W&M Tribe’s Chris Dong Leads Teammates While Staying Dry

william-mary-chris-dong
Photo Courtesy: Chris Dong

By Will Manion, Swimming World College Intern

Chris Dong truly embodies what William and Mary refers to as “Tribe Pride.” Chris is an elite athlete who puts his team before himself. He is unlike any leader on any other team. He has implemented his own means to change the culture swimmers know all too well on your typical pool deck both in practice and against the toughest competition in the Colonial Athletic Association. And he has done all this while being unable to compete most of the last season due to injuries.

We all have those teammates who are injured and end up sitting out a set. Sometimes it is easy for us to look across the pool and be envious of those missing out on a best average threshold workout, especially with half of the daunting set left to swim.

Instead, I see Chris Dong doing a wall sit for as long as I have been swimming, with our massive Gatorade cooler resting on his lap. My teammate may be unable to complete the set due to his shoulder injuries, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel the absolute necessity to outwork us on the deck.

At swim meets, he refuses to be outworked in another way…

“COME ON TRIBE!”

I’m behind the blocks about to swim my 200 free against Old Dominion University’s best. Chatter in the stands facilitated by spectators is audible and it’s all about Chris.

“When is he going to swim?”
“He must be next…”
“Chris has been behind the blocks for several heats, he must be swimming 100 breast.”

Typically, no one is sure exactly when Chris Dong is going to swim. Although donning a Speedo, he was not able to swim many meets this year due to injuries.

However, he is behind the blocks at every meet, at the start of every race, usually not to swim, but to cheer on every teammate. While teams mark their territory along the sides of the pool, Chris firmly establishes his place behind the starting end blocks. He runs from lane to lane to ensure that all teammates in the pool benefit from his positive attitude.

The 200 free is not one of my better events, but my coaches have expectations for me to get on the wall first, despite a lack of rest. A familiar voice rings in my head…. “COME ON TRIBE!” This encouragement from just a few feet away is what I need to help me let go of my tense nerves and give me confidence for my race.

Most swimmers participating in a swim meet warm up, lounge around, race, and sit back down. I don’t think Chris ever sits down. He constantly stalks around the pool deck, ensuring the natatorium is aware of each and every athlete swimming.

During my 200 free, Chris’s voice resonated once again on lap five, just as fatigue started setting in. I push through, and am fast enough for the win. I have to attribute some of my success in the pool to the overwhelming support of Chris. I’m not the only member of Tribe Swimming who can confidently say I got my hand on the wall first because of our personal student-athlete-cheerleader.

During the break, just before the final relay at the Tribe’s bigger meets, Chris treats the team and the crowd to something special. Chris surreptitiously makes his way up the ladder of the high dive wearing nothing but a speedo and a shiny yellow Tribe jacket.

He pulls off the jacket and swings it around over his head to draw all eyes up to the high dive. The swimmers cheer, the crowd laughs. He leads the team and the spectators in a cheer, spelling out a rudimentary T-R-I-B-E with his body and then catapults himself into the water below. The crowd goes wild and the relay swimmers proceed to push themselves beyond expectations in their final swim of the meet.

“What fueled me was the sense of loyalty to the team that has influenced my life so much,” Dong said. “If I couldn’t help by scoring points anymore, I could help in other ways.”

An athlete who holds the Tribe to such a high esteem certainly gets a return on his constant pay.

“In return for my team support I received smiles, rowdiness, and a team that strived for greatness,” Dong elaborated.

It’s one thing for a swimmer to lead the pack in the pool; it’s quite another to lead your team on the pool deck. It is especially admirable that Chris chooses to come to every practice and every meet, even when he is not able to participate in the training and competition from within the pool.

He could take the easy way out and use his injuries as an excuse to stay home to do some course work or study for an upcoming test. Instead, he serves his team, and ensures that every swimmer is giving their all with every practice lap and every race.

Chris was so motivational to his teammates this 2014-2015 swim season that the William and Mary men’s swim team won the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship for the first time ever. Every athletic team and workplace needs a Chris Dong in their dugout.

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