Calvin Bettencourt talks with TSC about his experience saving a boy from drowning in Florida over Fall Break 

Q and A with Calvin Bettencourt

We sat down with TSC 2007 Williamson Showcase midfielder Calvin Bettencourt who encountered a life and death situation.

TSC:  What TSC team are you on?

Calvin:  I’m currently playing on the 2007 Williamson Boys Showcase team.

TSC:  Tell us about your experience in Florida over Fall Break.

Calvin:  Fall break was very fun and relaxing overall. I stayed at my friend’s house with four other friends and we had a great time watching movies, biking around, swimming, playing sports, and doing other activities.

On one of the last days of break, however, an incident occurred. My friends and I were playing spikeball on the shore and it was my turn to sit out and let someone else play. I'm not sure why, but I was drawn out to go play with and watch after my friend's little brother and his friend while waiting my turn. On a sand bar that was pretty far from shore, we began playing a game with an inflatable ball the size of a volleyball that would later save our lives. 

Although I'm not sure how it exactly happened, my friend's little brother got sucked out into the ocean where he couldn't stand. I saw him struggling as waves crashed over his head, so I swam out to him with the ball. I gave him the ball, and told him to hold on to it tight. His friend was also sucked out, although he remained close to the sandbar. I realized we were caught in a rip current, and as I tried to swim sideways out of it, we only got sucked farther out. I decided that it would be best to swim against the rip current to avoid getting pulled farther out, although it was very strenuous. After about five minutes, the boy's friend made it to the sandbar where he could stand again. I yelled after him to get us help, although I knew he wouldn't be able to make it back to the shore for quite some time. I continued to wave my hands above my head and swim against the rip current with the boy in one arm. I began to get exceedingly tired, however I knew stopping wasn't an option. After about ten minutes of struggling, people finally saw my hands waving and two of my friends and about five dads rushed out to come help us. They pulled us back onto the sandbar and helped us back onto shore.

TSC:  What was going through your mind when you were in the ocean trying to save someone’s life?

Calvin:  Staying calm and keeping the boy calm was the first thing on my mind. I worked hard to reassure the boy that we would be okay. Of course, I had other emotions and thoughts that I had to push back in order to keep calm. Just the thought and sight of all of my friends having a great time on shore while me and the boy I was helping were in deep trouble felt extremely stressful and surreal to me. As time went on, I felt my energy steadily depleting as we made little progress towards shore. After about nine minutes, I felt my hope begin to waver, however I knew I needed to stay strong for the boys sake. While in the water, I found myself subconsciously praying. I felt a sudden burst of energy and determination as I continued struggling that helped me stay afloat. And now, after everything happened, I strongly feel like there was a greater force at hand. So many things lined up perfectly for me to go save the boy and for us to both return safely.

TSC:  How do you feel when people say you are a hero?

Calvin:  Honestly, I don't think I'll ever get used to being called a hero. The whole situation happened so quickly and me swimming out to help the boy felt like second nature. After getting back to the shore, I didn't feel any desire to receive praise; all that was important to me was the fact that both of us were safe and the satisfaction and thankfulness of knowing we could continue on living our lives.

TSC:  What have you learned from this experience?

Calvin:  My perspective on life changed greatly as an outcome of the whole incident. I learned just how easily a life can be taken away, which helped me come to grips with not taking life for granted. Before the incident, never in a thousand years would I have thought that I would get 

close to dying in my teen years. The experience served as a wake-up call

for me and since it all turned out the way it did, (with everyone safe), I am glad it all happened as I feel it helped shape me into the person I am today. 

TSC:  What does going through this mean to you?

Calvin:  I feel that the situation has matured me in various ways. For one, I feel a greater confidence in myself now, knowing that I reacted the way I did in a stressful and dangerous situation. The experience also allowed me to have a greater view of the bigger picture in life. Things I once stressed about have ceased to worry me after going through a situation where I genuinely thought I would die. The whole ordeal means a lot to me as it granted me a deeper dive into my character and taught me a great deal about myself. I feel grateful for the life I have been given, and I am thankful to the experience for these reasons. I feel relieved that the boy is safe and the family of the little boy didn't have to go through the mourning of a lost family member; this relief serves as the greatest fulfillment I can possibly receive. Overall, I feel the situation resulted in positives that outweigh any trauma from our near death experience.