Rhinelander's Ben Lonsdorf is one of the best sprinters in Division 2; as the top returning finisher from last year's state meet in both the 50 and 100 frees, the senior will certainly be one of the favorites in those races come February.
He may also be the last Rhinelander swimmer to compete for a state title. The Rhinelander school district, faced with a $2 million operating deficit after a failed referendum, has put both girls and boys swimming on the chopping block for next season in an attempt to close the deficit. The school distirct runs an indoor swimming pool, the practice and competition site for both teams. Details here:
http://www.hodagsports.com/stories.html?SKU=20081218132338
Lonsdorf, the team's captain who recently signed a letter-of-intent to swim at D1 Wyoming, lamented the possible loss of the swim program at Rhinelander: “This program, Rhinelander boys swimming as a whole, has been amazingly successful throughout the years. It’s kind of a shame (that it could go).”
It's hard to imagine a better representative for the program than Lonsdorf. He's qualified for the state meet each of his first three years in high school, and has three state runner-up finishes to his name. Last year, he entered the state D2 meet as the top seed in both the 50 and 100 frees, and swam best times in each event, but was edged out in both races for first place.
Afterwards, he expressed disappointment in not winning, but didn't make any excuses, and instead dedicated himself to winning a state title this year. He even moved to Madison this past summer to train with the Badger Aquatic Club and top-notch swimmers such as Purdue signee Sam Niesen of Middleton and state champ Michael Drives of Madison Memorial.
“I guess that just means next year in practice, I’m just going to have to kick my butt even harder and really, really work hard to finally come out with some wins," he told HodagSports.com after last year's state meet. "I think it will happen. I really do.”
Here's hoping Lonsdorf isn't the last Rhinelander swimmer to get a chance at a state title.
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Phil, I hate to say it but it is true. My folks live in Hazelhurst, and Rhinelander can't find a way to fix the old pool, the referendums keep failing. They are filling it in. They do have a beautiful YMCA with a pool, but the pool was not built for meets- too shallow for blocks and only 6 lanes. They boys would work out there over winter breaks, and the YMCA club team practiced at the high school.
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