PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SPENCE Related links Archive: All OCVarsity Voice columns

OCVarsity Voice: Coach makes him cross The Line

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We’re crossing the line today, all because of Michael Spence. He is the kind of guy you bend the rules for, although to be honest, I’ve never met him or even talked to him on the phone.

I have read the e-mails he sends to the Register with news about the athletes on his swim team at ... Diamond Bar High.

Yes, that’s right. He coaches at Diamond Bar High, that school just far enough across The Line that divides O.C. from L.A. that he becomes invisible to those of us focused on Orange County high school athletics.

But Spence has given me sight. He has given me a reason to cross The Line.

For all I knew a month or so ago, he was just another coach from that “other county” who wanted publicity for his team. I ignored his e-mails, which came several times a week. Eventually, though, his notes in big, block letters and filled with his big, bold personality, held my attention.

He didn’t write like a coach, that’s for sure. Coaches usually stick to the boring and basic. Spence sent in stories sprinkled with detail and color. (In one of his e-mails, he started out by setting the scene for a dual meet: “Blue sky, some white clouds and a slight breeze. What more could two great swim teams ask for to swim and compete?”)

Spence had nothing but praise and appreciation for his athletes. (Again, not typical for a coach.) His e-mails became a nice respite from the flow of criticism and complaints that fill the Register mailbox every week.

What really sent me over The Line were his e-mails about Andrew Luk, a sophomore on the Diamond Bar junior varsity swim team. Luk wasn’t the team’s star. He was a newcomer to the team, a virtual beginner in the water.

And, oh, did I mention that Luk is blind?

Some creative and dedicated people found a way for Luk to learn to swim competitively, making it possible for him to be part of a team with other teenagers. I’m told that Spence embraced Luk when the student asked for a chance to swim for Diamond Bar this year.

The embrace continues to this day. Spence has given Luk the star treatment in his e-mails, trumpeting each accomplishment in the water, every new challenge taken. Those e-mails left no doubt about it: This was not a typical coach.

So recently I turned the tables. I sent Spence an e-mail, asking him if he would take part in a Q&A for OCVarsity.com. The pull of his personality had taken me completely over The Line.

A day went by without a response from Spence. Maybe he would ignore my request and let me off the hook, get me out of having to explain to my boss why I was pursuing a story that wasn’t right here in Orange County.

But you already know what happened, right? Yep, Spence wrote back. Just two days after I sent him my e-mail, he sent back long, thoughtful, detailed responses to all of my questions. He even included a photo of himself.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. He truly had given me sight, because now I could see him.

And he had made it feel good to cross The Line.

Click here to read the Q&A with Spence

Contact the writer: preps@ocvarsity.com