Holiday break cut short for Norwich swim team

By Marshall Bates
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

While most students were home enjoying the holiday break, the members of the Norwich University swim team had to report back to campus on Dec. 31, 2000 for extensive practices and a meet.

"While back, the team had two five-hour practices a week," said Mike McCollum, assistant swim coach. "We had the team swim about eight miles a day in two two-hour practices a week, along with an hour of weightlifting and dryland work.

"Once we got the team back up here, we just ran them into the ground; they were swimming farther than track teams run," McCollum said. "We are just trying to break them down and push them through to the next level, then we will start to ease up as the championships draw closer."

All of this practicing will pay off, said NU Swim Coach Steve Looke, adding that the team lost the two meets that they had the weekend before school started.

To this point the team has done well. The men's team has posted a record of 2-2, while the women have gone 0-4. The women's team did participate in the GNAC championship meet which they did win, Looke said.

"We have great talent, just not enough depth," McCollum said. "The women are always out numbered when we swim. Most teams have about 20 to 30 women on them, and we only have a dozen."

There are 16 events in each meet. According to McCollum, there are three positions to fill, which means 48 swims, and it's hard to fill those spots.

"We do better in championships, because there are more people or teams, and I know that our people are better."

The swim team also has meets left against Babson, Plymouth State, Western New England College, and one more at St. Michael's, Looke said. "The men have only three more meets, and the women have four."

Toward the end of this season the team will start to prepare for the state and New England championships, McCollum said. "Hopefully both teams will be able to win."

McCollum also attributes the success of the swim team to the divers.

"The divers tend to get overlooked, but our divers have been consistently winning their competitions, which gives us a great advantage," he said. "Without them, we would not have been able to win."

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