The amazing Domingo Santoyo

Swimmer without arms thrives on challenges in and out of pool

By ROY HESS/RGVSPORTS.COM
Brownsville Herald, TX United States

Born without arms, Domingo Santoyo lives life on his terms.

The determined Rivera High School junior doesn’t shy away from challenges. Instead, he readily accepts them.

“From my point of view, I don’t think of myself as limited,” Santoyo, 16, said. “I was born like this, and sometimes, I think it was better this way because there are some people who lose their arms in accidents, and I think that makes it harder.”

Already a national-level competitor in chess as a middle-school student, Santoyo decided it was time to learn to swim last summer, and that endeavor led him to join the Rivera swimming team.

“Domingo always wants to do the most he can,” said Astrid Santoyo, Domingo’s mother. “He wanted to get into sports because he needed credits for PE (physical education) at school, and he didn’t want to take adaptive PE. He was thinking about trying out as a kicker for the football team, but he had knee surgery and a dislocated hip when he was younger, and I wasn’t convinced about that idea.

“He tried swimming and found out that he really liked it,” she added. “Since the first day, he’s been all excited about being in the pool. I’m happy because he doesn’t give up. He doesn’t mind if he’s the last one, although he’s very competitive. I think the coaches would say that he’s improved a lot.”

Santoyo’s event is the 50 freestyle. He competed in his first meet for the Raiders a couple of months ago at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center. He swam at a meet in McAllen last month and will compete in the District 32-5A meet on Saturday Feb. 7 in Brownsville.

“I thought it was a good idea, and I wanted to help him out as much as I could,” Rivera swim coach Ryan Shea said. “He started from scratch a little bit because he just began to swim in the summer. It’s been sort of an adventure.

“At both meets he’s swam in, he’s received about a three- to five-minute ovation after he’s done,” Shea added. “While he’s swimming, everyone is cheering loudly, and when he gets out of the pool, it gets kind of emotional.

“Coaching Domingo, and seeing how he’s progressed, it’s been an enjoyable thing to watch.”

Shea said Santoyo has spent many hours learning to do a “flip turn” when he approaches the pool wall so he doesn’t get hurt during his races.

Rivera swimmer Kiley Vera, also a junior, said Domingo’s presence on the team has been a big plus for everyone.

“He motivates us to work harder because he really works hard,” she said. “At the meets, everybody’s there, cheering him on, including the whole crowd. It’s just really nice. I was a little surprised when I first heard he was coming out for swimming, but it’s a good sport to be in. He’s improved a lot. He’s dropped like 30 seconds in his event.

“Domingo is always there encouraging you to do better, even in school because he’s very smart,” she added. “He’s someone you want to compete with to get better. That’s how he helps all of us.”

Long before Santoyo ever jumped into the pool, he was striving to achieve high marks in the classroom. He ranked fifth in his class academically as a freshman and ninth last year as a sophomore.

“My top two choices for college are MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Rice,” he said. “I think I have the grades to get there.”

For now, college can wait because Santoyo is enjoying his time as a Rivera student and member of the school’s swimming team.

“This just shows me that I’m not that different,” he said. “Yes, I know I’m different, but just being with the rest of the swimmers in the pool shows me that I can do it, too.”

Astrid Santoyo believes participation in swimming has been a mutually beneficial experience for her son and his teammates.

“I think it’s a good thing for Domingo and also good for them because they can feel his spirit,” she said.