Nov. 13, 2001
For nine years, that is how long Mizzou freshman Josh Boyd has been competitively swimming. However, swimming has been in his family for his entire lifetime, his mom and uncle swam competitively in college. Boyd said he was skeptical when he first visited Mizzou but after his second visit he felt he could contribute right away. It also helped that Boyd received his first ever recruiting call from Tiger head coach Brian Hoffer. "I hit it off with Coach Hoffer and the team. When I came here for my second visit there was never a time where I didn't feel comfortable," says the Spartanburg, South Carolina native.
The Tiger freshman, who swims the 500 and 1000-yard freestyle says distance swimmers have a different approach than sprinters do to training, "We (distance swimmers) train more than sprinters. We are mentally tougher and we like pain." Boyd, who won the 1000 yard freestyle against Texas A&M in says he is probably one of the most superstitious swimmers on the team, "I adjust my goggles a thousand times and I have to have my hands in front of the starting block." Boyd's victory against Texas A&M was the type of race he prefers - a close one. He likes the close races because in high-stress situations he feels pushed and he likes that feeling.
Boyd's goals for the season are to be among the top eight in the conference in the mile and be among the top 16 in the conference in the 500-yard freestyle. Boyd says qualifying for the NCAA Championships might be a long shot this year but he says not to count him out in years to come. It wouldn't be wise to be against the words of Josh Boyd.