Fort Worth boy, 8, gets his wish as member of TCU swim team
Now that he’s a college swimmer, 8-year-old Nathan Lin has a plan for his future.
It just may take a little while.
“Wait until I’m in college,” he said.
The Fort Worth boy smiled at reporters who asked him his plans after he signed a ceremonial national letter of intent with the TCU swimming and diving team Wednesday at the school natatorium, an event made possible with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“Awesome,” Nathan said of his day, which included a swim from one end of the pool to the other with the swim team waiting on the other side.
Nathan’s been a big TCU fan all his life. He likes anything to do with TCU.
Cathy Boyd Lin
Nathan’s motherNathan and his family learned last July that he has a brain tumor. His mother, Cathy Boyd Lin, is a former TCU swimmer, and the school embraced the family as Nathan began his treatments. Last fall, he met the football team and quarterback Trevone Boykin. He also got time with the men’s basketball team and coach Trent Johnson.
“Nathan’s been a big TCU fan all his life,” Mrs. Lin said. “He likes anything to do with TCU.”
The swimmers happily returned the feeling.
“We’re so happy that we can share this experience with Nathan, have him be part of our team,” senior Maggie Burkhardt said. “We’re going to share a lot of special experiences and memories with him.”
Nathan quickly impressed his new “teammates.”
“I thought he was quite good,” Cameron Rattray said. “I think he has a lot of growth to do, at such a young age, but I think how fast he got across the pool is definitely promising.”
I wanted all of my kids to swim. He’s the only one that really likes it.
Cathy Boyd Lin on Nathan’s affinity for swimming
TCU swim coach Richard Sybesma remembers Nathan’s mother, who swam for him in the late 1980s, as a “fast, hard worker” who was part of a relay team that set a school record. “She was a remarkable young woman,” he said.
They never lost contact.
“We’ve had his two other siblings in our lesson program,” Sybesma said. “I’ve known the family for 31 years.”
But Nathan may wind up being the most like his mother.
“I wanted all of my kids to swim,” Mrs. Lin said, and then smiled: “He’s the only one that really likes it.”
And now, he’s the only one signed on to a team.
Carlos Mendez: 817-390-7760, @calexmendez
This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Fort Worth boy, 8, gets his wish as member of TCU swim team."