud of my daughter, and expressing it, you've come to the wrong place for the wrong thing. Get over it, get faster, or get lost.

Inaccurate accusation 5: That Larah owes all her accomplishments in swimming to
Jay Agnew, and that Brad Grieshop is a "wanna be" coach.
FACT 5: This one really cracks me up. It sounds like sour grapes from one of the swimming families that have picked up their ball and left Yorktown Swim Club to train with others, but you'll have to make your own judgments about that. During his tenure as YHS and YSC coach, Jay Agnew did a fantastic job bringing Larah and other swimmers along at the right pace instead of burning them out. We owe him a lot, and will forever be grateful to him. Other coaches along the way have also made a major impact, especially Emily Kowalski. But I won't allow you to demean a knowledgeable young coach because you don't like him personally. Larah had the best season of her career training under Brad Grieshop in 2008-09. The Yorktown High School boys team went to the sectional prelims last February and EVERY member of the team swam season best times that night. Again, all under the direction of Brad Grieshop. He's a good swim coach who's only going to get better--hopefully you haters won't run him off to another club or school. If that happens, YOU can serve on the next coaching search committee.

If my 20 years in news reporting taught me anything, it's this: that when people don't have any facts, they'll invent them to satisfy their own agendas. The other thing it taught me is that when you achieve at a high level, two things happen--one, so-called friends come out of the woodwork to share in your success. And two, even more people come out of the woodwork to hate you because you've done something they never could. Their pathetic, hollow little lives lack what you have, so they come after you instead of improving themselves.

So take all the personal shots you want at me, my daughter, her coach or her team. Just try using some facts, reason and logic to back up your raging idiocy next time.