Men's Swim Team Assess Their Progress in 2003-04
January 16, 2004 | Swimming & Diving
Jan. 16, 2004
"A New Beginning" by the Men's Swim Team
On September 2, 2003 the University of Louisville swimming and diving program began a new era with the hiring of Head Coach Arthur Albiero. Over the last four months our U of L men's team has undergone unprecedented changes with the guidance of our new leader.
The first week of our season began as all the years prior. However, at our first team meeting we realized that Coach Albiero had much higher expectations than we had for ourselves. Arthur preached "imagination, determination, commitment," and a new sense of "Cardinal Pride." These first few speeches were eye-openers for most of our team, who viewed this attitude with a mix of skepticism and optimism.
Much of the skepticism was erased when the men's swim team opened its home schedule with a tight win over Eastern Illinois and a victory over Big East Conference member Boston College. These wins began an undefeated fall semester in Crawford Pool; but more important than these wins was the respect that we gained for Coach Albiero and his new system.
The new attitude in the team provided a solid foundation during the rigorous practices and dual meet schedule during November and early December. However, it was not until the Notre Dame Invitational (December 6-8) that we began to realize our potential. The men's team walked away boasting numerous lifetime best performances from the majority of its members and we began to show that "Cardinal Pride" Coach Albiero had preached about throughout the year. We left home for winter break excited about our upcoming Christmas training trip and the challenges that lay ahead in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Arthur promised that this trip would be our greatest challenge yet, and after eighteen practices we found that to be very true. At every practice Coach Albiero expressed the "opportunities" that we were given to discover our physical and mental limitations. Shortly into our trip we realized that "it would hurt to go slow just like it would hurt to go fast" - and each individual made his decision. These decisions fostered a new sense of accountability toward the team. We became more united than ever before.
We are certain that this new sense of team unity will lead us to unparalleled individual success and our best team finish ever at the Conference USA Championship meet in late February. We are incredibly excited about the future of Louisville swimming.
