The annual Intramural Swim and Dive meet, hosted by Campus Recreation, gave participants a chance to make a big splash, goof off or gain practice in various diving and swimming events at the Martin E. Aquatic Center Monday night.
"Participants are an eclectic bunch," said Nicholas Head, intramural coordinator and graduate student in kinesiology. "A majority are fraternity and sorority members because they are competing for the all sports point race, which is different from spirit points because it is calculated by participation in all sports. There's also a group called The Auburn Masters consisting of former Auburn swimmers who take the meet seriously."
For swimmer Leigh Hendry, sophomore in hotel and restaurant management, swimming is a reminder of how quickly life can change. "I swam for Auburn part of my freshman year, but I started having back and shoulder problems," Hendry said. "Some days, I got out of the pool and could barely walk. I haven't been in the water since July, so I was surprised when I saw my time."
Hendry competed in the women's 200-meter medley relay and 100-meter freestyle and finished first in her division in both events. She swam on behalf of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. "I miss swimming, but I trained six hours a day when I was on the swim team," Hendry said. "God knew what he was doing with my life because now I have more time to spend with my friends and to stay involved with other things, like Young Life Christian ministries."
Hendry said she has been swimming since about age 10. "I love racing--that adrenaline rush when catching up to or passing people in the pool," Hendry said. "I also love giving it my all and the feeling of getting out of the pool tired. I missed those aspects of competition after I got hurt." Swimmers competed in their choice of three events, including a 200-meter medley relay, 200-meter freestyle relay, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter individual medley, 50-meter breast stroke, 50-meter butterfly, 50-meter backstroke and 50-meter freestyle.
"Some folks have had some experience in competitive swimming and diving, but some consider it more recreational, especially in the diving event," Head said. "Some people are going to jump off and do belly flops or cork screws." Diver Trey Hamre, sophomore in family business and entrepreneurship, competed on behalf of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and has had some diving experience.
"I have been swimming since I was 5, so pretty much my whole life," Hamre said. "I took swim lessons and was a member of a swim team and a dive team, and I practiced diving when I was lifeguarding at the pool."
Hamre said he did not plan on winning, but that he came to have fun. "I planned on practicing for this event, but I never got around to it until warm-ups today," Hamre said. "I was worried it wouldn't go well." Despite Hamre's uncertainty, he finished second overall in his division of the diving competition. First, he had to perform a forward dive.
Second had to be a backward dive. Third could be any dive that the participant had not already done.
Hamre said his favorite dive is the forward two-and-a-half tuck.
"If I tried a two-and-a-half backward, I think I'd get about halfway around on the first rotation and land on my back," Hamre said. Jaclyn Wilson, freshman in marine biology and competitor in both diving and swimming, competed in the intramural meet for the first time. "I've been practicing for this, and I pretty much swim every day," Wilson said. "I've been swimming and diving for 15 years." The only female participant in diving, Wilson also swam the 200-meter medley relay, 100-meter Individual Medley and 50-meter butterfly to represent her sorority, Alpha Xi Delta.
"I enjoy swimming because it's a good escape, and I love the people who swim," Wilson said. "They're like my best friends."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
