October 19, 2004 - Justin Hake

The season has finally started...and boy did it start with a bang.

We had our unofficial Blue/Gold intrasquad meet Oct. 9 in which the Gold team reigned supreme winning both the men and women's competitions. It was a great time with a lot of team spirit and fast swimming, but it never really feels like the season until our first dual meet.

Last weekend we traveled to North Carolina with about 100,000 other race fans; our bus was going toward Davidson College, and the other 99,994 (a couple parents decided to watch the meet instead) were heading toward the NASCAR race. Yearning for our favorite bus driver "Young Blood," the whole team learned the finer points of effectively eating Boston Market on the bus without causing a mess while watching some timeless VHS classics like "Zoolander" and " Orange County."

After a restful night in the hotel we left bright and early for the meet to make sure we had enough time to warm-up before the home team arrived. Needless to say, we had a great start to the season.

The times in the pool were fast, but I was more impressed with the team's attitude and all the support that was being given to each team member in their races. We had a great weekend and a strong start to the season...now all we have to do is carry the momentum.

October 25, 2004 - Alex Emerson

Last weekend was a welcome relief from a busy week. Despite the Davidson meet the previous weekend, baseball playoffs, and midterms, our team still managed to have its best week of training so far this season, and Jon (Howell) seemed very pleased by our progress.

Last Thursday, the men's and the women's teams each had team meetings to talk about our team goals for the season. I was excited to hear my teammates' ideas, and I think everyone got fired up about what this team can accomplish this season. Meetings like that help everyone stay focused even when the end of our season seems very far away from now.

To finish the week, the women's team had its first home meet of the season Saturday when they hosted the Agnes Scott (Ga.) women. Although many of the swimmers were pretty tired from the tough week, they still managed to get up and race.

This week, we will be focused on the upcoming meet against UNC-Wilmington at home. It is Swimming Parents' Weekend, and for many of us, it will be our first chance to see our parents since school started. After (hopefully) getting a nice dinner with them the night before the meet, we'll be sure to show them some great races.

November 1, 2004 - Justin Hake

It's Halloween! In the week preceding Halloween, any Emory swimmer worth his weight in gold (or blue for that matter) knows this is the time for Jon Howell's famous "Bobbing for Apples Extravaganza!"

The way the game works is, after a brief warm-up the entire team waits patiently at the wall while Jon scatters a bag of apples throughout the pool. Then, when the whistle is blown, the team swims off in a frantic race to retrieve one of the apples in their mouths without using their hands, and bring it back to the opposite pool deck.

During the game, the team collides to become one writhing mass of limp arms and Swedish goggles all fighting for one piece of not-so-bite-sized fruit. The victorious few that manage to complete the feat get to sit out of the next workout set and eat the apple while the rest of the team swims.

Though it may be observed to be a small novelty by an outside viewer, the team is always ready to jump at a chance to do something in the water other than swimming (and the prospect of missing a set is always high on the priority list, too).

Thanks to Jon the Emory swim team got to enjoy another Happy Halloween, and this Emory Eagle got to enjoy one of the sweetest combinations of the season: an apple, a break, and a victory.

November 8, 2004 - Alex Emerson

Last weekend was a particularly exciting one for the Emory swim team. Many swimmers traveled up north to Pittsburgh to swim at the annual Quad meet hosted by Carnegie Mellon.

Last year, the Johns Hopkins squad barely edged us out, and the team was determined not to let the same happen again. It was great to see nearly everyone, including freshmen, step up and put in some quality times. After some great performances, both the Emory men and women came home with a victory.

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, the rest of the team stayed home and practiced. Of course Jon wouldn't want anyone on the team to go a weekend without racing, so those of us that stayed at home had a tough practice. Although the practice was a little earlier than normal due to a water polo tournament, everyone still took advantage of the opportunity to swim fast.

At our team meeting on Monday, Jon reminded us that we were almost halfway done with the season. It seems incredible that it has gone this quickly. This benchmark gives us all a chance to look back at the first two months of the season and see if we are doing what we need to accomplish our goals. Judging by the great meets we've had the past couple of weeks and the energy on the team lately, I would say that we are right on track.

November 16, 2004 - Justin Hake

May I just talk about the beauty of an all-you-can-eat buffet? Delicious and nutritious...many taste just like chicken. In top metabolic form, the Emory swim team descended upon a gaggle of buffets last weekend and emerged on the other side of the serving line victorious.

The whole weekend started with the same mundane routine: wake up, swim, eat as much DUC breakfast as can be managed in one sitting. The institution that has become DUC breakfast dates back centuries to when the first Emory swimmers arose from their caves and found that all the roaming wooly mammoths had been replaced by endless supplies of eggs, bacon, biscuits, and sweet delicious gravy. The swimmers ate, found true bliss, and the tradition continues to this day.

But that is neither here nor there.

The weekend festivities continued at the men's team dinner. While the ladies gorged themselves on pounds of animal flesh at Fuddrucker's, the men chose the slightly more humane restaurant, CiCi's Pizza.

Let me just take an aside here to say CiCi's is one of the most beautiful sights in the eyes of a hungry swimmer. The endless supply of pizza, pasta, and salad called to us from the far reaches of North Druid Hills Road, and we answered with gusto.

Though they tried to keep up, the seven staff members at CiCi's had difficulty keeping enough hot pizza out for all the patrons with the ravenous pack of swimmers constantly chipping away at their supply like a pack of wolves on an unsuspecting flock of sheep. The men's team left full and content, while the CiCi's staff was left to clean up the aftermath.

The team wrapped up the weekend between the end of Saturday morning practice and the start of the meet with a delicious smorgasbord of breakfast food provided by the beautiful and lovely Karyn Henderson and Jessica Lauren Ivry. Once again, the team demolished the feast, going so far as to eat half of the table the food was sitting on.

All in all, it was a good weekend. We swam well, we ate well, and we ate well some more. Way to go team. Keep up the good work.

November 23, 2004 - Alex Emerson

The team trudged into morning practice last Saturday like most early mornings. (Of course, it was 9 o'clock, but that seemed especially early on that Saturday.)

After we got into our suits, caps, and goggles, Jon made an announcement that today we would have an opportunity for a get-out swim. A ripple of excitement went through the team.

A get-out swim involves everyone racing a certain distance, in this case a 200 freestyle, and if a number of randomly chosen people swim their goal times, the entire team gets out of practice early.

Jon announced that he chose six swimmers, and four of these swimmers must make their times for the team to end early. The catch is that only the coaches know who the chosen few are. It is necessary, then, for every person to swim fast just in case his or her time matters.

As the heats of the 200 freestyle progressed, it was pretty obvious that the team wanted to get out early. There were a number of great swims, and the team rallied to the cause by cheering loudly for each other.

At the climatic moment during the final heat, Stefan Miankowski touched the wall faster than his goal time, and the crowd erupted with cheers when Jon finally declared practice over.

After warmdown, the team descended upon the DUC breakfast buffet--according to Justin Hake--with gusto. Hopefully all of the eating helped get the team in shape for its next big competition, Thanksgiving dinner at home with our families.

January 24, 2005 - Justin Hake

The Eagles are back and better than ever. This year proved to be one of the best training trips in team history, leaving the team with tan skin and a confidence that is sure to pay off come March.

The past couple weeks of training have led the way to the time of year that every swimmer yearns for...taper. This is the time of year when the team begins dividing into training groups with the specific goal of focusing in on each swimmer's end-of-the-season goals.

Many are starting to rest for the UAA conference meet. Others are holding on for another week or so in preparation for the Emory Invitational. The rest of the team (those that have already achieved their national qualifying cuts) are continuing to train at a fairly intense level until it comes time to rest up for nationals in March.

Though the team is dividing up in practice, team unity outside of the pool remains strong. The last home meet we had against Transylvania proved how much our team can accomplish when everyone is focused and having fun. Swimming in our home pool for the last time this season, the team took advantage of the break in training to put up some of the best dual meet times this season.

I have few words to describe it, but the team is so far ahead of where it was last season that I can't help but get excited for some unexpected fireworks in the end of the season meets. One more dual meet to go, but nationals is right on the horizon.

February 3, 2005 - Alex Emerson

Last weekend, a phenomenon occurred in Atlanta. Although I wouldn't quite call it a blizzard, the sky was full of ice, sleet, snow, and hail, a combination described by the local meteorologists as a "wintry mix."

While those of us from north of the Mason-Dixie line just got out our scrapers and moved on with our days, a childlike curiosity filled the minds of the southerners on the swim team.

The city of Atlanta was completely shut down. Campus was closed, movie theaters were closed, and restaurants stopped serving. Our meet against Georgia Tech was even delayed for a day. While the city panicked, most of us just watched with amusement.

Speaking of the Georgia Tech meet, the team really swam well against our cross-town opponents. Although Georgia Tech ended up winning the meet, Emory was able to race the Yellow Jackets in many events. We always tend to swim fast during the Tech meet because it is one of our few opportunities to race against a fast Division I team.

Aside from the weather excitement, everything is starting to gear up for the end of the season. The swimmers going to the UAA championships in Chicago are in the middle of their taper, which means that they are gradually decreasing their yardage in order to rest for the meet. Those swimmers that are swimming at the Emory Invitational have also started their taper.

The only swimmers that are still swimming long workouts are those focusing on nationals in March. Although it's hard for them to see everyone else get out of the water before them, they only have two or three more weeks of hard work ahead of them.