“I say I’m more of a fish than a human. I just can’t get out of the water.”

Benjamin Fox found his passion at just nine years old, when his parents signed him up for a club swim team.

What You Need To Know

  • This scholar athlete is excelling at both sports and academics

  • He clinched a spot for YMCA Nationals in the 100-Yard Backstroke

  • Fox managed to get a perfect GPA throughout the last four years of school

  • His secret sauce is time management

“I just love the competitive nature of it. It’s just that feeling when you get out of the water and you’ve done it. It’s just amazing,” Fox smiled.

Fox has spent nearly half of his life in the pool. His years as a swimmer are filled with many exciting memories, however, the moment he will remember most happened his junior year.

“I will never forget junior year at the state championship meet with all the YMCA teams, because I was really trying to get the time for Y nationals. And it took quite some effort to achieve,” Fox remembers.

He was hoping to qualify for YMCA nationals in the 100-yard backstroke. During preliminaries, Fox was just one second off the qualifying pace. Over the course of the meet, he clocked four more times, missing the required time by milliseconds. Finally, in the last time trial, he was able to clinch a spot. 

“[If I’ve learned anything from swimming] it’s that the road to success is very long and difficult to get through and sometimes you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s definitely there,” Fox said.

Fox also competed in the 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, and 100 butterfly. He qualified for the high school state championships two years in a row. If you asked his parents, they’d say backstroke is his best stroke, but Fox believes differently.

“People think I’m crazy,” Fox laughed. “They’re like, ‘You like fly, how? It’s the hardest stroke.’ And I always think, ‘Backstroke is harder.’”

The high school graduate said he thinks he has a knack for shrugging off what others might deem difficult. With multiple Advanced Placement courses, serving as captain of both his high school and YMCA teams, a busy practice schedule, and a seemingly never-ending resume of activities, “challenging” would not be the only way to describe this scholar athlete’s high school schedule. Fox was also a member of his school’s cross country and archery teams.

“I think it all comes down to time management. With all the sports I’m juggling, it’s one hundred percent necessary to make sure I keep track of what I need to get done and how long it’s gonna take me,” Fox commented.

Fox found a way to master his time. He maintained a perfect grade point average throughout his last four years. In his limited free time, he also participated in the National Honors Society, volunteered with Autism Speaks, and was the assistant swim coach for the Catholic Youth Organization “Tri-M Swim Team.” Fox hoped to inspire the kids not only in the pool.

“I hope that I’m someone they can look up to and someone that is there for them, beyond just being a coach,” Fox said. “Swimming to me is just so much more, and I hope they were able to get a few life lessons out of it l like I have over the years.”

Fox will continue hitting the pool hard next year at Gettysburg College. He hopes to pursue not only his swimming goals but also a path towards pre-law or political science. 

“Swimming is a humbling learning experience. It’s taught me that even if you try as hard as you want, you might not get to where you want,” Fox commented. “It’s all about what you bring to the table that day. But when you put in the effort, the payout makes it all worth it.”