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Diabetes doesn’t slow Preston in pool
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Lakeview senior Nick Preston swims laps Thursday in the pool at Youngstown State University. Preston, who has type 1 diabetes, is a four-time district qualifier and is seeded 19th in the 500-yard freestyle and 21st in the 200 free for today’s district meet at Cleveland State.
Diabetes doesn’t slow Preston in pool
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
The first words out of his coach’s mouth were “He’s special” but Lakeview senior swimmer Nicholas Preston seems to have impressed everyone but himself.
Ask him about swimming the 500-yard freestyle and he’ll joke about how, the second time he swam it, his goggles fell off during the first lap.
Ask him about choosing swimming over other sports and he’ll laugh and say, “Well, I’m not very coordinated, so nothing else worked out.”
Ask him about his 3.3 grade point average and he’ll shrug and say, “I’m just an average student.”
And if you ask him about swimming with an insulin pump inside his swimsuit, he’ll act as though it’s just a minor nuisance, like a loose strap on his goggles.
So if you want the truth, you’re better off asking his coach, Frank Supancic. Because you’ll get a very different story.
“He’s one of the most incredible people I’ve ever been around,” Supancic said. “He just makes me work harder. He makes me a better person.
“He’s just so special. And you don’t get those all the time.”
Preston has type 1 diabetes, which is difficult to regulate under normal circumstances, much less when you’re training for swimming’s longest races. Preston’s father was a diver and his cousins swam, so his mom suggested he try swimming, believing it would keep him fit and healthy.
“I wasn’t great at the beginning,” Preston said, “but it was the only sport that I really enjoyed.”
He started working with Supancic when he was 6 and there have been plenty of nights when Preston has had to skip practice or leave the pool because he wasn’t feeling well.
“For a number of years, I carried a tube of cake icing in the back of my pocket in case his blood sugar ran low,” Supancic said. “He struggled at first. His diabetes basically controlled him for a number of years but once his body adapted to his swimming regimen, his diabetes had less and less control.
“Sometimes in the middle or practice, he’ll raise his hand and say he doesn’t feel well, but I’ll tell you right now — he’s not getting out of the water because he’s lazy. If he didn’t have his condition, he would never get out of the water.”
While rare, it’s not unprecedented for athletes to compete with type 1 diabetes. Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has it, as does former Olympic swimmer Gary Hall, who won five gold medals and 10 overall at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games.
On race days, Preston checks his blood sugar every 15-20 minutes — “Even if I’m a little high or a little low, it really throws me off and I don’t swim as fast,” he said — and brings a note from his doctor for meet officials, in case someone asks about the waterproof insulin pump in his swimsuit.
“A lot of people don’t even know I have it,” he said of the pump. “I don’t show it off. I just get it out when I need to.”
A four-time district qualifier, Preston swam personal bests in the 200 and 500 freestyle at last week’s sectional meet. He’s seeded 19th in the 500 and 21st in the 200 for today’s district meet at Cleveland State.
Preston knows this could be his last meet — he’ll need to drop his times significantly to qualify for next week’s state meet and he’s planning to attend Ohio University next year, which doesn’t have a men’s team — but he’s confident he’s done everything he can.
“Going to state would be really nice, obviously,” he said. “But dropping time is always my main goal.”
“My biggest thing with Nicholas is, if this meet is his last meet, then he leaves a winner,” Supancic added.
At this, Supancic started getting choked up and said, “He’s going to be a winner no matter what. He’s a great kid. He’s gonna be a great citizen. He’s gonna be a great parent. He’s going to be solid.
“And I’m going to miss him.”