here was already
half a foot of
snow on the
ground at 5A.M.
I turned on the
radio while I
prepared my
oatmeal
breakfast.
Newburgh Free
Academy was
famous for never
having snow
days. The snow
was still coming
down pretty
heavy outside
and there was
still no word
about
cancellations in
Newburgh when I
left for swim
practice at
5:30.
Every Tuesday
and Thursday the
team would have
a practice in
the morning at 6
and an afternoon
practice as
well. However,
we had been
preparing for
this day all
season. It was
January 10,
2002, the date
of our biggest
meet in team
history. We had
over 110 league
dual meet
victories
without a loss
but today, the
record would be
in jeopardy.
Monroe-Woodbury
High School was
preparing all
season for this
day too. If any
team was going
to break our
streak, it was
going to be
them.
We
had the radio on
all through
practice.
Usually students
hope for school
to be cancelled
but we were
praying for the
opposite. We
were so fired up
about what was
going to happen
later in the day
and we didn’t
want to have the
meet rescheduled
because of a
snow closing.
Halfway through
practice we got
the word that we
would have a
two-hour delay.
Monroe had the
same. The meet
was to go on.
After practice,
my teammates and
I sat in the
locker room and
tried to kill
the two hours
before school
started. I was
sitting in there
with the other
two juniors on
the team, Nat
Moore and Jack
Walsh. The year
before, Nat took
first place in
the backstroke
at the New York
State Public
School
Championships
and helped the
team finish
number one in
the state. Nat
and Jack were
part of
Newburgh’s 200
Medley Relay
that held the
schools record.
They broke the
previous school
record that was
set by four
swimmers, three
of which were
All-Americans.
There are four
strokes in
swimming;
butterfly,
backstroke,
breaststroke and
freestyle. On
the relay, each
swimmer swims 50
yards of a
particular
stroke.
We talked about
the potential
lineup for the
meet. The coach
would usually
post the lineup
of what events
we would be
swimming several
days before the
meet. We still
hadn’t seen
today’s lineup
and the meet was
only hours
away. Our coach
slaved over it
for days and
days and he
still didn’t
have it ready.
We needed to
make sure that
we maximized our
points and put
our best
swimmers in
their best
events.
“They’re
probably going
to shave so
that’s going to
give them an
advantage in a
lot of races,”
said Nat. I said
“Yeah but most
likely their
fastest guys are
going to shave
so they get some
first places.
They might not
shave the slower
guys because it
won’t make that
much difference.
Either way, it’s
going to mess
the rest of
their season
up.”
Shaving for a
meet in the
middle of a
season actually
does ruin the
rest. My coach
never really
cared about dual
meets that much.
The whole season
was focused on
the Section
Championships at
the end of the
year. We work
hard all season
until a few
weeks before
Championships.
Then we take it
easy in practice
and shave for
the meet. All
that hard work
breaks down your
body. Then you
rest up and
build yourself
back up. Then
you shave your
whole body right
before the
meet. If you
shave and rest
in the middle of
the season, you
negate all the
hard work you
did because how
are you going to
rest for
Championships if
you haven’t been
busting your
hump all season
long? So
school started
and the day
quickly turned
into a pep rally
for the swim
team. The local
newspapers had
been hyping the
meet up for
several weeks.
The Monroe
swimmers and
coaches were
often quoted
saying that this
was the year
that someone
beat Newburgh,
and it was going
to be them.
Nobody in
Section 9 had
beat Newburgh in
a regular season
meet since
Newburgh joined
the Section in
1987. Swimming
is only a
popular sport
every four years
when the
Olympics come
around but today
in Newburgh and
Monroe, it was
the only sport
people talked
about. In
between classes,
people were
wishing us luck
as the swimmers
walked the
halls.
The
coach finally
posted the
lineup at
3:30P.M. The
meet was
scheduled to
start at 4:30.
By the time we
saw the lineup,
the stands in
the pool were
almost filled.
Most of the
meets, it’s just
the swimmers
families who
come to see us.
It was a packed
house today in
Newburgh and by
the time the
meet started,
spectators had
to stand on the
pool deck
because there
was no more room
in the stands.
Monroe fans came
with painted
faces and
signs.
Right before the
meet started, I
overheard
Monroe’s coach
talking to our
athletic
director.
“We’re going to
win today,” she
said. “We’ll
see,” he said,
not quite
believing her.
Their swimmers
were rested and
had shaved their
entire bodies
for the meet.
Monroe looked
like they came
to win. They
outnumbered us
and had an older
team. The
majority of
Newburgh
swimmers were
still in middle
school and
Monroe was
predominantly
upperclassmen.
We looked like
the underdog.
Then the first
event, the 200
Medley relay,
went off.
The two fastest
medley relays
were going head
to head to start
off the meet.
Basically every
event was a
number one
swimmer in the
league against
the second
fastest. I was
never fast
enough for first
place finishes
but never slow
enough to come
in last. So I
sat out the
first half of
the meet while
the coaches
threw their best
swimmers at each
other, trying to
get an early
lead. I didn’t
care that much
about not being
a part swimming
in the first
half. I
actually liked
it. All the guys
I would be
racing when I
got to swim
would have
already swum in
the first half.
So I was saving
up while they
were getting
fatigued.
Halfway through
the meet it was
still neck and
neck and no team
was pulling away
from the other.
I had never seen
my coach nervous
before. He was
fidgeting and
pacing up and
down the side of
the pool.
The
coach called the
team into the
locker room at
halftime.
“What’s going
on? I don’t see
anybody getting
up for other
people’s races.
This is our
biggest meet and
I’m not seeing
anything,
somebody has to
step up.” It
was true. We
were having an
average
performance
overall. We
needed some kind
of a spark to
get the team
going.
I stayed in the
locker room
after the team
left and
stripped down to
my speedo.
Usually, as you
may have seen in
the Olympics,
swimmers go up
for their race
wearing several
layers of
clothes. It
takes them five
minutes to get
down to their
suit. It was the
same with high
school. Guys
would go up a
few minutes
before their
race and stand
behind the
starting blocks
wearing
sweatshirts and
sweatpants. I
needed something
more theatrical
before my second
half debut.
I came out of
the locker room
wearing my
parka, it’s a
hooded trench
coat that the
team wears to
away meets in
the winter to
keep warm. I
waited for the
other people in
the race to
strip down until
it I was the
only one left
with anything on
besides a speedo.
Five other guys
standing in
their briefs and
I’m wearing a
big trench
coat. Then I
unzipped it and
threw it off in
an attempt to
make a
statement. I
didn’t really
know what that
statement was
though.
I was in the 100
butterfly and,
on paper, I was
projected to
come in fourth
place. I knew
that but I
didn’t really
care. I just
wanted to do
whatever I could
for my team.
Newburgh had Nat
Moore, the state
champion in the
100 backstroke
and league
champion in the
butterfly. The
Monroe swimmers,
Alexi Smirnov
and Nick Johnson
towered over me
and it pretty
much looked like
I was going to
finish fourth.
There was no
chance I would
beat Nat and a
slim chance that
I would be able
to hang with
Smirnov and
Johnson.
The actual race
is just a blur,
as they all
are. Swimming a
race is like
having a dream
that you
instantly forget
once you wake
up. Once the
race is over,
you can’t
remember what
you were
thinking while
it was going
on. Everything
you see with
your eyes is
just a blur and
it’s completely
silent when
you’re in a race
like this even
when you know
people are
cheering in the
stands. It feels
like everything
in the world
stops and you
lose all thought
until it’s over;
like being
hypnotized
I was content
with getting
fourth place.
If I performed
like I was
supposed to and
everything else
went according
to plan for the
rest of the
meet, we would
beat Monroe by
just a few
points. Nat
ended up winning
by about 9
seconds. The
only person I
saw during the
race was Nat.
He was floating
at the end of
the pool waiting
for the rest of
us to finish. I
hit the wall and
the crowd
erupted. I
didn’t know if
it was the
Newburgh fans or
the Monroe fans
going crazy. I
didn’t even look
at the clock to
see what place I
got.
Like I said
before,
everything is
just a blur and
you can’t see
anything but the
pool. I had no
idea how close
the race was.
Going into the
last lap,
Smirnov and
Johnson were
neck and neck,
battling for
second place and
I was half a
body length
behind. I came
off the last
wall and caught
up. I put my
head down and
just swung my
arms, not
thinking about
beating the
other swimmers,
but thinking
about beating
the clock and
having a best
time. The three
of us hit the
wall at the same
second. Only
tenths and
hundredths
separated our
times from each
other.
Afterwards my
coach came over
to talk to me.
“When you
finished, her
face just
dropped,” he
said, referring
to the Monroe
coach. In a
race, first
place gets 6
points, second
place gets 4,
third place gets
3 and so on.
That’s how swim
meets are
scored. In a
perfect world,
Monroe would
have scored
seven points;
four points for
second and three
points for
third. Newburgh
would have
gotten first and
fourth and
scored eight
points. The meet
would stay
close.
From
that moment on
it was all
Newburgh. The
coach found the
spark he was
looking for. The
subsequent
events took more
and more wind
out of Monroe’s
sails. We
pulled away and
ended up winning
the meet by
forty points.
Afterwards, in
the locker room
I ripped down a
sign that was
hanging on the
back of a door.
It said “Second
Place Is The
First
Loser.”
~
