March Madness Indeed

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Jamie Kolar, Swimming World College Intern.

March is a busy time in not only swimming but other college sports as well. There are several championships meets happening in the swimming world, including NCAAs and Sectional meets, and long course season is also beginning again. While Caeleb Dressel has taken center stage in the swimming world, deservedly so, with his outstanding swims at men’s NCAAs, there is another sports story that has taken the world by storm.

This year March Madness has taken a turn for the unpredictable with the Loyola men’s basketball team being the Cinderella story that has swept the nation, all while breaking everyone’s brackets. Now we don’t normally talk about basketball here, but there are several key lessons that can be learned from Loyola’s amazing victories as well as Dressel’s.

Passion is the name of the game.

Loyola University Chicago players celebrate after beating Kansas State to advance to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament at Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA., on March 24, 2018. (Photo: Lukas Keapproth)(Photo: Lukas Keapproth)

Photo by Lukas Keapproth courtesy of Loyola University Chicago

The excitement that radiates from these athletes when they are talking about their sport is infectious. Their passion drives their desire to be great. They do what they love and love what they do.

It all starts in practice.

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Photo Courtesy: Andreas Roestenberg

The Loyola basketball team and Caeleb Dressel did not just get lucky with their successes in their sports. Their success was built every day in practice by their work ethic, dedication, and willingness to challenge themselves.

They put in the time and effort into every practice so that when they got to their championship stages, their performance was pretty much muscle memory. This is not to discount their ability to compete, but their true ability to perform was cultivated in practice.

It takes a village.

Loyola University Chicago Head Coach Porter Moser and junior Ben Richardson embrace after defeating Kansas State in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament at Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA., on Saturday, March 24, 2018. (Photo: Lukas Keapproth)

Photo by Lukas Keapproth courtesy of Loyola University Chicago

Porter Moser (the Loyola men’s basketball head coach), Sister Jean and Gregg Troy have fully supported their athletes. Moser was the first one to hug his players and congratulate them after they won the Elite Eight game and was arguably almost more excited than the players when they won. While the coaching staff is important to the athlete and can really make a big difference in an athlete’s life, it is the team that is behind each member of the team that makes the biggest difference.

Troy has talked about the “Dressel Effect” on the Florida team. This phenomenon pushes each swimmer to be racing each other and to strive to reach new more challenging goals. Ben Richardson of Loyola was the first to say that he was not the star player on the court, even though he scored a personal high of 23 points in one game, but that it was the team effort that won them the game. Your teammates build you up and can really provide the support that you need to be your best.

One and the same.

Photo Courtesy: Jeff Commings

Although every sport is different in its own special way, athletes have a general understanding of one another. The support that one athlete can provide to another is indescribable. Being an athlete is something special and something that can only really be understood by another athlete, no matter the sport. It is one of the few things in life that is universal.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Amz Amz

6 years ago

Swimming is the best@.