By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam
Courtesy: Elizabeth Spencer Rosenthal
While Kylie Kelce declared on her recent podcast that she doesn’t favor the swimming life for her four daughters, Dr. Patricia Kao Theodos and her five sons are fully submerged in the sport, and can’t imagine life without it!
“Competitive swimming has been the cornerstone of our family for 16 years,” the quintessential swim mom said. “Joining a swim team at the age of five was a rite of passage for all of my boys. All of their closest friends, many of their favorite memories and numerous ‘life lessons’ have come from swimming.”
For the five Theodos Brothers — Niko, 21, Austin, 19, Xander, 19, Camden, 17, and Lucas, 13, life in their supersized swimming family is filled with brotherly love, unbreakable bonds, trillions of towels, an abundance of bananas, chlorine as cologne, and constant competition for virtually everything!
Like the grocery bill and the laundry pile, the competition level in the Theodos household is off the charts. And when a younger brother starts approaching an older brother’s best times, they cannot just shake it off!
The three oldest Theodos Brothers, Xander, ,Niko and Austin, together at the Missouri State meet. Courtesy of the Theodos family
5 Times the Competition
According to Camden, the competition is there all the time and for every little thing. “My brothers and I play and do everything that could possibly be competitive: video games, board games, sports, you name it. I would say, when all 5 brothers are home, there is more time spent competing in something than not. We would go outside to play basketball, and then hop in the pool to play volleyball or compete in sprints. Then we would go inside and play Monopoly. We would eat dinner together (although eating the fastest is a competition I have never won), and go right back to playing another family game like Catan.”
Austin Theodos who puts his swimming skills to use playing water polo (courtesy John Burroughs School)
Austin added, “Swimming is for sure one of the most competitive areas between us. Especially when Cam and Lucas started getting closer to my times, it helped motivate me to work harder and try to set a good example for them. When Xander and I were in the same training group we would often fight over who should lead the lane,” he explained. “Many of my best times are from swimming against my brothers.”
“It gets really competitive in everything,” Lucas confirmed. “We play video games and board games all the time. It’s really fun to push myself and try to beat my brothers’ best times when they were my age.”
“When my little brothers started creeping up on my times I knew I needed to lock in,” Niko said. “My brothers always whoop my butt on kick sets, but it is a great motivator during practice.”
According to Xander, “We are competitive about everything and swimming is no different. We may not all swim the same events, but I’m always up for a challenge and I think racing my brothers always brings out a new edge for me.”
5 Times the Inspiration
Along with the competition, the brothers are also the greatest source of inspiration for each other.
The oldest and the youngest Theodos Brothers, Niko and Lucas, on deck, courtesy of the Theodos family
“My biggest inspiration as well as my biggest competition in this sport are truly my older brothers,” Camden explained. “I have a connection to them that I do not have with anyone else. I know what they go through, at home, at school, and in the pool. We all have a competitive nature. That is just how we are. But the best thing about having 5 brothers who all swim is that you can compete with each other, pushing each other farther than any coach or other swimmer could.”
Xander agrees that his brothers are his biggest inspiration. “I’ve always looked up to Niko because of his unparalleled work ethic, and I see the same thing in Camden. Watching both of them fight through barriers and come out stronger inspires me to fight my own battles. Camden’s energy and enthusiasm are a big inspiration to me, as I can struggle with burnout at times.” Xander also finds that swimming brings them all closer together. “There’s so much understanding between us. While all of us have taken different paths in the sport, we support each other no matter what.”
Austin shared, “Some of my biggest inspirations have been my oldest brother, Niko, and many of the coaches who have helped me improve. Even when I had a bad meet, they would encourage me and give me tips to get faster.”
Niko has found great inspiration from his peers. “Some of my lifelong best friends were made through the swimming community, and I was motivated to stay in the same training groups as them.”
Lucas loves hanging out on the pool deck with with his brothers, and aspires to follow their lead and swim in college one day.
5 Times the Accountability
With 5 brothers also comes unavoidable accountability. There’s always someone watching!
Camden Theodos in Rio at the AAU/ISF 15U World Gymnasiade (courtesy Marcus Chen Photography)
“Eating habits, sleep schedule, and effort in and out of practice are all things that are constantly monitored both by my brothers and my parents,” Camden explained. “I am so fortunate to have parents who care so much about my health, as I have learned, through them, what healthy habits really are.”
“My brothers, however, watch me even closer. Not eating enough? They’ll notice. Not sleeping enough? They’ll notice. Slacking off in practice? Somehow, even if they aren’t even there, they’ll notice! Honestly though, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love how our family has such high expectations, because it leads to good results. Yes, it might be hard sometimes, but knowing you have 4 other brothers right there struggling with you is something unexplainable. The bond of brothers, Theodos brothers, cannot be broken,” Camden declared.
5 Times the Food
The Theodos boys’ hunger for success makes every meal like a team banquet. The grocery situation can be staggering. “When all 5 boys are home, we typically go through 12-18 eggs a day, and about 7-8 gallons of milk per week,” their mom said. “Dinner requires a minimum of 5 pounds of meat each night, and even with that, sometimes there is no food left for the parents.” The boys also chug down chocolate milk, protein shakes, peanut butter, and fruit bars. They can consume piles of pancakes and dozens of donuts. “During a particular banana phase, one son ate 7 bananas at dinner one night. He ate 2 at every meal for a week. As a kidney doctor, I can advise that is a LOT of potassium…way too much!”
5 Times the Memories
Reflecting on their most memorable swimming moments, Lucas shared his favorites. “When I was 12, winning a swim off in the 100 breast to qualify for the A final at Ozark Division 1 Champs, with my brothers cheering me on,” was particularly memorable. “I also got to swim against my older brother, Xander, in the Open 50 back in a meet when I was 9 and he was 15, which was especially fun.”
Camden and Lucas, the two younger Theodos Brothers, courtesy of the Theodos family
Camden reflected, “I think my favorite moment and the best part of my swimming career was at age 14, when I came to the realization of why I love the sport. At Ozark A Champs, I was the anchor on the 400 free relay. We were down about 3-4 seconds going into my leg, and it was not looking good for us. I dove in, and took off. Once I had caught up to the leader’s feet, I knew it was over. I wasn’t losing, so I pushed myself physically and mentally harder than I probably ever had. My favorite part about this, however, was the crowd. I got so many ‘good jobs’ and ‘WOWs’ from swimmers, coaches and parents. The feeling was unmatchable.”
Xander shared, “After my sophomore year of high school, I started to struggle with my freestyle and had to switch to fly. It was a difficult transition and at times I felt I was moving backwards, but I fought through it and learned to love fly. I hit my first NCSA cut junior year in the 2 fly, and it’s still one of the best swims of my career.”
Austin recalled, “While I was never as fast as my brothers, one of my favorite moments from swimming was my sophomore year of high school when I qualified to compete at the Missouri High School state meet with my brothers, Xander and Niko. Our team finished third, which is the best finish ever for our high school boys team.”
Niko’s shining moment? “Tying with my Kenyon Swim and Dive teammate and close friend in a 500-yard free swim-off is definitely the highlight for me.”
5 Times the Mom
The esteemed mother of the Fab 5 swimmers, Dr. Patricia Kao Theodos, is a rock star in her own right (but not literally!) She is an accomplished nephrologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. While her primary activity growing up was dance, she, too, swam for the same school as her sons — John Burroughs School. And believe it or not, she had the same coach as her boys, Coach Leslie Kehr.
The Theodos Family (L-R) Austin, Xander, Patricia, Niko, Lucas, Camden, courtesy of the Theodos family
Now, as a dedicated mom and prominent medical professional, Dr. Kao Theodos is grateful for her circle of support. ”The swim community has been our village, with many busy parents willing to help each other,” she shared. “Our swim families are tight! They are truly our extended family members.”
She describes her life as exhausting, but never dull. “I don’t sleep much,” she said. “I plan my weekend on-call schedule six months to a year ahead of time to try to make sure I am at as many swim meets as possible and to achieve the best work-life balance I can.
“For years, I would bring a large air mattress to prelims/finals meets, so my morning prelim kids could nap to prepare for finals while their brothers were swimming in the afternoon sessions,” she reminisced. Amazingly, she has also found ways to get work done at swim meets. “The timelines are fairly predictable, so it is possible to schedule calls, zoom meetings, or do paperwork between events,” she explained.
Ultimately, all of the effort is worthwhile because of the experiences and opportunities that swimming has provided. “My boys have been able to participate in meets that give out rubber duckies and bobble head trophies, and meets that can open doors to compete regionally, nationally, and internationally. They have learned to support each other through plateaus and bad swims. They help each other set goals. They keep track of each other on livestreams or on Meet Mobile, and give each other tips or words of encouragement,” she said. “It’s like no other sport I know.”
One Second That Could Change Everything
While the five Theodos boys continue to bask in the brotherhood of swimming, the Kelce sisters are probably more likely to be seen in flower girl dresses than caps and goggles.
As Mrs. Kelce quipped on her podcast on the topic of kids at swim meets, “They’re in the physical pool for a maximum of a minute and 30 seconds. I’m so out.”
But… take a second to imagine the sense of pride and accomplishment she could feel when that 1:30 drops to a 1:29.
Maybe what she’s looking for has been here the whole time.
Meet the Theodos Brothers:
Nicholas “Niko” – age 21, who swims at Kenyon College, has been swimming competitively for 16 years, including summer league, USA Swimming clubs, high school and college swimming.
Alexander “Xander” – age 19, who swims at Bates College, has been swimming competitively for 15 years, including summer league, USA Swimming clubs, high school and college swimming.
Austin – age 19, who currently plays club water polo at CU Boulder, swam competitively for 14 years, including summer league, USA Swimming clubs and high school swimming.
Camden – age 17, has been swimming competitively for 13 years, including summer league, USA Swimming clubs, AAU/ISF, and high school swimming. He currently swims for John Burroughs School and the CSP Tideriders.
Lucas – age 13, has been swimming competitively for 8 years in USA Swimming clubs, and does his club swimming with the CSP Tideriders.
ABOUT ELIZABETH SPENCER ROSENTHAL
Elizabeth Spencer Rosenthal is a wife and mother of 3 from Miami. She is a passionate swim mom, volunteer and meet official, with a professional background in marketing and public relations. She holds a degree in Public Communication from American University, and loves finding a story to tell.
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