Results are often measured exclusively by an individual’s performance within his or her respective arena. For red shirt senior swimmer Daniel Basler , a criminology major, the arena for measuring persistence will soon be recognized by frenzied crowds and remarkable finishes.
Basler’s difficult journey to reach his senior season traces its way back to a longboard accident, which occurred shortly after the team’s final meet last August.
In the past nine months, Basler has spent countless hours strengthening several extremities and muscles crucial to a swimmer’s body.
“I was just riding down the street on one of those longboard skateboards and got caught up on a curb,” Basler said. “I ended up breaking my hand and separating my shoulder. I had to get surgery on my hand, so I was out of the water for a couple months.
“At that point, I talked to a couple of coaches and decided to red-shirt.”
The medical red-shirt, despite providing ample time for recovery, could only aid Basler’s rehab several months after surgery. Although his injured shoulder fortunately avoided intense medical attention, the R.J . Reynolds High School graduate said he went all of five months without full range of motion.
“It took about two months before I could touch my thumb to my pinky,” Basler said. “The shoulder took about five months to get back before I could get to full range of motion without any pain. It’s been a long road, but the main thing was stretching and strengthening my shoulder and hand to get them back to where they needed to be.”
That process to get back into prime form includes one of the most rigorous off-season training schedules in N.C . State athletics. While the regimen may appear unworldly to some onlookers, Basler said he never takes the ability to train with a healthy body for granted.
“We break up on Mondays and Thursdays and essentially have three workouts,” Basler said. “The day starts, you wake up around 5 o’clock in the morning, you’re in the water at 5:30, and you swim until 8. Some kids head off to school, then we come back around 1 to work on weightlifting. Then you swim after that until 4 p.m ., go to work or do homework, go to sleep, and then start all over again. I would say we are working just as hard in the summer as we are in the season because of the different things we have to accomplish.
“It was difficult watching when everyone else was swimming or in the weight room. You just want to be there with everyone else.”
One of the many reasons Basler puts his dogged work ethic to use is so he can represent N.C . State and his hometown of Winston-Salem. With only six North Carolinians on the men’s swimming roster, Basler said coming to Raleigh gives him a tremendous amount of pride.
“In Winston-Salem a lot of people are Carolina fans, so it’s important to come back and represent N.C . State,” Basler said. “It really lets everyone know that if you don’t go to Carolina your life isn’t over. That was kind of the mindset of about 80 percent of the people I knew in high school.
“It’s just awesome to come from Winston-Salem, go to Raleigh and represent the school.”
Basler will be searching to regain his 2009-2010 form, which landed him on the ACC Honor Roll. Mostly competing in butterfly and backstroke events, Basler will lead the Pack when the first regular season meet takes place in Christiansburg , Va . on Oct. 15.
