Beth Carey (Burr) and Carol Motyka-Miller have been mimicking each other's moves for close to 30 years. As synchronized swimming duet partners, the duo has won over 30 international and national gold medals at the masters level.
As remarkable as those athletic accomplishments are, Carey and Motyka-Miller are serving as inspiration for their friends and family as they tackle another challenge – individually and together.
Earlier this year, Motyka-Miller, a retired physical therapist, began to exhibit some atypical movements during swimming practice. Not long after, Motyka-Miller was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
Following brain surgery, Motyka-Miller was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments when she received word that her longtime friend and swimming partner, Carey, was diagnosed with a tumor in her pancreas.
The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually dire; however, Carey's cancer was caught early and confined strictly to the pancreas. Utilizing a robotic technique, Carey's tumor was removed with only a few small incisions serving as remnants of the surgery. The new surgical technique benefited Carey in two ways: First, the scarring was minimal, and second, she was free to re-enter the pool and resume her synchronized swimming training.
Carey, a 1955 Norwich High School graduate, said getting back into the pool was foremost in her mind as it served as therapy, and also allowed her – and Motyka-Miller – to shift their focus away from their medical conditions. The duo was preparing for the Pan-American Masters Championship held in Sarasota, Fla. this past June. Dual cancer diagnoses was not going to slow the longtime partners down.
In the 1940s and ‘50s, family-run businesses prospered in downtown Norwich. Carey’s father owned Burr Printing Co., located on Henry St., and Mr. Carey’s three daughters all worked for the family business. Beth remembers one summer in which her main task – all day – was collating.
It was a lesson in humility for Beth Burr, who was an NHS class officer for four years, co-salutatorian, and senior homecoming queen. An extremely active student during school, Beth and her two sisters gained valuable work experience and developed a strong work ethic.
Following high school, Beth attended Cortland State, and earned her teaching degree in physical education. She taught in Rye for two years before meeting and marrying her husband, who was then a teacher at Manhattan College. Beth settled in Rockland County and lived there nearly half a century before moving to Upper Saddle River in Northern New Jersey.
While in high school, athletic opportunities for a young woman came sparingly, but Beth eagerly joined in for intramural hockey, table tennis, and acrobatics. Her pursuit of a teaching degree in physical education cemented her commitment to athletics, but she didn’t actively pursue athletic competition until she reached her mid-40s.
Always committed to staying physically active, Beth walked into the Ramapo Aquamasters, a Suffern-based club that trained adults in masters synchronized swimming. A short while later, Beth’s partner-to-be, Motyka-Miller, joined as a club member.
Beth remembers as a girl watching the grace and beauty of Esther Williams, who parlayed an outstanding amateur swimming career into career in movies where her synchronized swimming techniques were featured. “Back then, it really looked like water ballet,” Beth said. “The sport really has evolved since Esther Williams.”
These days, synchronized swimming is considered a combination of dancing, gymnastics, and endurance swimming. Most the time, too, the moves are performed underwater while accompanied by music.
While countless hours are spent in the water training routines, several hours a week are spent out of the water. Every Sunday, Beth and her group spend three hours training on land. “We have to walk through the numbers, especially the team numbers,” Beth said. “We coordinate the moves out of the water before we actually get into the water.”
Seems like Beth and Ms. Motyka-Miller were pretty coordinated right from the start of their partnership. They have shared moves and executed routines flawlessly for three decades all over the world. Yet, the synchronized health issues were obstacles neither one saw coming. “Right after Carol heard about my diagnosis (two months after hers), she said we were taking this duet thing a little too far,” Beth said. “We wondered how this could happen to us. We’re both physically active and the healthiest people we know. I just don’t get sick.”
Sometimes there is no rational answer, but Beth and Motyka-Miller had a plan of attack, and surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments were not getting in the way.
Despite fresh surgical scars, Beth and Motyka-Miller proceeded with their training, and again came home with the gold medal in the 70-79 age group. It was the pair’s ninth against international competition and 31st gold medal overall.
Fifty-eight years ago, the quote at the top of this story was written in the yearbook under Beth’s NHS senior picture. Who knew it would be so prophetic?