I
BY SHAD POWERS
MICIHGAN STE U.'95 GRAD
OME PEOPLE WERE BORN TO BE
the best actor, doctor, astronaut
or singer. But what about those
whose expertise lies in the field of
power walking, badminton, the
hammer toss or Greco-Roman
wrestling? It's downright impossible to
make even pocket change on a street
corner fencing or doing the triple
jump. Their only goal, and the only
place they can peddle their wares, is
the grandest of athletic events - the
Olympics.
Olympic hopefuls come in all
shapes, sizes and ages. Many try to bal-
ance the hard work and dedication it
takes to achieve their dream with the
demanding schedule of college classes.
We salute these heroes in the making.
During the summer, the whistle of wind being
pierced by arrows is a common sound around
Greenview, Ill., hometown of 19-year-old Victor
Wunderle. But during the school year, Wunderle
takes aim at his Olympic dream from College Sta-
tion, Texas, home of Texas A&M U. Wunderle is
training to be one of the three athletes to honor
their country as Olympic archers.
Until now, the training hadn't affected Wunder-
le's schoolwork too much, but le plans to take this
school year off to focus on his dream. The Olympic
trials, which is a series of tournaments that whittles
down the field of competitors to the final three,
began in August and last through June 1996. Wun-
derle estimates that he'll spend two to
eight hours a day honing his skill.
"I started shooting when I was 5,"
says Wunderle. "I went to my first tour-
nament when I was 6 and won it. I just
kept going up the ladder from there."
That ladder has led titr to a spot on a
national touring team that has gone to
competitions as far away as Norway. The
next rung may be Atlanta in 1996, but it
won't be easy.
"Most other countries have two or
three top guys who are always there, but
the competition here is stiff," he says.
"Our15th best shooter could beat their
No. 1 shooter on any given day."
Unlike most Olympic sports, archery
doesn't require intense physical training.
Wunderle says his time is better spent
staring down bull's-eyes than running or
lifting weights.
Archery is more mental than physical,
Wunderle says.
But it's not just the shooter vs. the target,
he says. "In some tournaments, you can
psych some people out. [But] most of the
Olympic archers have a lot of etiquette, and
there's no stuff like that."
Frank Thomas, head coach of the -
'iexas A&M archery team, says Wunderle
has the confidence, focus and mental
toughness to succeed. "On any given day,
he can beat anybody in the world."
Thomas laughs politely at the idea of Felic
his coaching being the key to Wunderle's
success. "We know just to keep fnding him a place
to practice and people to practice with - that's my
main job," he says. "He doesn't need much more
help than that."
Like a fast-paced game of chess combined with
boxing. That's how 20-year-old Felicia Zimmer-
mann describes fencing.
Zimmermann's fencing career was thrust upon
her early. "When I was 8, my dad was reading about
fencing in the newspaper," she recalls. "He decided
to sign me up for it. I had no choice."
Zimmermann, who has not yet thanked her dad,
has grown to become the second-ranked female
fencer in the United States and 17th in the world.
"I enjoy fencing in that it's a sport that centers
only on yourself," she says. "The only person you
can blame is yourself, and the only person who can
win is yourself."
In September, Zimmermann and the rest of the
U.S. fencing contingent began a series of tourna-
ments, including games in Canada and some World
Cup events. When it's all said and done, the three
fencers who have accumulated the most points will
wear the red, white and blue in Atlanta.
The Rush, N.Y., native attends the U. of
Rochester. She admits that balancing schoolwork
and an Olympic dream leaves time for little else.
"I've worked so much and so hard at fencing, and
I've done OK in class, but it's difficult to make friends
and meet people. That's the hard part," she says.
Racking up impressive finishes, on the other
hand, hasn't proven to be too hard. Earlier this year,
ias Zimmerman gets the point.
Zimmermann became the only U.S. woman fencer
to win a Junior World Cup gold medal at the
Tournoi Frederico II in Italy; she was third at the
Canadian Senior Circuit in Montreal and fifth at
the Tournoi International in Germany.
Zimmermann's 10-year trainer and the current
national coach, Buckie Leach, says she has the poten-
tial to be one of the top 10 fencers in the world.
"She has good discipline, good determination
and huge desire," Leach says. "You need tenacity and
good problem-solving ability. You need to be able to
see situations and react to them. She can do that."
Women's fencing is broken down into two divi-
sions, based on the weapon. The foil, which Zimmer-
mann uses, is a lighter, more flexible weapon than the
cpde. Foil users must be more technical, as they can
only score points by connecting with the tip of the
sword on the torso from neck to groin. The dpde can
contact any point on the body to score.
The strategic nature of the sport puts a premium
on brains rather than brawn.
"It all comes down to who has the coolest head,"
Zimmermann says. "You can't just stick your arm
out and start running at them. They'd look at you
like, 'Do you think I'm stupid?' It's more faking,
blocking and counterattacking."
Zimmermann missed the opportunity to partici-
pate in the '92 Olympics by one point.
"It was very hard, and that's why this Olympics
is so important to me," she says.
"This time is my time, and I can't let it pass."
Shad Powers has joinedtU. as an assistant editor, and he says
doing Nipsey Russell impressions should be an Olympic sport.
Victor Wunderle suffering the slings and arrows...
22 U. Magaziaie * October 1995