To some, a pool is just something to swim in. But for the Saco family, it’s a tradition — a family heirloom of sorts that has been embraced and loved.
Most of all though, it’s a place of great accomplishments.
Michael Saco, a senior swimmer on the LSU swimming team, has been in the water since he was nine months old. He wasn’t just getting any old swim lesson from his mom though, this was much different.
His mother, Dacyl Saco, knows the sport of swimming inside and out as she, herself, competed in the Olympics.
Dacyl competed in the 1976 Olympic Games, just 15 years old at the time, in Montreal, Canada, for the Venezuelan National team.
“It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done,” Dacyl said.
Dacyl said she wishes she were older when she competed in the Olympics to fully appreciate the experience, but it was something she’ll never forget.
After competing for Venezuela, she moved to the U.S. for college, attending Syracuse University and continuing her swimming career in the NCAA. After her junior year, she came to a decision to completely focus on her education, so she transferred to the University of Miami where she would stay and eventually raise Michael.
Michael, a state record holder in the 50-yard freestyle in Florida, began competitive swimming when he was 10 years old, but that’s not the first time he was introduced to the water.
“I’ve been swimming pretty much my whole life,” Michael said. “My mom was always going to put me in it, but she didn’t want to put me in it too early because she figured I would burn out and just not have fun.”
Growing up, Michael was involved in sports other than swimming. Baseball was his favorite sport as a child. But eventually Michael came to realize his passion remained in swimming.
“I think the reason I really stuck with swimming is because [my mom] was so successful,” Michael said. “I always had that goal for myself, even before I began the sport, to match that kind of level.”
Dacyl said she was happy Michael wanted to be a swimmer because she understood the grinding nature of being a college athlete.
“If you don’t love the sport, you’re not going to succeed,” Dacyl said. “He worked really hard to become one of the best in the state. It’s in his heart.”
His path to success wasn’t easy, as living in the shadow of his mother’s success proved challenging.
During his high school career, Michael read articles of his personal achievements, but they were always compared to those of his mother.
“I felt like I had to live up to that,” Michael said, “I was in the newspapers and everyone was always putting that kind of pressure on me saying ‘When are you going to go to the Olympics?’ and ‘Have you qualified yet?’ So it’s definitely a huge amount of pressure.”
The responsibility of living up to the family name has pushed Michael to become his biggest critic, according to Dacyl.
“He hates to lose more than he loves to win,” Dacyl said. “There will be times where he will win races and be upset because he didn’t get the time he wanted.”
He rode this competitive nature all the way to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials after he qualified by beating the required time by almost half a second.
After qualifying, Michael said he was happy, but the feeling truly sunk in for him when he called his parents.
“It was amazing,” Dacyl said. “It felt like I was going to the Olympics all over again. He had been trying to get that time for so long and he finally did it.”
Hearing that kind of reaction from his mother is what really put Michael in the moment.
“I was thinking the whole time that these were the steps my mom took,” Michael said. “She went through here. This is what it’s like.”
The Olympic Trials proved to be a tremendous learning experience for Michael, as the qualification motivated him to continue his swimming career even as he finishes his final season at LSU.
Michael said he will either continue training in Baton Rouge with his coaches or travel to Miami to train with other Olympians.
“I can’t stop right now,” Michael said. “After all of the work I have put in … I can’t see myself stopping after SEC’s and NCAA’s. I’ll probably go for the
2016 [Olympics].”
Swimmimg: Blood is thicker than water
By Jack Chascin
February 6, 2014