Beep! The buzzer goes off. The crowd is sitting intently with tension in the air. The water splashes as Tucker Briggs, Grosse Pointe South Boys Varsity Swimmer, dives into the pool. His legs rapidly kick up and down as adrenaline rushes through his body. Tucker Briggs’ mind races as he repeats to himself, “Don’t lose.” “Don’t stop.” “Swim fast.” With confidence, training and ability, he races across the water to another Blue Devil victory.

Father Todd Briggs said Tucker Briggs became interested in swimming at a young age. When he saw his older brother, Ethan Briggs, splashing around the pool, he wanted to try.

“Tucker got started swimming mostly because his older brother was swimming who was four and a half years older,” Todd Briggs said. “We were swimming at the Hunt Club when Tucker was four and he wanted to try. That summer he swam for the Hunt Club and for Farms, so he chased after his big brother.”

Besides wanting to emulate his big brother, Tucker Briggs also showed great talent as a young swimmer, Todd Briggs added.

“When he was five, he made finals in the 25 Fly against six, seven and eight year olds,” Todd Briggs said. “In the next year when he was six, he won High Point because he placed really well in all of his events. That’s when we thought ‘Ooh he’s pretty good.’”

Tucker Briggs said most of his spare time goes towards swimming and practicing hard to become the best he can be.

“When I’m in the full swing of it, I swim probably five to six times a week for about two or two and a half hours a day,” Tucker Briggs said.

Teammate Raef Akkary ’20 said his friend puts in the time and effort needed to be a great swimmer, and it shows.

“Tucker is very hard working,” Akkary said. “When he has a goal in his mind, he will do it no matter what it takes, and he knows how to have fun. He’s ambitious.”

Akkary added that Tucker Briggs makes practices a lot better for the team. He said if things are not going well at practice, Tucker Briggs stays positive while encouraging others to do the same.

“Even if we’re having a bad practice and the set’s hard, he always brings a light to the team and we always have fun at practice because of him,” Akkary said. “He’s very supportive.”

Tucker Briggs added that teammates are important to have, because they always have your back and are helpful in different situations. They can give encouragement and bring you up.

“Teammates can keep you from wanting to quit swim, because sometimes it can be rough, but at the same time they can push you in practice and make you that much better,” Tucker Briggs said. “They can also give you someone to always talk to at school and support you when you need anything.”

Tucker Briggs is exciting and entertaining to watch swim because of how competitive he is, Todd Briggs said. He never gives up and always pushes himself.

“He really likes to compete so it’s fun to just see him try hard,” Todd Briggs said. “His last meet, about a month ago at his State Meet, he set two State Records and those were really fun to see him race at. I don’t think I’ve really missed any meets.”