Raphael Marcoux Swimmer of the Year
Raphael Marcoux Named Florida High School Dairy Association Male Swimmer of the Year
February 6, 2015—Raphael Marcoux a junior at Fort Lauderdale High School (and Swim Fort Lauderdale) can add Mr. Swimming to his impressive swimming resume.
The Canadian-born swimmer was named Florida High School Dairy Association Swimmer of the Year for 2014-15.
“This is definitely icing on the cake in terms of high school swimming,” Marcoux said. “The season ended in November with states, best times, awards and team recognition for performance.
“With this award coming a few months later, it’s a good way to end my junior high school season.”
After a disappointing sophomore season, Marcoux and his Swim Fort Lauderdale coach Dave Gibson changed his training regimen, adding more sprint workouts.
“My training changed,” Marcoux said. “With more sprinting in workouts as opposed to longer workouts, I became a lot more motivated. After a year of not dropping times it was frustrating. I knew I had to do something. When we made the training modifications it helped me psychologically and physically. It rekindled my motivation in swimming.
“I had a much better season my junior year,” Marcoux said. “I was looking forward to dropping time and I dropped a lot more than I expected, so I was happy about that.”
Marcoux, 16, won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles at the state 3A meet. He became the first swimmer at Fort Lauderdale to win a state title since 1999, and the first to win two events in the same year since 1984.
Marcoux earned automatic All-American and career-best times in the 50 freestyle in 20.61 and 100 freestyle in 45.17.
Now Marcoux is focused on club swimming.
After three weeks out of the water because of a virus, Marcoux is working his way back into shape for sectionals and senior championships.
“This week has been a good week of training for me,” Marcoux said. “I am progressing getting back in shape. From barely being able to train for an hour to two hours and main workouts, I am close to 100 percent.
“I am so looking forward to those meets,” Marcoux said. “Senior champs is one of the last big short course meets. I am looking forward to going best times.”
Marcoux would not only like to see time drops in his specialty events, the 50 and 100 freestyles, but also the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley.
Marcoux, born in Quebec, Canada, has dual citizenship since his mother was born in the U.S.
“I like competing in the U.S., it’s a lot more competitive,” Marcoux said. “I know my competition a lot more here and I feel more comfortable.”
While he would love to compete for the U.S., Marcoux hasn’t ruled out competing for Canada.
At last year’s Age Group National Meet in Canada, he dropped his long course times, won the 50 butterfly and finished third in the 50 and 100 freestyles. At the end of July, he will return to Canada for age group nationals.
“I am really looking forward to that meet and the high school season,” Marcoux said. “It’s really about dropping times.”
Marcoux said the highlight of his high school career “without a doubt” was cracking the 21-second barrier in the 50 freestyle. At 14, he went 21.07, then his biggest career drop. But he was stuck on that time for his entire sophomore year.
“It was hard to stay motivated because I was trying to go under 21 so many times,” he said.
Then at regionals, he went 20.92 followed up by 20.61 at states.
“When you go significantly under 21 it’s definitely the highlight moment,” Marcoux said. “You look at the scoreboard and it’s just a great feeling.”
In the Florida High School Dairy Association voting, Marcoux was selected over a large field of talented swimmers from around the state.
Swimming talent seems to run in the Marcoux family. His younger brother, Philippe, a sophomore, was second in the 100-yard freestyle at the state meet.