By Phillip Whitten<\/p>\n
AUBURN, Alabama, March 22. AFTER the prelims on this, the final day of the 2003 Women\u2019s NCAA Championships, I was invited to sit in on the Auburn team meeting. As it was last year, the meeting was a reflective experience in which the swimmers, coaches and support staff recognized the many people who contributed to the national championship the team appears poised to win this evening.<\/p>\n
The humbleness of coaches Dave Marsh and Kim Brackin, the prayer offered by Maggie Bowen and the comments and enthusiasm of all the young women on the team provide a visitor with an insight into the reasons for the remarkable success of this program located
\n"somewhere in the South."<\/p>\n
Brackin commented: \u201cAs I reflect on this year and how we got here, I asked what it was about Auburn University that brought you to this campus and this team to the brink of its second straight national title.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think one factor is the team atmosphere. We are a family and we have a lot of fun together.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother is \u2018winning.\u2019 You came here not because you want to \u2018do well,\u2019 but because you want to win.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there\u2019s leadership. We have great leaders from seniors to freshman and we have great followers, willing to trust the coaches and the upper classmen\u2026even when we asked you to sing Christmas carols while kicking butterfly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have purpose, direction and motivation. Together that makes us a strong, confident group that pushes one another to continually improve. We are a bold group of winners, willing to take risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat combination got us a championship. That was our goal when we walked off the deck, still wet, last year in Austin.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an emotional talk, Marsh said: "You are an undefeated team. Last fall, there were 270 other teams with the same goal as you. But YOU are the national champions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marsh pointed out that the team was the only team in Auburn history \u2013 in any<\/i> sport \u2013 to repeat as national champions, and he said the team\u2019s new goal was to win again in 2004.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy experience with this team,\u201d he said, \u201chas been profound, exciting and unique. This is the most coachable team I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marsh put the anticipated victory in perspective by reminding his athletes of the US military in Iraq: \u201cWe\u2019re sitting in our warm, cozy locker room while other people are putting their lives on the line for our freedom and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded; \u201cYou ladies represent the highest level of excellence ever achieved at this university. This championship is something you\u2019ll have for the rest of your lives.<\/p>\n
"Tomorrow we celebrate. Have your parents and friends join in on the fun. You\u2019ve earned it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
After Team Captain Maggie Bowen led the team in a nondenominational prayer, the team left for lunch, fired up for tonight\u2019s rendezvous with destiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Phillip Whitten AUBURN, Alabama, March 22. AFTER the prelims on this, the final day of the 2003 Women\u2019s NCAA Championships, I was invited to sit in on the Auburn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n