"There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between." -- Pat RileyI’m a schedule-kinda-guy. I love knowing opponents and sites and what I’m going to do to prepare for each contest. I want to know the Steelers schedule immediately when it comes out. I’ll rush to the web and hope we are on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights 13 times so I can get all of games without leaving my home. But I also feel the same way about the Pirates (I hope they are home a lot in August,) the Penguins (I hope they are home a lot in April,) and Pitt (I hope they play somebody strong out-of-conference.) I feel as though I personally invest myself in these teams and that schedule-showing ceremony gets my blood flowing.
This doesn’t solely apply to fandom. Rather, it has been intensified as a participant since my first organized team function. From Little League and St. Scholastica basketball to soccer with the Foxes and swimming with the Tribe, the schedule made you feel like a competitor, jolted a shot of life into your system. I know that I must of hounded John more than I should have when it came to the 2008-2009. I never really saw it from his perspective – he’s the schedule maker. When he sent that PDF to me in early August, it was probably a bigger thrill for me than anyone.
I didn’t know too much about how strong the program was, but I knew these schools were no slouch. Nevertheless, this looked like a ton of fun. I never would have imagined Davidson swimming so many high profile institutions – not because it couldn’t, but merely because I didn’t think the BCS teams would not want to swim a squad with an enrollment of less than 2000. Rather than lather you with details regarding each of the races, here’s a quick rundown of how I perceive the contest:
At Clemson - Saturday, October 4th. There were so many Tigers on deck in their bright orange warm-ups. Davidson’s militia was short-handed due to injury or ignorance. The team swam as well as one could against a stronger ACC foe with only 3 full weeks of training under their belt.
In the dungeon at East Carolina – Friday, October 17th. Tough day at the office: Class in the morning… bus to Greenville around lunchtime, swim a few events with your occasional signature race. ECU vs. Clemson would be a great comparison in so many ways.
Welcome NC A&T Lady Aggies – Friday, October 24th – John told the women how excited A&T was to swim the defending conference champs. Racing 50s and 100s instead of 200s and 500s was a treat for the gals.
Hosting Charleston for parents’ weekend – Saturday, October 25th – Bad blood resulted in guys’ team swimming tough and the girls’ team walking all over the Cougars. (Key members of the victory would not have much bigger swims.)
Hosting Emory – Saturday, November 1st – Third week in a row took its toll. Emory was better, but we made them look unstoppable.
Overnight at William & Mary – Saturday, November 8th – a true Homecoming for me, the kids seemed ramped to swim in a charged environment where everyone is on-top of the action. Despite the defeat, it could have been our strongest dual meet showing of the fall season.
Death March to Duke/South Carolina – Saturday, January 10th – Hopefully within the next three years, the Devils and the Gamecocks will view this as a tri-meet instead of a dual meet that Davidson’s allowed to participate in.
Day Trip to Georgia Southern Women – Saturday, January 17th – Unfortunately I did not make this trip, but John recalls three young ladies “carrying” the team to a very close victory. The gals got to watch the men’s basketball team play in Statesboro shortly after the meet, the highlight of the day for 95% of them.
Senior Day against Gardner-Webb – Saturday, January 24th – Two victories, lots of photos, maybe a couple of tears…it was a glorified circus complete with recruits, parents, friends, mascots, and agendas.
When the swimmers relive these dual meet moments, some will bring great memories of swift arms and legs or nightmares of feeling immovable. More often than not, the swimmers and divers are tired and wore down from being a Davidson student-athlete, and the results are not always as they would anticipate or envision. A lot of credit should be given to those competitors that put their heart into each practice and race for the love of racing and calling themselves a winner. Sometimes is difficult to find challenges and obstacles to overcome with each competition, but that attitude sets you up for success for the races and moments that should hold the most value to you and the team. Read what Pat Riley says - you’re either in or you’re out. I know I would want a teammate who’s all in and, regardless if they are fast, if they want out, there’s the door.
Next Entry – Turning Points
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