Film Documents UA Swimming Champs

Patty and Molly Busch made a documentary film of the UA's men's and women's NCAA championship teams this year.

Tucsonans will have a chance to get an insider's look at the inner workings of the nation's best collegiate men's and women's swimming teams.

Patty Busch, wife of University of Arizona swimming coach Frank Busch, along with their daughter Molly, produced a 90-minute documentary film on the Cats' national championships this past spring. The film, "Between the Water and the Wood," premiere at the Loft Cinema on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. The Loft is located at 3233 E. Speedway, a block east of Country Club Road. Admission is $5.

"Between the Water and the Wood" chronicles a season in the life of these elite level athletes who vow to bring their coaches a national championship. A compelling close-up of the final frontier of amateur sports, the film tells the story of five college students and their teammates who train as hard as they compete.

In this documentary, the athletes – along with their families and coaches – shape a film with heart and soul as well as strength and speed. Their success depends on many pieces of the rigorous process: recruiting, dry land training, intense water drills and making the time standards to qualify for the final competition.

As the season unfolds, the viewer takes on the athletes' passion for a winning finale, culminating in an emotional outcome of heartbreak and triumph that surpasses everyone's expectations, including the filmmakers.

On consecutive weekends in May, the UA men's and women's swim teams both won their first national championships. Both team won their titles in convincing fashion, with the women's team besting second-place Auburn University by 136 points and the men finishing 94 points ahead of second-place University of Texas.

The national championships were followed with more success for UA swimming and diving at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. A total of 18 swimmers, divers and coaches with ties to the UA participated in the Olympic Games. Current team member Lacey Nymeyer took home the silver medal in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay and Matt Grevers – who trains at the UA – won both a silver and gold medal.

Last week, the teams visited the White House, where they were congratulated by President George W. Bush for their national championships.

Patrice and Molly Busch, who co-directed the film, are a mother and daughter filmmaking duo. Frank Busch, Patrice's husband and Molly's father, has been the head coach of the UA swimming team for the past 20 years