Following in the footsteps of such journalistic luminaries as Mike Wallace, Barbara Walters and Ed Bradley, The Dartmouth's Mark Sweeney catches up with the big names on campus and asks the questions that others have too much professionalism or integrity to ask. Today, Sweeney plays a game of Canadian doubles with tennis sensations Lindsay Winingham '07 and Kerry Snow '07.
The Dartmouth: As a pair of athletes assuredly in flawless shape, you must spend a lot of time ensuring you stay at your physical, mental and spiritual peak. Like any athlete, you undoubtedly heed the words of former WWF Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan: "Train hard, say your prayers, and eat your vitamins." In addition to that, from which conditioning methods do you most benefit?
Lindsay Winingham: I have to say that we get the Hulk Hogan comparison quite often. We have just about the same body build and our opponents are generally scared when they see our bulging muscles.
One form of conditioning we employ is riding the bike, which, let me tell you, is an absolutely awful and tormenting experience. Let's just say the bike and I don't get along very well, in fact one time it kicked me off, or maybe I just fell. The pain it inflicts kind of reminds me of what it would be like to strap yourself against the wall and have someone hit your legs over and over again with a large bat. As I told my coach earlier in the season, I would rather run, puke, and then run some more than ride the bike. Because of my traumatic experiences with the exercise bike, I've stopped conditioning altogether and now focus my powers on feng shui.
Kerry Snow: Well, I'd have to agree with Lindsay when I say that mental conditioning is as important as the physical. I repeatedly tell myself to try to be confident, try to be determined and try to rip my opponent's face off. I'm not saying I always visualize pegging my opponent, but in doubles I do the majority of the time. Watch out.
The D: Kerry, you have been described by many as the perfect combination of Martha Stewart and Chris Evert. In what way is this characterization accurate?
KS: Similar to Chris Evert, I always am cool and collected on the court, surely never screaming or abusively hitting myself. Now Martha inspired me to make a fantastic string and coat hanger mobile for the locker room, and also inspired me to become an economics major. I haven't tried knitting during changeovers but I would like to ... who really needs the whole minute and 20 seconds?
The D: With the presidential elections coming up, I have been thinking long and hard about what qualifies a person to hold the nation's highest office. If I had to pick one trait, however, it would be the ability to score eight points in 8.9 seconds against the New York Knicks in a NBA playoff game. The only person I know who has done that is Reggie Miller, and that's why I am endorsing this great American for president. Do you agree with this political analysis?
LW: I would have to agree that Reggie is the obvious choice for president. As an avid Pacers fan, I have seen the leadership that he brings to the team -- who I might add at midseason are 39-15, have led the Eastern conference since opening night, and have yet to lose more than two games in a row. Reggie is also known for his trash talking ability, which the recent democratic presidential candidates have shown can be a key to winning the vote.
The D: As a former intramural tennis tournament finalist, I know firsthand what it's like to be an athletic celebrity on campus. How do you personally handle your fame?
LW: Well, as I'm sure you know, Mark, it's tough to please my fans, all three of them. And two are my parents.
KS: Mark, I didn't know your athletic ability was the reason why the women on campus are flocking towards you. Wait, maybe it's just the women's tennis team.
The D: What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
LW: Well scientifically speaking, it depends on whether it's an African or European swallow. But personally speaking, we hate Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the terrible movie that we are forced to watch on bus trips. Better to ask our teammate Ann that question, who has a whacked out sense of humor.
The D: As many Dartmouth students live far from Hanover, much of the student populace must fly to and from school and home. We all have our methods of catching flights. While I am typically a careful person and will arrive at the airport well before my plane is supposed to leave, some people apparently prefer to show up at the terminal up to 24 hours after the departure time, which in my humble opinion is a slightly riskier idea. Which strategy do you employ?
KS: Obviously a student at an Ivy League school would never run into such a mishap, or when explaining the incident to her friends as "retarded," spell the eight-letter adjective incorrectly.
The D: Where are you from, and what are the best and worst aspects about your respective home states?
LW: I am from Indiana, and I think Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal pretty much summed up Indianapolis when he said "If you like to party, it's definitely not the city to come to."
Good things about Indiana? Obviously the best sports teams in the nation (Colts losing this year was a fluke, Pats got lucky). Michael Jackson grew up there ... but I guess that's not really a good thing.
KS: The metropolitan city of Sartell, Minn., was quite an experience as well. Something's wrong with a town where kids can drive snowmobiles to school. But when it's not snowing for the three weeks in July, my friends enjoy riding a log down the Mississippi River. It's not exactly jet skiing, but I encourage everyone to try it.
The D: The similarities between us three are seemingly endless: We play tennis, live in the United States, the first letter of our last names are all in the last half of the alphabet ... it's like we were separated at birth. One more coincidental shared interest is we all play the piano. In my case, I have played in a group at Lone Pine Tavern that, according to the three people in the audience, "didn't sound that bad after a few drinks." Do either of you have any musical ambitions?
LW: I'm not sure about Kerry's musical ambitions, but she sure knows how to dance. You should have seen one of our psych-ups where she sang and danced; the old men at the tennis club we were in couldn't take their eyes off of her.
KS: Lindsay's signature dance move involves her right arm twirling in a clockwise motion through the air, as if she was saying "whoop whoop." She has a tendency to sing "Let's get retarded" in her sleep, and has even convinced herself upon occasion that she is a rock star.
The D: As freshmen, I'm sure you've learned a lot from the upperclassmen on the tennis teams. Have any of your teammates been able to impart any valuable advice? Or, have you been able to learn any life lessons from your male brethren on the men's tennis team?
LW: A lot of people say that Dartmouth is really about learning about how to work hard and play hard. I'd say the men's team has taught us a lot more about the play hard part of this motto.
KS: After just a few weeks here, I learned that it is impossible to keep things from my upperclassmen teammates ... especially gossip. We always need to know who's dating the sports editor or who dances dirty at Kappa semi-formals. I was definitely confronted early by the team captain with, "So how about those sailor boys?" It's good to have the girls around to keep me in line.
The D: There were some fantastic music videos made in the 1980s, and I'd put clips by such artists as Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Van Halen and Talking Heads near the top of the list. But, for pure entertainment value, it is impossible to beat the video for "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" by Journey. As someone who owns and cherishes this landmark piece, I cannot even emphasize its greatness in words. However, it is essential viewing for anyone with any appreciation of 1980s pop culture. That said, what would your opinion be if, hypothetically, a writer covering a team for a newspaper became "involved" with one of that team's players?
LW: We teach our women's tennis players to take one for the team. Especially if it continues to give the tennis team better newspaper coverage than the hockey team, hypothetically speaking of course.
KS: And if the woman tennis player happens to have cute elbows, more power to her.
The D: If you could play doubles with any three people in the world, who would you play with and against, and why?
LW: I would play against Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, because she probably wouldn't be able to count high enough to keep the score. Her recent comment that she doesn't understand why they call it chicken of the sea when it is really tuna just proves this point.
KS: I would like to play against Mark Philippoussis and Andy Roddick, except they'd have to be the skins. That'd be awesome. My partner would have to be Coach Jesse Medvene-Collins because he knows a lot about tennis and is a great player. But I'd obviously have to cover the lobs.
