Gemma Spofforth is undoubtedly a champion. She owns seven UF school records, four Southeastern Conference records, an NCAA record, a U.S. Open record, a world record and an Olympic appearance for her native Great Britain.
At first glance, one sees a young woman who works hard and accomplishes numerous feats. She is often smiling, and during swimming and diving meets, she’s the quintessential “bundle of joy.”
However, there is more to Spofforth than meets the eye, and like most people, she too has a story to tell.
Giving back
This semester, the senior decided she wanted to spend some time helping out around Gainesville, and when she spoke to a girl in one of her classes, she discovered the perfect opportunity. She went through rigorous training twice a week to become a telephone counselor for people who are either contemplating suicide, depressed or just need someone to talk to.
“Being a captain on the team, I try to be the (one) that people can come and talk to if they have any problems,” Spofforth said. “Obviously some problems are bigger than others, but I always try to be the person who’s approachable, and I thought I could use those skills to be that person on the phones.”
Spofforth probably found it easy to relate to these people because although she’s often upbeat, sometimes she lets everything get to her and breaks down before getting back to normal.
Leaving home
Growing up in Britain, Spofforth faced a tough challenge when she became ill and was subsequently left with two choices, come to America or quit swimming.
“If I hadn’t come to America, I wouldn’t be swimming,” she said. “I had pancreatitis the year before I came here, 2006 I think. I was out of the water, I got really fat and I just wasn’t enjoying swimming because I was unfit and sick.
“To get back into (swimming), I needed something really big to motivate me, and that was coming to America. Because if I hadn’t come here then I don’t think I would have put the effort into getting in shape again and getting fit.”
After deciding that she would leave home, Spofforth had to choose a specific destination. She said she received eleven full-scholarship offers, but she narrowed her choices down to Hawaii and Florida.
“I could’ve gone to Hawaii and enjoyed the lifestyle there, but I chose Florida because I decided that I did want to take swimming seriously,” she said.
Also factoring into her decision, she said, was the supportiveness of Florida’s coaches; especially associate head coach Martyn Wilby, a fellow Brit, who explained the American system to her.
When she finally arrived in Gainesville, Spofforth said she had to deal with initial culture shock.
“All the things that I saw, I didn’t think were real. I thought they were just fantasies in movies. I didn’t realize that you had cheerleaders. I didn’t realize you had a band and all that sort of stuff. It definitely took me by surprise, but I loved it the second I walked on campus.”
Difficult times
At the time she was deciding about her future in swimming and possibly in America, Spofforth had another important thing to consider — her mother Lesley’s health as she battled with cancer.
“My mom being sick kind of made things a little bit more turbulent, but she wanted me to go follow my dream and do the best I could, and she would’ve supported me in anything I did,” Spofforth said.
She said her mother’s condition improved before she left home but that after some time here, she got “the call” from her father.
“It was very sudden in the end but it was something that we’d been preparing for, for about four years. She went in and out of recession a couple times and it was very hard to have that final phone call from my dad that said, ‘It’s time for you to come home.’
“I actually got there the day she died. I think she held on a little bit just to say bye to me.”
Dealing with loss
The passing of her mother has impacted Spofforth’s performance in the pool. She said she uses the strength that her mother would’ve given her every time she competes.
When she set the world record and won the FINA World Championship in the 100-meter backstroke this summer in Rome, she dedicated the performance to her mother. However, when she finished fourth in the same event and in the 4x100-meter medley relay at the Beijing Olympics last summer, she faced different emotions.
“I went into another swale of depression because it was a huge high when I came back, and mum still wasn’t here. It was very hard to pull myself out of that but luckily I was able to have the family around me that I’ve had. This team’s just supportive in every way they can be.”
Spofforth still has her father Mark and younger brother Peter, who she said she’s gotten closer to since her mother’s death. However, being far from home, she has found a family here in Gainesville.
“She always had the support of the rest of the team, and because she’s such a giving person – she’s very interested in other people – sometimes the more you give the more you receive,” coach Gregg Troy said. “When there were tough times the rest of the team was very aware of it.”
Sophomore teammate, fellow Brit and one of Spofforth’s closest friends Jemma Lowe provides Spofforth a confidant who understands what she faces by being away from home. However, the two had a rocky start at their first meeting, a swimming camp in 2005.
“I didn’t really know her, and I didn’t really like her to be honest, at first,” Lowe said.
She added that she thought Spofforth had quit swimming when in fact she was in Gainesville, but then when both qualified for Great Britain’s Olympic team, they grew close.
After the Olympic Games, Spofforth got a tattoo of the Olympic rings on her wrist, a reminder and a motivator to avoid fourth place finishes, as she often had in big meets.
The senior continues to be dominant in the pool, but clearly she’s more than an Olympic-caliber athlete. She’s a person, with a story, like the rest of us.
