The first thing to know about Cameron Smith? He doesn't like to be late. No surprise for an athlete whose success in his sport lives and dies by a stopwatch.
"He carpools to practice," Ozark head swim coach Steve Boyce said. "One day, he came in late. Now, I knew he was just stuck and not happy he was late, so of course I acted like I was a little mad at him and let it fester so he'd train even harder."
But finally, Boyce broke, gesturing Cameron over with a wave of his hand.
"You do so many things right all the time," he told Smith. "I wasn't worried. I know exactly who it was who made you late, and it's not your fault."
"Seriously? I was so mad all practice," Smith told Boyce.
That anger easily manifested itself into a great practice. Not that that's a surprise for Smith, or a rarity. The rising senior and state qualifier in the 200- and 500-yard Freestyle has established himself in the region because of that accountability and that drive.
"I just believe in a strong work ethic, and that it'll get you more places," Smith said. "Character defines you, and a smart work ethic helps makes you better."
It's the only kind of attitude a distance swimmer can have if they want to find any level of success.
"To swim the distance he does, you've got to have that challenge in your head," Boyce said. "You're battling the clock all the time. He's got such a great head on his shoulders, and it's a lot of fun to see him challenge himself. "
Smith battled his way into four state events last fall, participating in the preliminaries and finishing 18th in the 500-yard Freestyle (4:53.95) and 28th in the 200-yard Freestyle (1:50.89). He also competed in Ozark's 200- and 400-yard Freestyle relay teams.
"I think I did very well the entire season," Smith said. "I didn't get a time that wasn't a state-qualifying time all season in the 500 Freestyle. The only regret I had is I wish I could've made finals at state, but I can do that next year. I have to work harder than I ever have before, and that hard work will pay off."
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Smith's life revolves around water, and has done so in a competitive sense since he was 11 years old, when he startPeople-Tag: Cameron Smith, Steve Boyce
