Swimmer's place fifth in New England

For Norwich's swim team captain, Peter Bue, swimming isn't an individual sport - there is nothing better than stepping up on a block for a relay with three of your teammates backing you up.

"I've been swimming most of my life," said Bue, 20, a junior studies in war and peace major from Tyngsboro, Mass. "It's something I've enjoyed doing all these years."
This year the Norwich men's swim team has set its goals on being the team with the highest GPA, and placing top three at the New England Championship.

Preparing for the championship comes with determination and hard work in practices; swimmers have to come ready to work hard every day, according to team members.
"The practices are definitely challenging," said Chris Hevey, 18, a freshman architecture major from Biddeford, Maine. "But you feel good after you get out, because you know it will pay off in the end."

The season began Nov. 7, with an early loss to SUNY Potsdam. Although the season's 5-7 overall record doesn't reflect the Cadets' hard work, the swimmers know it comes down to who is hungry for the championship.

"We didn't win as many meets as we wanted," Hevey said. "However, we had a lot of individual best times and a lot of guys qualifying for the New England Championship."
From Feb. 19 – 21, the team was scheduled to bring 20 swimmers who qualified for the New England Championship an hour away to White River Junction, Vt.

The men's team posted five Top 10 performances and finishing fifth overall. The Cadets piled up 222 points over the three-day event to place within the top half of the 13-team field. The women's swimming and diving team finished 19th place at the New England Championships Sunday evening.

The swimmers qualify for the championship by swimming a set standard for the regular season. They have all season to reach the time set for whatever the event they swim in.
Having lost some great swimmers last year, such as top swimmer Chris Prybella, the return swimmers and new comers have stepped it up to rank top three in the New England Championship.

"We have an outstanding men's team that we are bringing to the championships," Bue said. "Not only are the returners from last year stepping up to swim, but we have an outstanding freshmen class that hates to lose."

"The team is well known for being close," said Stephen Roth, 19, a criminal justice major from Durham, N.C. "Everyone is packed behind the lane of the swimmer, screaming and cheering them on. It might be an individual sport, but we still help motivate each other as much as we can."

"You have to be self motivated," said Joel Sweetser, 19, a sophomore architecture major from Rumford, Maine, who is in his first year swimming competitively. "It's one of those individual sports, but everyone counts: you have your personal time to beat, and you're trying to rank high for your total team points."

In order to stay focused and get ready for their event, most swimmers tune out the distractions by listening to music on their iPods.

"I like listening to Jimmy Buffet. Before each event I put my hood over my head, put on some Jimmy Buffet and visualize every stroke," Bue said.

As the swimmers stand ready on the blocks, waiting for the sound of the gun to go off, they all bend down as if as one. Bang, the sound of the gun goes off and everyone leaps into the water, eyes set for the other side.

Roth said the only thing that's going through his head is the guy next to him. "I either have to pass the guy or move faster, because somebody is closing in," he said. "Most of the time all you can see is the guy next to you."