On September 13, Peddie had the privilege of welcoming back Olympic swimmer Roy-Allan Burch ’04, who delivered a speech and led a clinic for both the swim team and the rest of Peddie Aquatics. Burch swam in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He holds eight Bermudian records, including the 50m Freestyle and the 100m Freestyle. Burch currently swims for SwimMAC in North Carolina.

Recently, Burch has suffered from bilateral patella ruptures in both of his knees. He was on bed rest for many weeks with the movement of his knees severely restricted. He has had to work tremendously hard to simply be able to walk, and is still recovering. He hopes to be able to achieve his goal of swimming in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Many Peddie swimmers were moved by Burch’s story, including Andrew Garcia ’16.

“His perseverance through hard times inspires me because most people who go through what he did give up.  He has integrity and a motive to not give up on his dream,” Garcia said.

Jared Fitzgerald ‘16 agreed with Garcia.

“I truly admire his determination and how he persevered through so much, and was still able to achieve,” Fitzgerald said.

During his speech, Burch explained to the swimmers three important pieces of information, which he hoped the swimmers would take with them.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing.  Motivation determines how well you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it, He said.

As for the clinic, swimmers worked on their freestyle techniques and starts, afterward receiving autographs from Burch.

When Greg Wriede, the current coach at Peddie who coached Burch, was asked if he could foresee what Burch was going to accomplish after his time at Peddie, Wriede admitted that he didn’t.

“No. I knew he was very talented, but to see him work so incredibly hard to get where he is now is remarkable, knowing that he is not the most talented swimmer on the planet,” Wriede said. “I know everything he has gotten he has earned the hard way.”

Wriede also added, “I hoped our swimmers gained an understanding that hard work and dedication can really take you to amazing places. The ability to persevere and overcome obstacles is very important to a long career.”