DECATUR - Seth Dunscomb has been gone for 11 years, but his spirit swims on.

Many of the 470 youths competing in the Seth Dunscomb New Year Opener swim meet Sunday at Millikin University's Griswold Center weren't even born when the former University of Kansas student was raking in the swim medals.

Seth, who was from Sullivan, died of a heart attack at swim practice in Kansas on Jan. 22, 1997.

Kailyn Boyer, 8, of the Blue Dolphins swim team in Sullivan said she has heard a lot about the legendary swimmer from her parents and coach, Jason Drury, who swam on the same team with Seth when they were young boys.

"This is pretty cool," said Kailyn, who won the girls' age 8 and under category and received a trophy from Seth's parents, Connie and Richard Dunscomb.

"This is bittersweet, but it's an honor that Decatur's Swim Club named their meet after Seth," said Connie Dunscomb. "As the years go by, the pain doesn't go away, it just softens."

The Dunscombs attend the swim meet every year to hand out awards to the hundreds of children from all over Central Illinois, ages 4 to 18, who come to compete.

Seth started out swimming at the Sullivan Civic Center and later ended up swimming for the Decatur Swim Club, they said.

Richard Dunscomb's eyes have a new spark in them every time he talks about his son.

One terrifying memory he hasn't forgotten is when Seth, 3, tried to fill a water gun from a pool, fell in and almost drowned.

"After that, I didn't want him to be afraid of the water and made sure he had swim lessons," he said. "When I went to his first swim practice, saw him come out of the water and the muscles in his face were relaxed, then I knew he would never be afraid of the water again."

"Seth was quiet and very kind-hearted," Connie Dunscomb said. "I think that is what got him into trouble, because he never complained about anything, even when he was having problems breathing back during college."

While enjoying the youths during Sunday's swim event, she said Seth would probably be helping to train many of them.

She still has Seth's blue swim parka with the bold red letters that say "Kansas Swimming and Diving" on it to help keep her warm - even though it mostly remains in the minivan.

And she gets a big kick out of coaches introducing their teams by saying, 'these are Seth's parents.'

"It's kind of neat after all this time," she said.

Sheila Smith can be reached at sheilas@herald-review.com or 421-7963.