To the Editor,
I write in response to the Post article titled “Ohio finishes sixth in the MAC Championships.” As a 2004-2008 member of the varsity Ohio Swimming and Diving program, I am disappointed with the content and its inaccurate reflection of the attitude and pride of both current and former team members, as well as staff.
As an alumna aging away from contact with the current team, your interaction with the program becomes increasingly limited. We rely on outlets like The Post to feel informed. We remain invested and care deeply about the program. The article following the conclusion of this year’s MAC Championships did not do us justice.
Despite knowing so little about this year’s team and new coach Rachel Komisarz Baugh, there are things I can be certain of. The first is that Komisarz Baugh is a winner and has not reached the heights of athletic and coaching success from ignoring the “priority” of point scoring or being “satisfied” with lower finishes. No Olympian has, and we are lucky to have her.
The second is that the members of the current team have a winning attitude. Being recruited, practicing with and competing for a Division 1 swimming program requires the utmost determination. The sport itself is too demanding to lack some kind of intrinsic motivation. This is evidenced by the stellar performances and time drops. They’re invested in getting faster and maintaining the program’s winning legacy.
Finally, I am certain that when the numbers aren’t there and the points are difficult to come by, all coaches (including Komisarz Baugh’s predecessor) find a way to keep their athletes motivated. In fact, it’s true that not all athletes invited to the MAC Championships are on the scoring team (we had several my final year as a result of depth and talent). Do these athletes not contribute to the result of the meet from a scoring perspective? They most certainly do! How? By swimming fast and dropping time — Komisarz Baugh’s quoted priority. All competitors on some level have an ego or level of confidence that helps them be successful. You can’t dive in, whether off the blocks or on the boards, without believing you can achieve greatness. Being positive is effective, contagious and absolutely necessary.
My disappointment with the article is the perceived lack of appreciation for how disappointing the finish truly is. That sentiment was completely missed whether it was a result of taking a coach’s comments out of context, a positive focus steering the conversation elsewhere or a journalist’s unfamiliarity with the complexity of the athlete mentality. What alumni like myself look for is the “it wasn’t what we wanted but … ” comment.
Did Komisarz Baugh feel the meet was a “success” or that there were many successes despite a poor finish? Did your reporter truly feel a winning program combined with a winning coach felt the point tally wasn’t ancillary to the time improvement?
The article focuses on personal successes and times, and there is much to be proud of. Were you being fair to our winning spirit by completely ignoring that this coach and athletes do care about team placement at conference? Why was the tone of the article so passive as it pertained to the final outcome: a sixth place finish?
In an already divisive time following a coaching change, and an alumni base previously torn by the elimination of the men’s program in 2007, there’s a lot of hurt. We don’t all agree or see eye-to-eye. There are some things that unite us, like hard work, class and sportsmanship in the face of loss, utilizing adversity as motivation and prioritizing team success. This article missed the point, not the athletes or coaches.
Moving forward, I would encourage members of our team and staff to be sensitive. We know you’re hurt by the outcome, and it’s important for us to hear that, despite the growth experienced this year, it wasn’t enough. We want to know you’re desperate for a championship and you’re not settling. Continue to stay positive, but continue to be hungry, not defeated. TEAM always comes first.
While articles and quotes can miss the intended message (ex. In 2010-11 Greg Werner’s “end of the year” comment following a dual meet against Toledo was misinterpreted and offended their athletes), you can never argue with results. Trust me; we’re watching and we want you to be successful! Those who don’t, don’t matter.
Michaela Hahn Burriss is a 2008 alumna of Ohio University’s swimming and diving team and a Columbus resident.
