Spring Break
The Daily OrangeSwim | Extra events, long weekend leaves Syracuse exhausted
By Heath D. Williams
Posted: 10/22/07, 1:11 AM EST Section: Sports
Members of the Syracuse swim team sat on the benches, not moving or speaking, just staring straight ahead into the water after six-plus grueling hours of swimming spread over two days.
Though the men had just won 10 of 17 events and the women took first in 15 of 17, the team was quiet.
It was a silence like one that would permeate a team after a devastating loss.
But Saturday, it was the silence of exhaustion.
Syracuse played host to Marist and Army for the Orange Invitational this past weekend. The meet was divided into three two-hour sessions and 34 events with multiple heats.
For the swimmers, the meet was a test of their endurance.
Syracuse head coach Lou Walker said the setup of the meet, while tiring, plays an essential role in getting the athletes ready for championship events like the Big East Championship and next month's Nike Cup.
"You need to have that type of competition," Walker said. "You swim last night, get up early in the morning, do it again, then come back and swim again in the afternoon. You have to experience that element of it to be successful."
Walker said the thing he is most pleased with early in the season is the energy the team brings to the pool.
"It's a grind to do what we did the last couple of days," he said. "And they're here, they're cheering for their teammates. They're not taking a nap in the corner."
Once the meet was finished, however, the athletes were ready for some sleep.
"We're all dead," said junior Catrina Roth, who swam in seven events. "We're done right now. But you have to get used to swimming when you're tired and getting up at 8 when you know you're dead. That's why we have these meets at the beginning."
Walker said the team's strong performance despite the exhaustion is a testament to the swimmers' strong work ethic and training.
He said he was especially impressed with the 200-yard butterfly, the final and possibly most physically daunting individual event of the meet.
Though the men had just won 10 of 17 events and the women took first in 15 of 17, the team was quiet.
It was a silence like one that would permeate a team after a devastating loss.
But Saturday, it was the silence of exhaustion.
Syracuse played host to Marist and Army for the Orange Invitational this past weekend. The meet was divided into three two-hour sessions and 34 events with multiple heats.
For the swimmers, the meet was a test of their endurance.
Syracuse head coach Lou Walker said the setup of the meet, while tiring, plays an essential role in getting the athletes ready for championship events like the Big East Championship and next month's Nike Cup.
"You need to have that type of competition," Walker said. "You swim last night, get up early in the morning, do it again, then come back and swim again in the afternoon. You have to experience that element of it to be successful."
Walker said the thing he is most pleased with early in the season is the energy the team brings to the pool.
"It's a grind to do what we did the last couple of days," he said. "And they're here, they're cheering for their teammates. They're not taking a nap in the corner."
Once the meet was finished, however, the athletes were ready for some sleep.
"We're all dead," said junior Catrina Roth, who swam in seven events. "We're done right now. But you have to get used to swimming when you're tired and getting up at 8 when you know you're dead. That's why we have these meets at the beginning."
Walker said the team's strong performance despite the exhaustion is a testament to the swimmers' strong work ethic and training.
He said he was especially impressed with the 200-yard butterfly, the final and possibly most physically daunting individual event of the meet.
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