Swim Meet

So I feel like I'm rapid-fire posting these days, but I promised some people I would write about the swim meet that occurred on Sunday. But first, a quote from an email sent by my friend Derrick (and he says he never gets shout outs. HA!)

"Ok, the suspense is killing me. How'd you do at the swim meet?

Best case scenario I've been imagining: You somehow walked in to pro-America intro music (pro wrestling style) wrapped in an American flag as the assembled Irish crowd (huge, in my head) boos and yells anti-American slurs. Then as you win every race, they slowly come over to your side, Rocky IV style, until you win your last race and they all chant U-S-A! U-S-A! And maybe you make a speech that ends Irish terrorism (in lieu of the cold war)

So, is that how it basically went?"

Well, no. That is not basically how it went. In fact, it went about as far opposite that as you can imagine. First of all, and not surprisingly, collegiate swimming doesn't really draw the crowds (in Ireland or America). There were about 10 people in the audience. They were my friend Annemarie, about five Spanish kids (one of the guys on our team is from Spain and is studying abroad here for a year, so I presume these people were all his friends from his Spanish university), and a couple random friends from other people on the team. Secondly, I did not win every race. I also did not enter wrapped in an American flag, and no one U-S-A'ed (although in retrospect, it would have been fairly hilarious if Annemarie had).

However, here is what DID happen. I did swim fairly well! The times mean absolutely nothing to me, because they're short-course meters, which is something you NEVER see in America - it's either short-course yards or long-course meters (short-course pools are 25 yards/meters, long-course are 50 yards/meters, but you'd virtually never see a 50-yard pool). I honestly don't think I've ever swum scm before, and even if I had, I have no recollection of what I would have swum. It's just been far too long. But I placed really well, which I guess it what counts!

There were no time pads, just stopwatches. I've been to high school and age-group meets better organized than this. No heat sheets or anything like that. There wasn't even a publicly posted piece of paper that listed the order of events - you had to keep harassing the coach, who apparently had the only document of this sort.

But University College Dublin was actually pretty good! I'd say they'd make a fairly dece D3 team in America. I was shocked to learn afterwards that not only do they win Irish nationals every year, there were many OLYMPIANS on the team, and I saw them swim that day! I would never have pegged anybody I saw swimming that day for a national-level swimmer, much less an OLYMPIAN. It's so surprising sometimes to remember that Ireland is only 3 million people. I mean, really, that's half the size of CHICAGO. But yeah, I saw some Olympians swim on Sunday! Preeeetttyyy cool.

We have another meet coming up. They are not sure when. Seriously. It's either this Sunday or next, and it's IN Dublin, against Dublin City University, who apparently is terrible. If it's this Sunday, I'll definitely go, but if it's next, I've already got a ticket booked to London. My cousin Emmy lives there and we're going to do a little mock Thanksgiving. It will be adorable and precious and American. And maybe we'll watch Rocky IV.

So that's that! Miss everyone lots!