Much like Clark Kent, the mild-mannered reporter at the Daily Planet, Gracey Payne doesn’t normally call a lot of attention to herself. She just goes about her daily business with a pleasant demeanor and a smile on her face.
But when the state girls swimming and diving meet begins tonight, the Franklin senior will come out of the proverbial phone book and unleash her more ferocious alter ego — "Tracey."
The name is a running inside joke on the Franklin pool deck, born a few years ago when former assistant coach Alex Jerden registered Payne incorrectly at a meet, but it’s reserved for the silent-assassin persona that emerges in the biggest moments.
"Tracey" doesn’t come out much during the regular season, but she’ll definitely be present tonight and tomorrow at the IU Natatorium for the final meet of Payne’s decorated high school career.
"I get — not mad, but there’s just something that changes in my mentality," Payne explains, "and I’m just like, <em>I’ve got to go. I’m going now</em>."
Molly Gibson had a similar competitive switch when she swam for the Grizzly Cubs in the 1990s — although according to close friend and teammate Ashley Zarse, who happens to be Payne’s aunt, Gibson’s switch was in the "on" position a bit more frequently.
"Gracey’s ‘Tracey,’ that’s Molly all day every day," Zarse said.
Gibson died as the result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident shortly after the end of her senior swim season in 1998, but she remains connected to the Franklin swim program; a plaque with her name on it is on the wall just outside the high school pool, and a scholarship is awarded to a Grizzly Cub swimmer each year in her name.
Now, Payne is making an effort to further strengthen that connection through the introduction of the Legacy Jacket, which was given to Payne years ago by Gibson’s mother Pam and will now be passed on each year to another member of the team.
That swimmer won’t necessarily be the best or most talented Grizzly Cub, but rather one who, in Payne’s words, "shows hard work and dedication and motivation to come to practice every day."
According to Pam Gibson, that’s exactly who Molly was.
"It’s not about being the best student or the best swimmer; Molly was neither," Pam said. "She was a pretty average and ordinary person that did extraordinary things."
Molly died before Payne was even born, but the parallels between them — a fiercely burning competitive fire, and a sense of responsibility to be a leader to all of her teammates, not just the other "stars" — run deep. Next winter, Payne will be swimming at Ball State, just as Gibson was planning to do 23 years ago.
Franklin didn’t have a club team in the 1990s, so Molly Gibson competed as an independent. At one meet, a Speedo jacket caught her eye.
"She saw that jacket and she just loved it," Pam Gibson said, "so she got it. And it was too nice of a jacket not to pass it on to someone, and Gracey came to mind."
Pam reached out to Gracey’s mother Tara, a classmate of Molly’s at Franklin, in 2014 and asked if Gracey might want the jacket.
Payne has had it ever since, but now she’s set to bequeath it to one of her younger teammates. She knows who the recipient will be; she’s not spilling the beans just yet.
Whoever does get it will undoubtedly be someone who possesses those same qualities that made Gibson a role model for Zarse and so many others at Franklin, both in and out of the water.
The jacket is a way for Payne to leave a tangible legacy behind before she graduates, but she’s also hoping to leave her mark in the pool one last time as well.
Fully healthy for the first time since her freshman season — she swam through hip pain as a sophomore and had surgery prior to her junior year — Payne has her sights set toward the top of the state podium in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle.
"I’m extremely motivated," she said. "This year’s been a lot different than in years past, because I don’t have something like a surgery holding me back. I feel like it was always in the back of my head, and I was just kind of worried about it."
No more worries this weekend. Payne can just flip the switch and let "Tracey" do her thing.
