Rachel Revolinski Triumphs After Tragedy

Rachel Revolinski.

NOTE: Freshman Rachel Revolinski was named Performer of the Meet after the Rhode Island Invitational for the women's swim & dive team, voted by her coaches.

KINGSTON, R.I. -- For one month, Rachel Revolinski had been watching her opponents glide through the water, watching them strengthen their strokes, as she sat in a wheelchair, unable to train. She had been injured in a fatal car accident in Feb. 2010, in which she broke both femurs, fractured an ankle, had a bruised lung and some small spinal injuries. Her best friend Natalie was killed on impact.

"I now have a scar on my left quad and every time I look down before I race, I see that scar and it reminds me of that day and Natalie," Revolinski said.

"It reminds me that I should be thankful for every moment I have here and that every opportunity is a blessing. Therefore, every race I have, I give it my everything, for Natalie who couldn't be here to share her success as well and to remind myself of how far I have come."

The day Revolinski was able to get out of her wheelchair and was put on crutches she was told that she could swim again. She didn't waste a second.

"Right after that appointment, I rushed right over to practice and got in the water. I had never felt so much pain in my life, but it was one of the happiest moments of my life," Revolinski said.

It took several months for her to get back to where she was before the car accident, she said, but today she is a collegiate student-athlete swimming for the University of Rhode Island.

"If I had to give anybody one piece of advice, it would be to enjoy every moment you have here because you don't ever get to relive that moment again. I know that sounds a little cliché, but it's true."

Revolinski hails from Oshkosh, Wisc., a good-sized town on the western shore of Lake Winnebago.

Starting in the pool at 10-years-old – an age that is significantly older than most swimmers, she said – was for the fun of being in the water with friends, simply having a good time. But as she's matured, the sole reason she swims is because she loves the race.

"Most people may think that swimming laps back and forth, looking at the line at the bottom of the pool is boring, but it's much more than that," Revolinski said.

"I love the feeling of being behind the blocks, ready to give everything I have to beat the girl next to me, to win for myself and my team."

When she was in high school preparing for college, she knew that swimming was a factor in her decision; as if she didn't swim at the collegiate level she knew she would be missing a very important part of her life.

Kingston, R.I. was the perfect fit, Revolinski said.

"This season has been an eye-opener for me so far. The training has been different than what I was used to and at first it was hard for me to adapt to it, but after a month or two I started to understand how to swim tired, realizing that I am really training for one meet: my first Atlantic 10 Conference Meet."

Revolinski swims the breast and the IM and so far this season she has been right around her best time for her 100-yard breaststroke and has even tied the URI varsity record. But she is expecting more from herself. She is seated third in the Atlantic 10 in the 100-yard breaststroke, but obviously, she said, she is training for first.

"I really love the breaststroke because it is a power stroke. You have to have so much power and strength to swim this stroke (and) … you also have to have the proper technique. Breaststroke is such a technical stroke and it's perfect for me because I'm a perfectionist about stroke technique. There is always so much more to learn about how to swim faster and that's the thrill of the sport for me."

In the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard IM, she is seated in the top 8 in the Atlantic 10.

"I also love swimming the IM because it incorporates all of the strokes, not just one single stroke. This event really tests how well-rounded you are. You have to be good at each stroke in order to advance in the IM. I take pride at being able to perform every stroke well, so for me the IM is a lot of fun."

Revolinski said that going into the Atlantic 10 Championships (Feb. 22-25), she will feel some nerves, but after being at several other high-performance meets, such as Junior National Championships and YMCA National Championships, she knows how to handle herself and how to put herself in a position to finish well.

"Plus, I'm only a freshman!" Revolinski said. "I have three more years after this to prove myself!"

Before the Atlantic 10 Championships, before any meet, Revolinski said that she likes to get a lot of rest and visualize the race.

"I know to most that may sound silly, but it really does help," she said.

The day she has a meet, she gets in to warm-up as soon as she can.

"I can tell how my races are going to go. Because I have been swimming for eight years now, I know how to feel in the water on the day of a meet. If I don't feel smooth, fast, or powerful in the water, I usually have a longer, more technical warm up."

She'll go through numerous drills and some speed work and after getting into her racing suit she'll listen to music to get into the zone.

During the meet, hearing all the cheers from her teammates really keeps her going, she said. She knows that she's in the meet to perform for her team and when they're all cheering her on all she wants to do is race faster and swim harder in order to beat the girl next to her.

"My teammates are what really make my experience as a Rhody Ram swimmer so enjoyable," Revolinski said. "My teammates are a family and every 'sister' I have on this team is always so supportive of me, through the good and bad days. I wouldn't be where I am without them.

"I am so blessed to be here and be a part of this team," Revolinski said. "I couldn't ask for anything more."