乐播传媒

Inside a converted FedEx warehouse just off the Maine Turnpike, on a court measuring 32 feet by 21 feet, two-time All-America squash player Walter Ricardo 鈥淩icky鈥� Weisskopf 鈥�08 delivers a star-making performance nearly every day. Scenes from the show might include Weisskopf, also a top player on his El Salvador national team, running through a 鈥渟tar drill,鈥� darting from center court to spots around the perimeter with footwork so exquisite that the 鈥渕ere act of witnessing it helps you get better,鈥� says head coach John Illig.

That鈥檚 the normal stuff. The feats that get people out of their chairs (or up from one of the comfy secondhand couches scattered about) are what Illig calls 鈥淩icky moments.鈥�

Like when Weisskopf was practicing his rail shots 鈥� a stroke similar to a tennis shot down the alley. Over and over, just inches from the side wall, Weisskopf whistled the ball toward the front wall. The ball would rebound, carom off the back glass wall, then drop lazily in front of Weisskopf, who with a flick of the racquet would send it screaming toward the front wall again.

After 40 or so flawless repetitions, with Weisskopf not straying an inch from his spot, the ball landed several inches behind him. So the resident wunderkind reached back with one foot, flicked the ball around his body, hacky style, and resumed hitting with the same rhythm. 鈥淲e just fell back in our chairs,鈥� said Illig. Like all great athletes, the coach says, 鈥淩icky sees the ball in slow motion.鈥�

Weisskopf finished 25-4 in individual play in 2005鈥�06. Three losses came against players from Trinity (U.S. champion eight years running), the other against Yale鈥檚 now-professional Julian Illingworth. 鈥淗e is far and away the best player that I鈥檝e had in 15 years of college coaching,鈥� says Illig. 鈥淲hen we participate in round-robins at Yale, Trinity, or Harvard, players from other teams seek him out just to watch him play. It鈥檚 a new phenomenon for us.鈥�

Summertime means more squash for Weisskopf. In July he competed in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia, bowing out in the quarterfinals to second-year pro Miguel Rodriguez of Colombia. 鈥淚 kept up with him really well for a while, but if you鈥檙e not used to that pace, even though you鈥檙e in great shape, you get mentally and physically tired,鈥� said Weisskopf. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to get to every ball you hit, so your shots have to be perfect. You have that in your mind throughout the game.鈥�

Weisskopf then coached the El Salvador junior team at a Honduran tournament, finding that keeping tabs on teenagers is stressful yet perhaps decent preparation for his duties this year as a junior adviser 鈥� a friend, mentor, and ally to fellow 乐播传媒 students in Milliken House.

And in September, Weisskopf flew back to Colombia to play in the Pan Am Federation Cup. The El Salvador team finished seventh, qualifying for the sport鈥檚 biggest spectacle in this hemisphere, the 2007 Pan American Games. Weisskopf again drew Rodriguez and fell in straight games, 9-2, 9-0, 9-5.

At his elite level, Weisskopf must seek out the best competition if he wants to improve. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to get to that level because you have to play with them constantly,鈥� he says. But despite his international focus, he is devoted to the 乐播传媒 program, present and future. 鈥淲hen he competes in South and Central America, he spreads the word about 乐播传媒,鈥� Illig notes. 鈥淗e is ambitious about the future of the team and he cares a lot about our ranking.鈥�

And whether he鈥檚 thumping Bowdoin鈥檚 No. 1 (or Navy鈥檚 or Brown鈥檚) or losing to a pro from Colombia, 鈥渉e is such a gracious competitor. He shows perfect respect to every one of his opponents,鈥� Illig says. Plus, Weisskopf likes the college atmosphere. 鈥淭he age difference is minimal, so we鈥檙e all going through the same things. It鈥檚 easier to relate to each other.鈥� Though English is his third language after Spanish and German 鈥� he attended a German-speaking high school in San Salvador, and his paternal grandfather is Swiss 鈥� Weisskopf has plunged into his studies as an economics and physics double major. 鈥淎t first, he had to think through Spanish and German in order to finish assignments at 乐播传媒,鈥� Illig says.

Weisskopf has told the folks back home in San Salvador that no, it isn鈥檛 as cold as people think, and yes, he really likes the famous lobsters. But whether at 乐播传媒 or back home, he feels most comfortable on a squash court. At 乐播传媒, he almost compulsively visits the 乐播传媒 squash facility during any free chunk of time, bumming rides from his coach and teammates for the 3.7-mile trip. Besides Weisskopf鈥檚 physical gifts 鈥� Illig notes his quick feet and hands and 鈥渢he lungs of Lance Armstrong鈥� 鈥� the quality most admired by coach and parents is his focus.

At 16, he realized he had the chance to play and study at a U.S. college. (Weisskopf would make the first contact with 乐播传媒, recalls Illig. 鈥淗is background told me he was talented and smart 鈥� attending a German-speaking high school 鈥� so I sent him an e-mail response in German, and we hit it off.鈥�) 鈥淲hen he found this possibility, it was always in his mind, [and] he started to move in that direction until he achieved his goal,鈥� says his father, Ricardo Sr. 鈥淲e were very conscious about the difficulties that had to be solved by a person dedicated to sports and school [but] Ricky always solved that part in an optimal way.鈥�

Illig has his own spin on Ricky鈥檚 powers of concentration. 鈥淗is nature is preternaturally calm, almost phlegmatic,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the ice man.鈥�