#41 Best of the Ivy's

There are eight traditional prestigous eastern Ivy League schools in America In this quest for 50 pools I have been fortunate enough to swim in the natatorium of three of them; Penn, Harvard and Brown. 

Through some Google Images home work of my own and very reliable anecdotal conversation I am happy to report that I have been to the best natatorium of the Ivy's...Brown University!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go with my friend Tucker to Providence, RI to swim at Brown. As an alum of the school and the university swim team he was able to get us into this great facilty gratis. The athletic complex and pool are only a few years old and it shows. The entry to the complex is like walking into a nice hotel with overstuffed couches, coffee tables, fresh flowers  and chairs. Beyond the lobby is a beautiful brightly lit 50m pool with spacious spectator seating ideal to host a championship meet. Tucker had run a half marathon before so we only got in just over 2000 yards but it was totally worth the drive. In fact, with a sprint 50 free we both clocked respectable times.

I am very partial to my MIT pool but I wouldn't  mind swimming on a regular basis at Brown University.

While technically not an Ivy League school I am looking forward to one day swimming at Stanford University's beautiful outdoor pool-a Best Coast Ivy school

Thank you Tucker for making pool #41 possible and being part of the journey.

#40 Ordinary

I wish I could come up with a more exciting post about #40 however I am feeling just about as creative as the pool I swam in this morning. 

It was the lap pool at the JW Marriott Orlando/Grand Lakes. I am here for the Merrill Lynch AES meeting. The pool is attached to the spa and it's 33 yards which is an odd distance but definitively makes the cut for my quest. 

It was dark out when I swam my 40 laps (1320 yards). There was only one other person in the pool. 

Well-that's about all I have to say about that...

Good night

2013 Boston Sharkfest

Fun day today swimming in the 2nd annual Boston Sharkfest Swim with my friends Rachel and Tucker. 

It was a 1500 meter swim from East Boston boat marina to the Moakley Courthouse by Fan Pier.  It was suppose to be a nice warm day but during registration and before the swim it felt like it clouded up and turned a bit cool. The water was in the low 60's.

Tucker and I started in the first wave and Rachel was forced to swim in the second wave as she walked down the gangway. Tucker and I swam in the non-wetsuit division and as always the anticipation of jumping in cold water was much worse than the act itself. It took a few minutes to get use to the water temp and a bit longer than that to get out of the scrum of people. I got thrashed around a bit more than normal at the start. Unusually, it took quite sometime to settle in and get some semblance of a rhythm. Maybe it was the water as it turned a bit choppy or maybe it was just me. I guess the last third was a bit better in the water but I didn't have it in me to really sprint hard at the end. Near the end Rachel spotted my stroke and we touched the wall basically at the same time. Her net time was faster as she started in wave two. 

Tucker was spotted on shore all bundled up and shivering. It was his first race without a wetsuit and by the sounds of it maybe his last. I know he was just talking crazy and will do it again-sans wetsuit. Rachel and my times for reason didn't post accurately so we had some scurrying around to resolve our dilemma. It was good to do it together. 

Dilemma resolved for Rachel and Bob--2nd place podium finishes in both our divisions!!!

Congrats Rachel and Tucker. Looking forward to next year.

#39 The YMCA Flashback

Flash back circa 1989 to the Vanderbilt YMCA in midtown New York City on 47th between 2nd & 3rd.  It was early morning as I stepped off the red eye from Los Angeles with two suitcases and hopped in a taxi to my new temporary home the Vanderbilt YMCA. At that tender age I was young ambitious and had a full head of hair and didn't care where I lived as long as it was NYC. I checked into a small room with a shared bathroom and shower down the hall.  While I didn't stay there long before I rented a very, very small studio with a shared kitchen (that's better than a shared bath ) there were two things I remember from my stay at the Y. First a swimming in a pool in a subterranean basement where I was required to wear a swim cap. The second thing was a weekend morning where I was awakened by a knocking on my door asking if I needed a "spray". When I asked a spray for what, I was told a spray for cockroaches!!!

Flash forward to 2013, I am now 50 years old, have no hair and my ambition is to swim in 50 swimming pools. This ambition is what took me back to the Vanderbilt YMCA. A lot has changed in 25 years and the lobby and the gym looked nice and clean. I didn't get stay in one of the bedrooms (although I would like to relive it again) but I did get to swim in the subterranean basement pool but this time without a cap!

If I can make it here I can make it anywhere! 

#38 Politically speaking...

In my opinion, there is a lot wrong with the bipartisian politics and our politicians in Washington DC. When our elected officials can't find some compromise that averts shutting down the federal government, raising the debt ceiling or agreeing on plan where both parties sacrifice in order to get our fiscal house in order-- it's a problem.

What's not a problem is the swiimming culture in the DC Metro Area. The area is known for having some big age group and master swim programs. High school junior and Olympic Gold Medalist, Katie Ledecky the recent phenom womens distance swiming is from the local area. When I did my homework to find a pool in DC the were a lot of great choices. I finally settled on the Wilson Aquatic Center in Northwest. It was a fabulous new looking facility attached to the inner city Wilson High School. It is a 50 meter pool clearly built for competition and spectating. In my quest for 50 pools I would say it ranks among the nicest indoor pools I've found. High ceilings, spacious, clean and nice locker rooms with security and janitors visibly present.

It was my second swim for the day so I didn't feel to bad when I only swam 1500m. I also swam like to was second workout for the day. 

While I remain very skeptical about our government really listening to the "American people"  I believe somebody is listening to the local swimming community in the Washington Metro Area and look forward to another visit.

#37 Pahk the cah in Havahd Yahd!

Yup-yesterday I finally became a Havahd man by swimming in the Blodgett Pool. 

While I have been there many times for swim meets in particular the MIAA State Championships it was the first time I really swam in the pool. I don't count the times when I have been thrown in with clothes on for a victory lap as really swimming.

The Blodgett Pool along with the MIT pool is clearly one of the nicest facilities in the state. I like seeing the banners on the walls of all the Ivy League schools and the photos and All-American certificates surrounding the walls. I also really enjoy looking at the huge record board and seeing the names of past swimming greats; Rowdy Gaines, Brian Goodell, Steve Lundquist, Sippy Woodhead and Mary T. Meagher and my high school team mate Susie Habernigg.

My other very fond memories of the pool are of watching the Weston Ride Tide win two back to back titles and seeing Ryan and his teammates atop the medal podium.

This visit to with Cambridge Masters was courtesy of my fast swimming friend Matt. Thanks Matt!

I didn't get a degree at Havahd but I sure felt smaarht after practice.