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Backspin: Marty Hubbell, Waynesville 1992

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By Scott Hayes, Staff Writer 4:11 PM Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Marty Hubbell’s swimming career took him as far as St. Petersburg, Russia.

But, the Waynesville High graduate never strayed too far from his roots and eventually returned to practice law in Warren County.

Varsity days

A stellar swimmer for the Countryside YMCA Torpedoes (Hubbell still holds five individual records for the local swim club), Hubbell helped to get the swim program started at Waynesville High. As a Spartan, Hubbell won four OHSAA state championships, but it was an 8th place relay team that he remembers most fondly.

“We had three guys and a girl — me, Jason Praeter, Lee Litherland and Sandra Hartsock,” Hubbell said. “Placing at state against all boys teams with a girl on ours was the highlight of my high school career.”

Hubbell went on to swim at the University of Texas where he was a 12-time All-American and captain of the National Champions in 1996.

“Texas was great,” Hubbell said. “It was a huge transition — I think my first English class had more students in it than the entire school at Waynesville.”

In 1994, Hubbell swam for the United States in The Goodwill Games, held in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“That was interesting,” Hubbell said. “The nation was still in transition and the venue wasn’t completed. They kept delaying our events and there were armed guards in the stadium at all times. Swim meets in the U.S. are generally quiet except for the announcer, but they had Tetris music playing during the course of our races. It was kind of odd.”

Today

After graduating from Texas in 1997, Hubbell took a year off and coached the Cincinnati Marlins Swim Club before enrolling in the University of Dayton Law School.

He got his law degree in 2001 and began working for Thomas J. Diehl and Co. LLC, out of Lebanon. Since 2003 he has been a City Magistrate under Judge Mark Bogen.

He remains active — though his activities are more land based.

“Very rarely do I swim a lap,” Hubbell said. “The majority of my summertime activity is now focused on the golf course.”

Quotable

“Living in the state of Texas was a great experience but I always wanted to come back home. My uncle Fred (Hubbell) was a big influence on me and he always said Warren County was a great place to live and practice law. That kind of dictated my return home.” — Hubbell

— Scott Hayes, Staff Writer

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4526 or shayes@coxohio.com.

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