Freshman swimmer Tom Miazga is easy to spot at Saint Louis University swim meets. He’s the one who sits on top of the starting block before the starting gun.
He’s also the one who competed in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing and is focused on the Paralympic World Championship Trials, March 25-27, in San Antonio.
Miazga has a type of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic diplegia, which causes spasticity in his leg muscles (spasticity is a condition that causes muscles to spontaneously tighten and contract). Although he tries to walk as much as possible, he often uses his wheelchair to get around.
“To sum it up, with my Cerebral Palsy, my legs are pretty tight all the time,” Miazga said. “If my legs get too cold or just extremely tired, I will start to spasm pretty good and, I’ll be the first to tell you, it doesn’t feel too good.”
This spasticity is the reason Miazga uses his unconventional starting technique.
“I used to stand on the block like everyone else, but I would lose a significant amount of time because it was hard to get the forward momentum. Now I sit on the block, place my feet on the backstroke start bar and launch myself forward. It is significantly faster and I get out just as far,” Miazga said.
Jim Halliburton, head swimming and diving coach at SLU, was straightforward with Miazga about his chances of swimming at SLU.
“I told him I would give him every opportunity to try to make the team and swim with us. Even if he didn’t make the team, we were going to let him train with us,” Halliburton said.
Miazga was not only able to make the team, but also to compete at the Atlantic 10 Championships in the 100M backstroke. His time, 1:05, was a two-second improvement from the beginning of the year.
“I thought it would be good for the team to see somebody like Tom who had some difficulties but worked really hard. Other people, without Tom there, might have a tendency to complain … With Tom on the team, I think we have less of that,” Halliburton said.
Miazga’s work ethic is a source of encouragement for his teammates. And his training continues after the season with SLU is over. Right now, Miazga is preparing for the Paralympic World Championships. Miazga is currently No. 4 in the world in the 100 M backstroke. His goal in San Antonio is to crack into the top three.
“This is an extremely momentous opportunity,” Miazga said. “To be considered one of the fastest swimmers in the world, and to get to represent my country, doing something I love, well, I couldn’t ask for more. Knowing all my hard work has paid off has not only been incredibly rewarding, but also soothing. The great part about all of this is that it has just begun.”
