Dallas Mustangs Swim Team

News Release

For Immediate Release

July 29, 2005

For Further Information Contact:

Mook Rhodenbaugh, Head Coach 214-768-1641

Stuart Roth, Parent Volunteer - Media Relations 972-242-2556

Dallas Mustangs Swimmer Ranked #1 U.S. Pentathlete

National Ranking Follows Years of Swim Training

What happens to swimmers who graduate from high school, want to remain in competitive sports, and don’t just want to stay in the water? In the case of Dennis Bowsher, age 21, who graduated from W.T. White High School in May, 2001, the next step was learning the Olympic sport of Pentathlon. “I didn’t even know all the disciplines involved in the sport, but my Mustangs swim coach, Mook Rhodenbaugh, put me in touch with the folks from USA Pentathlon, and things just came together.” Bowsher moved to San Antonio to begin training full time with USA Pentathlon and in January 2005, after two years of intensive training, he was ranked #1 among American men by USA Pentathlon. What’s next? Bowsher will compete in the Pentathlon World Championships from August 3rd -9th in Warsaw, Poland, and then, upon returning to the U.S., he’ll be inducted into the U.S. Army.

Pentathlon is a rigorous sport where athletes compete in 5 separate disciplines and their combined performance determines their overall ranking. Each individual discipline has a benchmark point standard. Athletes who perform better than the standard get bonus points added to their score. Performing below the standard causes a reduction in points. Each competition begins with Shooting, using 20 shots from a 10mm air pistol. The next phase is Fencing, where Athletes are eliminated after allowing just one touch. The third discipline is Swimming. Each athlete races 200 meters in a pool trying to be the fastest swimmer, and thereby earn the most bonus points. The fourth discipline is horseback Riding, where pentathletes are scored on their stadium jumping abilities using horses assigned at random by the event host. Finally, the competitors run a 3 kilometer race, just under 2 miles, in an effort to take over the top ranking at the competition.

“I liked the sport immediately,” Bowsher said. “I was 19 years old and had never even tried any of the disciplines besides swimming. But the idea of learning 4 new sports was fun, and I liked my coach and training partners. In April, 2005, I moved from San Antonio to Colorado Springs, to train at the Olympic Training Center.” Asked about his typical training day, Bowsher explained that he fences, swims and runs every day except Sunday. Riding training takes place on Tuesday and Thursday. Shooting training is held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Calisthenics take place every day. We also have access to sports psychologists and doctors who can help us be better competitors.”

What’s it like training for 5 sports instead of just one? “It’s a challenge. Swimming is tough to learn for older athletes who’ve never done it before. And each sport is different. I’m kind of a laid back person, which really helps in shooting. But in fencing being laid back doesn’t help. You’ve got to be aggressive. I’ve worked with the psychologists to build up my emotion level during fencing.”

As a top participant in a sport that is basically unknown in the U.S., Bowsher knows he has to excel internationally to get any real recognition. But that doesn’t seem to affect his attitude. Humble, unassuming, and reluctant to talk about his individual success, Bowsher responds to a question about his long term goals with a grin. “Of course, I want to go to the Olympics. But most Pentathletes who get to that level have 10 or more years of experience. I’d like to continue training through 2012, go to the Olympics with 10 years of competition behind me, and see what happens.”

So that begs the question of how to continue training. And the answer is the U.S. Army. “The Army has a WCAP, or World Class Athlete Program, that I signed up for. I’ll ship out in August for 4 months of basic training, then be stationed in Ft. Carson, Colorado, where I’ll perform duties for the Army while continuing to train for Pentathlon.” In a sport dominated by former Communist block countries, Bowsher is determined to see how far his training and abilities can take him. And the Army can provide a structure to help him attain those goals. But isn’t joining the army in a time of war a little scary? “Yes, but I believe things will work out for me. I’ve talked about this with my family and they are very supportive.”

It’s not everyday that a young man leaves the rigors of year round swim training to begin a 10 year journey towards Olympic success. And it’s even less frequent for a top athlete to serve his country while training for his sport. But Dennis Bowsher is not a typical young man. Former coach Mook Rhodenbaugh, recently honored as USA Pentahlon’s Coach of the Year, said “Dennis is a unique athlete with outstanding values and character. He isn’t bound by the limits of traditional thinking, and I am sure his future will be successful. I’m proud to have been his coach for so many years.”

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The athletes, families, coaches and board members are very proud of what the Dallas Mustangs Swim Team has to offer swimmers. Designated a Silver Medal Club in the USA Swimming Club Excellence Program for 2005, our team offers various programs including learn-to-swim classes, structured age-group practices, national level workouts and a masters program for adults. The Dallas Mustangs Swim Team utilizes several pools within the Dallas - Ft. Worth Metroplex for convenient instruction and workouts.

Our philosophy is to offer a fun yet competitive atmosphere. We want the swimmers to learn to enjoy working toward their goals. Our website, www.dmswim.com, is designed to further acquaint athletes and their families with our coaching staff, team logistics and philosophies. We strive to develop a program for each swimmer based on their skill, age, and interest. It is our belief that swimming with the Dallas Mustangs Swim Team develops many enduring life skills including: