We’ve reached the end of the term, and we all know what that means: championship season. For all of us athletes (yes, the Rec League Legends qualify, even if we don’t get a PE credit), now is the time when winter season really matters. Put all of that other stuff behind you. Focus on winning the championship — at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Right, Lebron?
With the slew of championships, from swimming to skiing to Heps, it seemed like the Legends should get in on the action. Sure, intramural leagues have playoffs and finals, but Austin and I have been there, done that. In our quest to reach the pinnacle, we searched for one last great challenge before we graduate (too real, huh?). We thought long and hard (or at least long and hard for us), and it finally came to us.
A few weeks ago Austin talked about working smarter, not harder, when he played the men’s soccer team in a friendly game of pond hockey. This week we applied the same mentality. We would challenge the men’s swim team’s record in the 50-yard freestyle. Why this event you ask? Well, I mentioned the whole bit about working smarter, right? The 50-free just happens to also be a graduation requirement, known to some as the swim test. It just so happened that this was one of the only graduation requirements left for the Legends. Besides a few classes.
I headed over to Alumni Gym. A quick pre-swim Internet search showed that Will Derdeyn ’13 holds the Dartmouth record at 20.21 seconds. That sounded fast. The last time I swam competitively, I was 12 and I swam a 25-yard freestyle in about 14 seconds.
I was ready to take the test. I gave the lifeguard my information, told him I was there to take the swim test and instantly became defensive when he asked if I knew how to swim. Even though the team was in Boston at the Ivy Championships, I felt they were playing mind games with me from afar. My confidence was shattered.
I went ahead with it. The guard showed me to my lane. After insisting he didn’t need to get in the pool with me, I put my goggles on. They broke. Strike number one. I checked the clock, jumped in, and was off. Instant eye stinging ensued (contacts and chlorine don’t mix), and I tried to stay as straight as possible. Having long forgotten the art of the flipturn, I pushed off the opposite wall and came back as fast as I could. Checking the clock when I hit the wall, I saw that I had swum for 30.7 seconds, a solid 10 seconds slower than Dartmouth’s record.
In addition to my less-than-stellar time, I lost both contacts in the pool and could barely see a thing (maybe my time really wasn’t that bad). All in all, not a great outing for me.
Needless to say, I gained some respect for my 12-year-old self and a ton of respect for Dartmouth’s swimming and diving teams. Though the pool claimed my dignity and my contacts, I walked away with my head held high, knowing I was one step closer to my diploma.
On second thought, that’s kind of a bummer. Maybe I can just forget to turn in the card certifying that I passed the swim test, which would let me come back for at least another term, right? (Mom and Dad, I wouldn’t do that to you).
With that, Austin and I now turn to spring break, where we will embark on our training trips and come back ready to take on a new term!
