Before Elliot Spaeder was a project manger and owner of Wm. T. Spaeder, he was a Prep student. When asked why he chose Prep over other schools he said his family all went there and greatly influenced his decision and because it’s the best school in the world.
Spaeder graduated from Prep in 2002 as a medaling member of the swim team. He says his greatest athletic feat was medaling in a few relays and taking sixth in the state. Spaeder also coached Prep swimming for a couple years before stepping away in 2014. Swimming has held a very important place in his heart since leaving Prep, and one obvious way to see this is his incredible athletic feat of swimming the length of Lake Erie, 24.3 miles, in 2014. Spaeder was the 16th person ever to do this.
When asked what his favorite memories were from his time at Prep, he said, “There are so many to be honest. My best athletic memories are in the pool, but the best memory has to be freshman year [with the] first football game coming up with Mr. Achille giving you the speech on the first pep rally. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever been to. Rock band on stage; everyone going insane, grabbing the freshman, taking him up on stage, and doing the chant.” It’s incredible that his favorite memory as a Rambler is the same so many students, including myself, have. That first Prep rally is incredible and according to Spaeder, not much has changed!
Spaeder says Prep has set him up for success by having to juggle academics and athletics. He says the grind of getting home from a two-hour-long practice just to do all your homework and then sleep was grueling, but it gave him a work ethic that he could use for the remainder of his life.
His biggest regret was not being involved in more clubs. He said he could have used the time after swim season to explore what Prep had to offer, citing Key Club as something that really interested him back in the day.
When asked about his favorite teacher, he named Mr. Daeschner, saying Mr. Daeschner taught him in exactly the way he needed to flourish in that class (English). He added that Mr. Daeschner was the best teacher he ever had. Spaeder also has a special place in his heart for Fr. Larry Richards, who taught him at Prep and later served as the priest at his wedding ceremony.
