HoP Year 6.

This afternoon, around 3:45pm EST, I'm going to jump in the Georgetown pool and warm up for my 6th Hour of Power, my fourth at Georgetown.

I met Ted on 24 October 2002, I prospied on a Thursday and stayed with Ted that night. I was a prospie who was nearly sold on Carleton and Ted was an extremely excited and accommodating host. Ted alone was enough to make me come to Carleton. Ted went above and beyond the call of duty that day. Now, knowing him, is not a surprise at all. He lived in a corner triple in Burton and took me all around to meet swimmers. Flo and Kellen in Musser, sitting silently, are the only ones I remember. He showed me Caucus (ask an older than you alum if you don't know what it is), he glowed about life at Carleton, he was just generally a happy dude.

That afternoon was gender practice. The assistant coach, Tom, walked me around West Gym a little while the men were doing, no kidding, continuous relays. Except there were only three guys per lane. It looked pretty painful. Then they ran out to track and did more intense running than we ever did while I was at Carleton.

Losing Ted, like losing Joe, was (and is) one of the saddest things to happen to me in my life and a unqualified loss for humanity as a whole. They were among the sweetest, smartest men I've ever known. Ted battled a horrible scourge, and no amount of swimming will bring him back. But some amount of swimming, hopefully we've already passed this threshold, will prevent another extended family from losing one of theirs. I know how much Ted fought each and every time he swam, today, I hope you'll join me in a cathartic hour of pain, err, power to honor and remember my friend.

So, at minute 35, when your body is screaming to stop but your brain can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, tell it to EMSYDMF and go extra hard. Pain is temporary. And I'll buy a (pony) keg for anyone who swims so hard they throw up today.

BE MIGHTY!

Oh Hey There

Oh Hey Blog,
I’ve personally neglected you this past month. The only thing I’ve contributed to you besides comments on other people’s well-written posts was my drunken blog post on the evening when the men’s team tasted the rainbow during first weekend. Next to Elliot’s post, it almost felt shameful.

But now I’m back and ready to blog more often. Besides life updates, I have a few topics I’d like to cover. [Also, I’m looking forward to whoever writes the social networking posts.] But for now, a life update, just to catch everyone up and because it’s an easier post to write on a Sunday morning.

I Accept Your Challenge, Minnesota!

This my perspective on the Minnesota Challenge. Alfredo's will be comin shortly.

So a few weeks ago, after the Northfield Mini-Invite against Grinnel, Andy sent out the taper groups via email. He said he would sent it mid afternoon. It was a very unproductive day - I just sat by my computer and pressed refresh every five minutes from 3pm till 9pm, when the email finally came. As usual, I skipped the paragraph that says "now more than ever we need to act as a team" (by the way, upon further checking, its the exact same wording he used in previous years - can you say copy and paste?) and checked the lists. Alas, I didn't make the conference squad.

I was extremely bummed at first. I remember being bummed my freshman year, not only because I partially thought I should've been on there instead of someone else, but also because I worked so hard. But this year, the squad was fastest 17 people who would score, so my sadness was mostly because I really had worked my ass off this season.

So I was bummed for a while, and then finally got over it and recognized (with some help) that my attitude was extremely selfish and not helping the team at all. I turned my frown upside down and started to truly enjoy the taper. Well Andy got a little crazy, telling some new taper-tales and also making up a new Carleton Cheer that he is obsessed with (we humor him and do it at meets - he goes crazy).

The two-week taper went by fast and then BAM! It was game time. The MN Challenge. I agree with Alfredo that it was one of the hardest meets I've swum, because I had 8 swims total (all relays and then 3 indiv events) but it was all finals, so it wasn't as much rest as conference. My meet went like this:

Session 1 / Friday Night
50 free in the 200 freelay - 23.5
50 free (indiv) - 24.26
100 free in the 400 medley relay - 51.94

Session 2 / Saturday Morning
50 fly in the 200 Medley relay - 26.32
100 fly - 58.71
200 free leading of the 800 freelay - 1:55.64

Session 3 / Saturday Night
200 fly - 2:18.08
100 free in the 400 freelay - 52.74

(Full Results)

Overall, I'm delighted. Lifetime bests in my 50, 100, 200 frees and my 100 fly. My 200 fly time is a second off my best from last year at conference, but my 200 fly wasn't as strong this season in general as it was last year. I kinda choked in my indiv 50 free and my 100 free in the 400 freelay, but I'm really happy with my swims overall. After I didn't make conference team, my goal times were readjusted to just beat my times from conference last year, which I was hesitant if I could do because of the dramatic and short taper. But the non real events/warm up day on Friday really got me pumped.

It was dual pool format, which made cheering kinda difficult because there was sometimes a lot going on at the same time and wasn't as straight forward as conference. But being at the U really got everyone excited, to be tapering or to be so close to Conference. I'm so pumped for Conference. It's going to be great, but tough for us as a team. But I think it helped for A) our strong freshman class to see how good the Carleton Taper can be and B) what its like to swim at the U.

The bus ride home was ridiculous. After such a long day, we were all delirious. Almost rocked the mini-sugar loaf bus over when the pizza guy arrived straight to our bus door. It was a crazy ride home. Then a bunch of the team met up and the taper group drank while the conference people danced more crazily than the drunks and then many people went to mid winter ball. You really couldn't tell who was drinking and who wasn't. It was a blast.

And so my focus changes a bit. I'm gonna catch up on work this week, and then turn my attention towards Conference. Afterwards, I'm really gonna work on staying in shape. As I said to Ian Holman when he got back from Spain after the fall. "I feel like I haven't seen you since last WINTER because last spring you were always training for the triathlon and I was always... drinking." So I'm gonna try to still do the same amount of drinking. Maybe more? My (2nd) 21st birthday is coming up! But just lift and run more.

Now on to midterms and sleep. Now Tim, let's hear about that first day on the job soon!

nationals 2009

Well, nationals is over; it's finally time to relax, and blog about it. I'm spending the day sitting on the couch watching the basketball tournament, but I'll take some time to give an update on the last few days.

The swimming was incredibly fast, see the 18 out of 36 national records that were set at the meet. The tech suits definitely made a difference, if you need more proof see the Santa Cruz 400 freestyle relay, where they decided to wear speedos instead of their tech suits and added 6 seconds from prelims. However, everyone seemed to fare differently using the new suits. I swam my first three races with a Blueseventy, but decided that I wasn't comfortable in it and swam better in the Lzr legsuit, so I switched to that for the last three races. Westby also felt that the blueseventy wasn't working for him and wore a Lzr jammer for his breaststrokes. Some people certainly swam well and even set records in both blueseventies and lzrs, but it seemed like they worked differently for everyone. The whole suit aspect of swimming is getting pretty complicated and ridiculous if you ask me.

Anyway, on to the actual swimming. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out for me. I dropped a little off my 200 IM and 200 breast times from conference. I missed the top 8 in my 400 IM but was happy to come back and take ninth with a better swim at night. I ended up in 25th with 34 points.

The women had a very successful meet, finishing in 17th with 49 points, their strongest finish since the Marsman era ended in 2005. The highlight from the first day was the 200 medley relay which finished 13th. The time was second in Carleton history only to their conference time. The highlight on the second day was Maggie's 200 freestyle. After a great swim in the morning she dropped another eight tenths at night to win the consolation final out of lane one in maybe the most exciting race for Carleton of the weekend. On the third day Kate just missed the top sixteen in her hundred breast but posted her best time ever which was just 0.45 seconds off the school record. On the final day, Kale took the school record in the 200 backstroke back away from Maggie finishing seventh for her first All-American citation, her final swim was the 4th time that record has been set this year.

The other non-swimming highlights included the CBS man stalking the Alexander's all weekend, the senior gifts of ten dollar chocolate bunnies (way better than flowers), the Haucks getting coaches of the meet and the Oles getting what appeared to be a mini-fridge for taking fourth, and dinner at the Loring Pasta Bar, which apparently turns into a salsa dancing club after 11 on Saturdays.

Thank you to everyone who was there cheering and timing and to everyone who wasn't there but was cheering anyway. It was a great meet.

T: -1 days to nationals

I'm in the my room at the Radisson right now, I just finished warming up a little while ago and now I need to do some shaving, but I thought I'd write a little update first.

We left Northfield around 11:30; I rode with Brooke, Kate, and Kale. We had to stop at Brooke's house so she could get her shampoo and conditioner. We stopped in and chatted with Brooke's dad, Tim, for a bit. Highlight: Kate changing topics to "I have an eraser in my pocket" pretty much midsentence and Tim then telling us how to cheat on tests by writing the answers on our eraser.

After leaving Northfield we had a near death experience when the car in front of us braked really fast. We were saved by Brooke's superior braking skills. Nearly direct quote from Brooke: "good thing I have strong legs."

We stopped in B-ville (represent!) for some lunch at Breugger's. Sandwiches were delicious. Highlight: Maggie does short skit playing three characters using only a folded up napkin.

We got to the hotel and registered. My room connects with Kate and Becky's. The gifts this year are: Camelbak water bottle with candy in it, reversible NCAA championships hat, and a swimming/diving championship pillow and blanket.

The only downside so far is that the girls unanimously decided that my moustache has to go; they even threatened not to sit with me at the meet if it doesn't. I guess I'm going to have to trade in the power-moustache look for the clean-shaven-D-bag-who-thinks-he-looks-cool-with-his-hat-cocked look.



Post Dinner Update:

I'm now hanging out in the Alexander's room, but the Alexander's all left to see their parents, so it's me just Kale, Kaarin, and me.

I saw Karin (yes with one a) before dinner. She did not have many nice things to say about my moustache and said that I needed to shave it before dinner, so now I am moustacheless. It's a bit sad, but less itchy. Karin was doing well.

The Alexanders were searching for Gary Roberson from the Williams team earlier today; it went something like this:
At the pool to me: "Did you see Gary in the locker room?" Me: "I don't know what he looks like." One of the Alexanders: "He's tall and has abs." Me: "I didn't see anyone with abs."
At the hotel, the Williams team is in the lobby, each one of the Alexanders: "Gary?"
Leaving for dinner, Gary Roberson is standing outside his door (Williams is on our floor), the Alexanders: "Gary!"
Gary looks very awkward and doesn't really know what to do. He says hi, awkward moment, Andy introduces himself, awkward moment, we go to dinner.

At dinner Andy tells us about a study where they found that people are more likely to do what you want if you use the word because when justifying why that person should do it. After dinner Andy sees another coach with several plates of cookies and asks him for some because we didn't get any (we actually did). Several coaches spend the next couple minutes finding leftover cookies at other tables and bringing them to us. Success.

Most teams have left and Maggie goes up to the podium so that we can get a picture of her pretending to give a speech. As she's about to leave she decides to start saying something into the mike, as if she actually is giving a speech; it turns out the mike is still on; everyone who's still in the banquet hall looks up at her. We decide to stop making scenes, get someone to take a picture of us, then make our glorious exit, picking up all of the programs and other little goodies we see left behind on the way out. Success.

I'm going to go touch up my shaving job then relax before going to bed now.