Tom Fritchen

By Shawna Carpentier
UWRF Sports Information

For seven years now Falcon junior Tom Fritchen has been swimming and this year, he swims as a captain of the UWRF men's swim team for the first time.

"He was voted captain by the guys last spring and I think they made a super choice," says Head Coach Bill Henderson about Fritchen and his role as a team leader. Fritchen is a freestyle swimmer for the team and is a tough competitor in those events. Henderson believes Fritchen "is one of the stronger free swimmers at every distance."

Giving credit back to his coach, Fritchen states that part of the reason he came to UWRF to pursue swimming was because, "We have a really good coach who is very good at recruiting and very persuasive."   "I like the people that participate in the sport and the workout is strenuous," says Fritchen in reason why his is attracted to the sport. He expresses that swimming does more than satisfy his desire for entertainment, but that swimming "taught me dedication and [how] to concentrate on the things I care about."  

Swimming for Washington Park High School, Fritchen was named MVP his senior year. He enjoyed the honor of being named the team's Most Improved after his freshman year at River Falls. That was the season Fritchen experienced what he calls his best accomplishment in his swim career to date. Fritchen dropped at least two seconds in all of his events.

Fritchen's mother, Maureen, and older brother, Joe, were two main influences in his decision to pursue swimming as a form of competition. He says that other people who may be considering swimming as a sport should "[be prepared] to work hard and be ready to tough it out; it's tiring. As long as you know how to swim, you have the potential to be a really good swimmer," says Fritchen.

"Tom has been a pleasure to coach and have on the team. He is another one of those "team" people who everyone respects and gets along with," says Henderson.

According to Fritchen, a good leader "knows when to speak up and when to listen."

Going to winter training camp last season in Florida is one of Fritchen's best memories of his swim career. He enjoyed practicing with the team there and spending his free time at the Florida beaches playing volleyball. Fritchen looks forward to his second year of winter training camp in California this season.

As he competes through the season, Fritchen will be using his "laid-back" personality to stay relaxed during his meets. He explains that is better to swim when the body is relaxed; which, in exchange helps the swimmer to compete with loose rather than tight muscles.

As the president and founder of the UWRF water polo club, Fritchen promotes recreational competition two times a week. Making time "for swimming to give me a break from all the classes and homework," is part of the work of balancing his role as a student-athlete. Ultimately, Fritchen says that academics come first.

Fritchen, a Racine, Wis., native, is passionate about art. He decided to turn his passion into a career and is in his third year of pursuing an art major and a minor in coaching. Painting and drawing are hobbies of Fritchen's and he hopes these hobbies will someday help him to accomplish his goal of "having a successful career in painting or drawing." Art is not only Fritchen's career choice, but also a way for him to let out whatever is on his mind. "I see art as a stress reliever and a good way to express myself," he says.  

Most people would be surprised, according to Fritchen that he likes to make jewelry. Metal jewelry like chain maille and linking jumprings are Fritchen's favorite kinds of jewelry to make.

Although Michael Phelps is a swimmer Fritchen admires for his success at a young age, Fritchen says, "[swimming] is not so much win or lose [as it is] to swim your best."

"[Swimming] is a lot of work, to me it is mainly focused on having fun and having a good time," states Fritchen.