If producers for NBC's television coverage of the Olympic Games continue to favor underdog stories, they might do well to keep an eye on swimmer Scott Usher.

Born in Fullerton, Nebraska and raised in Grand Island from the age five, Usher would be the first to admit that he was an unlikely candidate to qualify for the 2004 Games. Despite the best efforts of some dedicated individuals, the history of world-class swimmers from Central Nebraska could probably be written on a sticky note.

"It's kind of like I'm representing the little people," said Usher, who won three state meet gold medals at Grand Island Senior High before accepting a college scholarship to Wyoming. "I'm not from a big program. I'm not from a big city. I'm not from the best pool or best training center -- I'm just not from the best stuff -- but I was still able to come out, do my best and achieve some things that not everybody is able to, even from the big programs."

Last month's TV broadcast of the Olympic trials in Long Beach, Calif., probably summed it up best. When referring to Usher, the commentator noted he was from Wyoming, "not exactly a swimming powerhouse," he said.

The reaction is nothing new for Usher.

"It's just kind of hilarious because when you think of Wyoming or Nebraska, you don't really think of swimming as something that's kind of big there," Usher said. "It's big, but it's just not at the scale you see along the coast where people get to swim outdoors.

"In Wyoming, I think there's only one long-meter course pool."

Coming from Grand Island, Usher knew it was going to be difficult to even earn a college swimming scholarship -- let alone qualify for the Olympics. But after winning a gold medal at state his junior year, Usher decided to dedicate himself to that goal.

He opted not to go out for football and focused on training to be the best swimmer he could be and, hopefully, catch the eye of a college coach. Despite a double-gold performance at state his senior year, Usher was disappointed because he figured he hadn't done enough.

"I knew it was going to be really tough," Usher said. "I didn't swim as fast as I was planning to or people had wanted me to. It was hard to get noticed, really."

Just as Usher suspected, coaches from the country's top swimming programs weren't exactly knocking down his door. He planned to take a recruiting visit to the University of Nebraska, only to learn the program was being dropped the day before.

Ironically, Wyoming coach Tom Johnson didn't actively recruit Usher because he thought the Islander standout probably had better offers. In the end, Usher and Johnson wound up together in Laramie, Wyo. -- a partnership that neither probably imagined would one day take them to Athens.

Was it fate? Perhaps.

"Something had to happen for a reason," Usher said. "It was kind ironic that Nebraska dropped its program the day before my recruiting trip because that was obviously high on my list."

Johnson said from the day Usher signed with the Cowboys that Usher had tons of potential. At the time, he commented that Usher's large hands and work ethic could take him far.

"Watching Scott progress over the last three years has been amazing and the rate of improvement has been amazing," Johnson said. "It's kind of a testament to what his hard work and designing a program that is going to help him -- and everybody in our program -- get where they want to be."

Usher said Johnson's challenging coaching style has helped him make huge strides as a swimmer.

"Ever since I came to Wyoming, T.J. and I have been able to drop considerable amounts of time every year, which has kind of shocked and amazed people," Usher said. "Now that I'm at this level, people just can't believe that I've been dropping four to five seconds every time I've tapered. That's just kind of unheard of.

"I give a lot of credit to T.J. because he's been doing a wonderful job with me and the program."

Usher also views his location as a secret weapon. In Laramie, the Cowboys regularly practice at an altitude of 7,200 feet above sea level. The benefits are obvious, Usher said.

"It feels like you've got another set of lungs," Usher said. "Going from 7,200 feet to sea level is a great benefit for me because I can say that nobody in the country is able to do that, maybe even the world."

Asked if his competitors are aware of his advantage, Usher joked that most of them probably don't even know where Laramie is. However, if he can bring home a medal from Athens, they might start taking notice.

"I'm doing the real altitude training and I do it all year long," Usher said. "It's a great opportunity. If I was a swimmer and I noticed that, I would come here because that would be a great benefit. When you go down to sea level, you're that much better because of it."

Before leaving for Athens, Usher said it still hadn't fully sunk in yet that he's a member of Team USA.

The shock first came when he looked up at the clock after touching the pad in the 200 breaststroke. Initially, he didn't think he'd qualified because his name wasn't second on the list, not realizing that the times were displayed according to lanes.

Then, the board shifted and showed Usher's name second behind first-place finisher Brendan Hansen.

"I just flipped out," Usher said. "I was jumping up and down in the water. I was so excited. I was looking up for my parents and I couldn't find them, but I saw (G.I. YCMA club coach) Brian (Jensen) because he's a pretty big guy and he was wearing a bright shirt and I saw T.J. (Johnson) and I gave him a fist.

In qualifying for the Games, Usher has become a hero in two states. The support and well-wishers who've contacted him in both Laramie and Nebraska have been overwhelming.

"I've always loved Wyoming and the people here are great," Usher said. "They've really kind of attached to me here and they've been a great support."

Back home in Grand Island, billboards and banners have been hoisted to honor the city's first Olympian. A fund-raising drive was launched to help Usher's parents, Tom and Pam, defray the cost of traveling to watch their son compete in Athens.

"It's been pretty exciting," Usher said. "I know all my family members and a lot of Nebraskans are pretty excited for me right now. It's great to know that I have two states behind me as much as I do right now. It's going to help me when I go into Athens, having Wyoming and Nebraska behind me. It's going to be a lot of fun."

When Usher lines up to compete in the 200-meter breaststroke preliminaries on Tuesday, he knows that he'll be back in his familiar underdog role once again. He enters the event ranked fourth in the world, trailing Hansen as well as Kosuke Kitajima of Japan and Jim Piper of Australia.

While ending the Games with a medal around his neck is the ultimate goal, Usher is trying to focus elsewhere.

"I'm hoping I can win a medal, but that's not really my focus going into this meet," Usher said. "It's going to be more of what can I do to improve my times to make myself better? I don't really want to focus on a medal because I think that's just going to make me more nervous."

Usher's other goal? To have fun.

"That's always what I like to say and that's always been my thing," Usher said. "That's always what the coaches tell me. My club coach Brian Jensen back home, he's always reminding me, 'Don't forget why you started doing this and that's to have fun.'"

It hasn't always been fun. In the sport of swimming, two-a-day practices don't just come in the preseason. Usher's routine often finds him rising ahead of the sun to get in an early workout only to come back for another at night.

His daily routine is far less glamorous than what Usher expects to find in the Olympic pool at Athens.

Earlier this summer, during a three-hour drive from Laramie to the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Johnson reminded Usher not to let his sacrifices go for naught.

"We talked about this opportunity and that it may never come again," Johnson said. "I said to him, too, that we were in a position of strength because he had nothing to lose."

Now a proud member of Team USA, Usher views his countless hours spent working out in pools as a small price to pay.

"It was really hard, but it is so worth it now," Usher said. "It has been a wonderful experience."