From tragedy to triumph: A former college basketball star develops a passion for the water thanks to Mercury Marine
Fond du Lac, Wis. - Mercury Marine continues to develop and manufacture world-class technology designed to enhance the boating experience. The world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine engines recently teamed up with Belzona boats to Go Boldly on the water with former University of Wyoming basketball star and lifelong boating enthusiast Nichole Rider.
Rider’s unbridled passion for the water is documented in this new video.
“My dad bought a power boat when I was five years old; it just changed my life,” Rider said. “We spent every weekend from when I was five years old to 22 on the water. My dad had Mercury engines and that’s what helped to develop my passion for the water.”
While in college, Rider was involved in a near-fatal car accident. Doctors told her family that she had little chance to survive the first night and, if she did, she would be paralyzed. But through rigorous therapy and an insatiable will, Rider survived and, while her basketball career was over, her love for the water never wavered.
“I’ve never had anything that makes my heart sing like being on the water,” said Rider. “All my moments were Mercury moments. Every weekend on the lake was amazing; I lived to get on the water.
“For me it’s unbridled bliss. You get out on the water and all the cares of the world fall away. When you find something you are passionate about, it makes you come alive. For me, it was boating. I’ve never had anything that makes my heart sing like being on the water.”