Nov. 1, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Welcome to "Q&A With The Captains," a continuing weekly segment that features a question-and-answer style interview with one of Mizzou men's swimming and diving's team captains. The 2007-08 captains are junior Jake Hoffmann and seniors Travis Floyd and Joe Wilson. This week we sit down with senior co-captain Joe Wilson.
What do you feel your role is as captain this year?
I'm supposed to be the organizational captain so part of my job is to make sure that everyone knows where to be at the right time and things like that.
Can you talk about a time when you've put this role into action?
We put together a sort of history night for the freshmen to tell them where the program has been. We talked about stories we heard as freshman and about the experiences we've had, like beating Texas A&M two years ago and how bad it hurt to lose to them by just a few points last year.
Why do you feel you were tabbed as a team captain this year?
It kind of surprised me when they nominated me. I'm kind of like Rudy. I was a walk-on my freshman year and I was painfully, painfully slow. The last couple of years I've grown to be one of the faster guys on the team so I think some of the guys think I've put in my dues. I did what needed to be done and they trusted me.
Do you own the movie "Rudy?"
No, I don't. I own very few sports movies despite being a sports fanatic.
What do you hope to accomplish during your senior season?
Well, we beat Texas A&M already. That was one of the biggest things. Our G.A., Pat Rowan, said it right... beating A&M in a dual meet is like your half birthday. Yeah, it's all right but it doesn't really mean anything in the long run. We need to beat them at conference. That's what I want to do. That's another thing we haven't done in our history. I want the to beat Texas A&M at conference. I want the team to be ranked and throughout the year, not hovering around the top 25. Individually, a lifetime best at Big 12s would be nice. It'd be a good way to finish things up.
You guys are 1-1 on the season after racing two top-25 teams. How does going up against these top teams help you and your teammates prepare for the rest of the season?
We know this weekend will be a tough meet. A lot of these teams are regional powerhouses that we've seen and raced before. We know it's going to be a difficult weekend, but every time you do something hard it makes you better the next time. That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Virginia Tech is going to be the big one though. That will be the really exciting one on Sunday.
The team received votes in the first College Swim Coaches Association of America Top 25 Poll. What effect has this had on the mentality of the team?
It legitimizes us as a strong team. We come in here every day and put in our time in the pool and weight room. We do everything we can and we know we're a strong team. It's something special to know that other people can look at us and think we're pretty quick too. It's a legitimizing thing. It makes us feel proud of ourselves as athletes and as representatives of this university.
Is breaking into the top 25 a big topic of conversation among the team?
Coach Hoffer will bring it up every now and then and there's a buzz when that happens. Then it dies down while we're waiting to hear. When we've been ranked in the past we've posted the rankings in the locker room and in our individual lockers. It's an important thing to us. It's a pretty cool thing to have.
Would you be willing to throw out a guess as to if you guys will be ranked next week?
Yeah, I think we'll be in the rankings when they come out. I think Texas A&M is No. 22 and we beat them, so I'd say maybe we'll be No. 21 or 22.
The team's had two weeks off now. What kind of advantage has this given you heading into this weekend's Mizzou Dual Challenge?
It's given us a lot of time to focus on everything else going on. The coaches do scouting, but we've had some time to do our own scouting on the teams coming in this weekend. It gives us the advantage of knowing where our strengths are and knowing where we have to step up.
Are there any potential downsides to having this time off? It's just like a bye week in college football or the NFL. You may have more time to focus on what's coming up, but a lot of times people lose focus. Then again, if you compete too many weekends in a row it wrecks your body.
Can you draw any more comparisons between Mizzou swimming and diving and the NFL? Actually no I can't.
If you could describe the Mizzou Dual Challenge in one word what would it be?
Long. Two weeks ago we dualed Texas A&M and then had the Big 12 Relays the next day. That was two days of racing and now we've got three days of it.
What is your prediction for the Mizzou-Colorado football score this Saturday?
Mizzou 45, Colorado 32