Calvin Mar with friends at a beach in Japan during his study abroad.
Calvin Mar had a variety of options when he was making his college decision but knew he wanted to swim and attend a relatively small liberal arts college.
As the Virginia resident kept narrowing his list of choices, Centre caught his attention repeatedly because of the way it changed lives for student-athletes. Once he visited campus and got to talk to swim coach Dean Brownley, students, alumni and professors, he was sold on the Colonels.
“Everyone was excited about the school and was very convincing that they were having a good time. A couple of alumni where I am from were really excited about Centre and I knew when I left college, I wanted to feel excited just like they did,” Mar, a mathematics and computer science double major, said. “Centre’s math program is also really good. Computer science was not something I was thinking about but I took an entry level class, liked it and just kept taking classes.”
He spent the fall semester studying in Japan as part of Centre’s study abroad program. He had been to Europe, South America and across the United States and was looking for something different for his overseas travel.
“My dad is Chinese and Asia drew me for that reason. I decided on Japan and it was a very interesting country,” Mar said. “The school where I studied was very similar in size to Centre and about 45 minutes away from the closest major city.”
Since he did not have a car and the school did not have a pool, that made training difficult.
“The closest pool was about 1 1/2 hours away. I swam once a week. I would ride a bus for 15 minutes, ride a train for 15 minutes, ride another bus for 30 minutes and then walk 30 minutes to the pool,” Mar said. “Fortunately there was a gym on campus so I could work out when I couldn’t swim.”
Mar returned to the U.S. December 21 and left December 27 for the swim team training trip to Florida.
“I got back into things in a dramatic fashion. I got thrown right in the fire,” he said. “Once we got back to campus, it was easier. On the trip, it was basically nothing but swimming for a week. Now I do both swimming and school. However, I know I am not in the shape I usually am at this time of year because of studying abroad.
“My times have been kind of kayaking. Nothing super good or bad. My first meet all my times felt more like the middle of the fall. No phenomenal times to brag about but I was at least happy I did not fall apart completely.”
Marr primarily competes in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. His third event has been the 500 freestyle or 200 individual medley. Brownley decides which relays Mar will swim each meet depending on a variety of factors.
“My freshman year I was in a few more relays. Last year some freshmen replaced me but then I saw some other relays,” Mar said.
Centre will be hosting the Southern Athletic Association Championships Feb. 12-15 and Mar believes he will have “competitive times” but probably not as fast as the two previous years.
“My best events tend to be the harder events that take more training than if I was a sprinter,” Mar said. “I just am not quite as competitive right now as I would like to be but if Dean chooses to use me on the scoring roster, I know I can be effective. I might not be where I could be, but I know I can still help our team.”
Mar will have another full year of swimming to peak and produce the faster times he knows he is capable of doing. However, he’s also trying to figure out what life will be like after he graduates.
“There are thoughts of law school or maybe graduate school. There are thoughts of just going into the workforce,” Mar said. “I hope an internship this summer will help clarify what fields of work might be best for me. Last summer I did research with a professor and really enjoyed that. So we’ll just see what happens.
“That’s why I appreciate Dean and the coaching staff not having a problem with me studying in Japan this year. It was a great experience but I still have a lot more swimming-wise I want to do before I finish here.”
