The Norwich University Division III swim teams began training in the middle of September for their upcoming season in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, which begins Nov. 7.
Laura Dunn, entering her fifth year with Norwich and currently head coach for both the men and women’s swim teams, is optimistic and looking forward to the 2009-10 seasons.
“The team will be preparing for the New England Championships that will be held over Feb. 19, 20 and 21, 2010,” Dunn said. Individuals have the entire season to qualify in order to compete in this meet.
This year, 37 students make up the men and women’s swim teams. Students are encouraged to try out.
“If you’re interested, come out at the beginning of the season. Our basic requirements are you show up and you work hard,” Dunn said. This philosophy triggers over to Dunn’s style of coaching.
“One of the nice things of having an individual sport is that swimmers can practice on their own time. I do two sets of practices, one at 2:30 and one at 4:30 Monday through Friday,” Dunn said. “Swimmers are allowed to come to whichever practice fits into their academic schedule.”
Almost all of the meets this season will be held on Saturday because of the competition being so far away, according to Dunn. “We never do a meet during classes because it’s not good for their academics and that’s what they’re here for,” Dunn said. “We want to make sure we minimize any conflict, so by having our meets on Saturday, we’ll be gone all day and they’ll study on the bus if they need to.”
The main challenge that arises with the Norwich swim team’s schedule is that there are not enough schools in the area that have swim teams to compete against. According to Dunn, this has worked to the swim team’s favor.
“Typically, our teams are very strong on the academic side and we’re on the top spots on campus for academic GPAs,” Dunn said.
Dunn emphasizes academics, community involvement and the importance of fun to her swimmers.
“The men’s team just set a goal that they want to be the men’s team with the highest GPA this semester. That’s one of their team goals,” Dunn said. “We try to look at the whole picture.”
Dunn also pushes the swim team to be active in the community. In between the fall and spring semesters, the team can volunteer at the Vermont Food Bank. “I trade them. They can get a practice off as long as the whole team volunteers at the food bank,” Dunn said. “It’s a good experience for them to want to volunteer and to help out. It’s also good because they’re out bonding and interacting as a team away from here.”
“Our philosophy as a team is health, family, academics, ROTC and swimming. Health and family is number one,” Dunn said. “You’ve got to take care of yourself and you have to be in a place where you’re able to be a positive part of the team. It’s for self betterment, it’s to achieve goals, it’s to be a part of a team, and it’s a bonus,” Dunn tries to make the swim team a fun bonus for all the student competitors.
“The team works hard, and they like to play hard,” Dunn said. “They’re total goofballs. But when it comes to ‘Here’s your set, here’s what you need to do,’ they’re busting their butts.
“They support each other. They’re really great about being behind each other in the lanes and in the side of the pool supporting each other,” Dunn said. “They know what the times are that each other need in order to qualify for New England Championships, and they’ll be looking for that for each other. That’s important to them.”
Dunn encourages the Norwich community to support the men and women’s swim team. “There are only a few home meets this year, and they’re all in November,” said Dunn. Next semester, all the meets will be away.