Vince Lombardi's legendary aphorism about success is still relevant to this day. He said the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. In a roundabout way, the University of Wisconsin swimming program is safeguarding against any lack of will through implementation of extremely rigorous practices.
Head coach Eric Hansen is a firm believer in such practices. "Training is everything," Hansen said. "With consistent training it [the program] all comes together."
Scott Rice, a standout freshman swimmer, wearily attests that training is extremely intense. "[Practices are] pretty rough and take a lot of energy, usually two hours in the morning at 6:00 and two hours in the afternoon at 3:00 [afternoon practices start at 2:45]. They wipe you out."
For Rice, the collegiate swimming commitment is truly an extension of his past as swimming has always been an integral part of his life. "I started swimming whenever I could … at three years old, my family just put me in the water," Rice reminisced.
The last few years are especially memorable for the mid-distance swimmer. During his high school swimming career he excelled in Washington state competition. His phenomenal 2005 season was outstandingly recognized and heralded when he was named Washington's Swimmer of the Year. Strongly deserving of the award, he was a state champion in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley, as well as a member of the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay state championship teams.
Due to his success, assistant coach Kari Woodall thinks Rice may be destined for even greater accomplishments in the future. "He's a guy that can be an All-American and on the United States National Team," Woodall said.
Once a former NCAA All-American and a member of several United States National Teams, Woodall's praise could turn into a capable prophecy. While Rice's chances in achieving All-American honors are not certain, Woodall undoubtedly believes he possess' at least a natural talent for swimming.
"He is very talented, and is a guy you see move through the water differently, in a fluid way. He has a natural feel for the water … you can't teach that," she said.
The Badgers have many young and promising swimmers. The squad has only one junior and one senior. Though this is a rebuilding year for the youthful squad, they are beginning to display their soaring potential.
According to the most recent dual meet rankings, Wisconsin men's swimming team is notably just shy of a top-25 national ranking.
Overall the team faired well in its last meet at the University of Minnesota, finishing second behind the No. 9 Gophers.
This week the men's and women's swimming and diving team are idle before traveling to Austin, Texas, Wednesday for the elite Texas Invitational Dec. 1-3, which features some of the nation's fastest teams. Included in the mix of top men's teams are No. 2 California, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Arizona, No. 6 Texas, No. 9 USC and No. 24 Missouri.
The No. 9 women will face stiff competition from No. 5 Arizona, No. 10 Texas and No. 11 USC.
This meet will be the final test of the semester for the Badgers, as they will take the results from the meet to Hawaii this December and January for their stern winter training.
The team also will look to qualifying as many swimmers as possible so they can turn their attention to the national championship level, rather than the Big Ten level, which is something head coach Eric Hansen believes is the ultimate swimming competition.
"The NCAA championship's is 100 percent of our focus … this sport is about how good you can be nationally," Hansen said.
For Rice and the young squad, there is still a lot of time to improve and prepare for the national stage. Coach Hansen hopes each demanding two hour practice, twice a day, will give the team the needed will to succeed.
For the Badgers, Rice seems to set the benchmark in terms of success. Coach Hansen strongly considers the talented, young Rice representative of the UW swimming program, lamenting only about his inexperience.
"The only thing holding him back right now is time and experience. He epitomizes our team, young with a lot of potential."
