"Let me give an example of how tough Jenny is," Dietz says. "Last summer when Susan made the Olympic team and Betsy went to Hawaii. Jenny swam well but didn't make any trips. As a result, she came back this winter, redoubled her efforts, and went the fastest she's ever gone in the IM's (2:04, 4:20) at the Longhorn meet in January."
Dietz of course, is elated that his prodigy will be joining other stellar incoming freshman like Marybeth Linzmeier and Stephanie Elkins at Stanford next year, and he hopes that this new blood will help propel the Cardinals past the Texas Longhorns next year in the AIAW Championships. Hurt by the mid-season retirement of backstroke queen Linda Jezek, and the physical ailments of Janet Buchan, the Stanford aquawomen just missed regaining their national title in Columbia. South Carolina last month.
"Although the family ties were strong and she wanted to join Betsy at Florida. Jenny finally decided that Stanford offers more support for her engineering ambitions," Dietz says.
As for Susan, incredible is the only word that can be used to describe her swimming performances. Betsy recalls being "blown away" when Susan made her first Nationals two years ago.
"Susan decided she wanted to make Nationals so she put the times she wanted to do by her bed so she could look at them before she went to sleep. We all just thought it was so cute, and we patted her on the head and said. 'That's nice, Susie,'" Betsy recalls.
But make it Susan did, much to she astonishment of her family and teammates. She has since gone to earn spots on the Holland/France. Hawaii and Utah trips, and her times of 1:12.93 and 2:35.08 in the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes at Irvine last summer rank her 20th and 12th in the world, respectively.
Dietz still gets excited when he remembers Susan's come-from-behind finish in the 200 at Irvine. "I think Susan probably had the fastest last 50 in the history of 200 breaststroke," Dietz says. "She was swimming so fast that she made the other girls look like they were standing still. If that race had been a foot longer. Susan would've won."
Dietz also thinks the Olympic boycott hurt an athlete like Susan the most: "Considering how much she came on last year, it's not inconceivable that she could've taken it all at Moscow," he speculates.
Despite her successes, Susan remains the most introverted and soft-spoken of the Rapps, as well as the most well-rounded away from the pool--she is an accomplished piccolo player and flautist. Susan, says one former teammate, is not obsessed with swimming the way some stars are.
"Susan works amazingly hard in workout, but when it's over she leaves swimming behind in the pool. She's not one to discuss splits, sets or times in the locker room," she adds.
It is this low-key, unpretentious approach to swimming, coupled with the all-important win or lose, parental support that has made the Rapps such standouts--both inside and out of the pool. Swimming is treated as just one facet of the family's life, and goal setting and goal achieving are viewed as two incidental lessons that will enrich later years.
"The nicest thing about the Rapps is that they have gotten as much out of swimming as they have put into it." Dietz concludes, adding, "It is their positive attitude and their continual giving that make them such fine examples of what a sport like swimming can ultimately produce."