Ruplinger: Capping off a Successful Senior Season
Madison Ruplinger competing with her strong butterfly stroke. Picture by Alexis Lofy.
What are your future plans in the sport?
I do not plan on swimming for a college, but many universities have club teams that I would love to participate in!
Have you improved your technique in the past year?
We have practice 6 days a week, totaling about 15 hours per week. At the start of each of these practices we do drills focusing on a certain stroke.
Who' is your favorite pro athlete in your sport?
Katie Ledecky is my favorite swimmer. She is very inspiring and a great role model for young swimmers, especially girls.
How’s the season going so far? What are the team’s greatest strengths?
We had a great season! JV took 1st in conference, Varsity took second in conference, and we sent 6 girls to state. I think that our team’s greatest strength is our ability to come together and support each other, especially at tough meets.
Do you play any sports outside of this one?
No, I don’t play any other sports but I am involved in various clubs such as National Honor Society, Best Buddies, and Junior Optimist Club.
What hobbies do you do outside of school?
I love to hang out with my friends, watch the Brewers, travel, volunteer, and I am interested in photography.
When did you start swimming?
I started swimming lessons at a very young age, then began swimming competitively around 4th grade.
What are your five favorite things that are not sports related?
Some of my favorite things include my friends, family, the Brewers, traveling, and my dog.
What's your warm-up routine?
We start each practice with about 500 yards, then we kick and drill before getting into the main set.
Madison Ruplinger zones in for the race that’s about to start. Photo courtesy of the Ruplinger family.
Is this the first sport you played/ was this your first choice? What was your journey to finding this sport?
I tried various other sports before landing on swimming. My swim instructor at the YMCA suggested I join a competitive team and I have stuck with it ever since.
Why do you continue to play this sport?
Swimming is a great way to stay in shape, as it pushes you every day. However, I think that the friends that I have made through this sport are what really make me stick with it. The girls that I have swam with for the past four years feel like family now and are what make it so hard to leave this sport.
What would be your ultimate achievement for this sport, ever?
Every swimmer’s goal is to go best times at meets, so I would consider going best times a great achievement.
What’s your favorite memory from this season?
Bus rides with my team, singing, and celebrating wins are definitely some of my favorite memories from the season. I’d give anything for one more of those bus rides!
What’s the funniest memory from this season?
We always have a Halloween party and everyone competes to have the best costume. There were some really funny ones this year!
What are your swim events you do?
I usually swim the 100 yard backstroke. At conference this year I also swam the 200 yard individual medley. My events vary though, depending on what is needed at a certain meet.
What are your favorite strokes to do, releys, ect.?
I really like swimming the 100 yard backstroke; however, I prefer to swim on relays because it is so much fun swimming as a team. My favorite relays are the 200 yard medley relay and 200 yard freestyle relay.
What advice do you have for younger athletes playing your sport?
I would tell younger swimmers to enjoy every moment, even through the tough workouts or practices, because in the end it is completely worth it. Soon enough it will be your last race, last bus ride, or last team cheer, so don’t let those moments slip away without enjoying them.
