11:40 a.m. – Greetings From Houston! Head Coach Jon Carlson and I touched down in the Gulf Coast region of Texas at approximately 10:30 a.m. The trek from George Bush International Airport to the Conroe ISD Natatorium is roughly 30 minutes. The first thing you notice upon arriving in Houston is the color. For individuals, like myself, who haven’t been on a training trip or winter vacation, this is the first glimpse of vegetation in roughly four months. The color of the grass, trees, and flowers hits you immediately.
We met assistant coaches Alex Lindstrom and Luke Weyandt at the hotel where I am currently writing this post. Coach Lindstrom and coach Weyandt traveled with the team on Monday and arrived in Houston at 10:30 p.m. When I refer to the team on this blog from this point on, I am referring to the seven female swimmers who make up Gustavus’s national team. The team includes Dani Klunk, Katie Olson, Jenny Strom, Leah Anderson, Hayley Booher, Michelle Campeau, and Kate Reilly. The coaches said the team was ready to swim upon arrival last night. The reality of this whole spectacle is now upon them. They are here and they are amped.
While coach Carlson and I were in route, Lindstrom and Weyandt were putting together the week’s agenda – setting up departure times, meal plans, and straightening out the fine details of the week. The coaching staff brought the team to the grocery store where they put together the week’s provisions. At a four-day meet such as this, nutrition and hydration are two details not to be overlooked.
The whole group (coaches, team, and I) will head to the Conroe ISD Natatorium in a little bit. The pool is located a short drive from our hotel in the northern Houston suburb of Shenandoah. The city of Shenandoah is small with a population of just over 2,000. It is the northern neighbor of the much larger metropolitan area called The Woodlands. Although Conroe is a completely different city within The Woodlands, the Conroe Natatorium is not actually in Conroe, rather Shenandoah. The facility bears the Conroe name because of the school district that owns it. High schools that use the Conroe Natatorium include Caney Creek, Conroe, Oak Ridge, The Woodlands, and The Woodlands College Park.
Now that I’ve been through more information about the Houston’s northern suburbs that likely anyone needs to know, here’s one last tidbit about Shenandoah. A Google search of the city will likely bring you to its Wikipedia page. On that page you will find out that Shenandoah is the home to the famous “Bubble Boy,” David Vetter, whose likeness was immortalized by an episode of Seinfeld in the show’s fourth season. For a Seinfeld fan, this was a cool note. “It was Moops!”
2:51 p.m. – We are back at the hotel after the team’s practice at the Conroe Natatorium. We arrived at the pool shortly after 12:30 p.m. and got credentialed by the NCAA staff on hand. This year’s NCAA Championships is hosted by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which is based out of Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Once credentialed and after a short team meeting on the deck, the women suited up and took to the pool. Coach Carlson stressed the importance of familiarity with the venue. Aside from Katie Olson and Jenny Strom who both swam in this pool at the 2013 NCAA Championships, the venue is completely new for the other five Gusties. Today’s practice was not about setting personal records, it was about getting comfortable with the new surroundings. “Make this your home right now because it will be home for the next four days,” said Carlson to swimmers.
Whether it’s practicing starts on new blocks, getting used to the water temperature, or getting a feel for the walls, today’s practice was about visualization and getting comfortable. From the drive over to the locker room, not detail is overlooked. It was quiet on the deck with very few swimmers and divers practicing. Tomorrow morning will be a completely different atmosphere. What was a calm and relaxed setting today will soon become an electric and intense scene tomorrow.
I too got my bearings at a building I will make my office over the next four days. Whether it was figuring out best angles for pictures and videos, or measuring the walk time between the starting blocks and the media room, I also worked on familiarizing myself.
I was able to get some decent video of the venue along with a pair of interviews with coach Carlson and the seniors. That can be seen here below…
After practice we headed back to the hotel. The swimmers have been all smiles since leaving St. Peter. They are relaxed, focused, and – most importantly – seem to be relishing in the fact that they are here. Following a short break we will head back to Conroe for the NCAA Championships Banquet being held in a massive tent located right next to the facility.
8:31 – I am back in the hotel room about ready to wrap up today’s blog while coach Carlson works across from me on his computer at our small desk. This will be our routine for the upcoming week. More on routine later.
Coach Lindstrom and I took the team back to the Conroe Natatorium where the NCAA Championship Banquet was held in an adjacent tent. The tent was enormous and decked out like an NCAA-themed nightclub equipped with spotlights, strobes, and – naturally – country music.
The women looked great in their formal attire and took full advantage of the numerous photo opportunities. The best of which included a group shot on a mechanical bull.
The Mayor of Shenandoah, Garry B Watts (yeah, that name sounds straight from a script of Dallas), gave the introduction and welcomed all the athletes, coaches, and administrators to what he called the “Shenandome.” The city of Shenandoah has done a terrific job with this event. From the accounts of those who were here in 2013, the city has upped the ante.
The banquet’s guest speaker was Jeff Thibault. Thibault is a native of Houston and was a standout swimmer at nearby Cypress Creek High School. Thibault earned numerous Texas state titles and proceeded to swim collegiately at the University of Texas. During his time on the Longhorn swimming and diving team he was a four-year All-American and a key contributor to three NCAA Championships. Jeff is currently a Vice President within the JP Morgan Private Bank and spends his time contributing to a number of charitable outreach programs including the Montrose Street Reach Ministries, Elves and More Bike Build, St. Francis Episcopal Day School, and Swim Across America.
Jeff’s message focused on three key themes: 1. Swimmers are unique and belong to a unique group. 2. The skills you [student-athletes] have developed will translate to all walks of life. 3. Have fun and enjoy the moment. Dedication, teamwork, and the ability to respond to adversity are skills that will help make these young men and women make the transition from the swimsuit to the business suit.
Following Thibault’s speech, Kim Beirwert of the NCAA Championships committee presented this year’s Elite 89 award winners. Congrats are in order for Calvin’s Brett Stoughton and MIT’s Margaret Guo who both hold perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point averages.
Following the banquet it was back to the hotel where the final team meeting of the day was held. Hayley and Michelle’s room has been designated the host location for our team get-togethers this week.
Carlson: Coach Carlson began the meeting by laying out tomorrow’s agenda. At this point, it’s about getting into a routine. The team will get into the habit of waking up at the same time, going for a walk or swim, eating breakfast, and departing for the pool. All this is done as a group. As I learned from last year’s experience, routine and ability to take thinking out of the equation are a key to success.
Carlson stressed the fact that this group is comprised of racers who back down to no one. He told the group to rely on its training and preparation, support each other, and have fun. A key point he made during the talk is that there are over 400 teams in NCAA Division III and only 246 individuals earn the right to swim at this meet.
Lindstrom: Coach Lindstrom stressed the importance of familiarity. Not only familiarity with the pool and it’s surroundings, but the familiarity of what it took to get to this point. Gustavus has been so good at the MIAC Championships because of it’s ability to feel at home at Minnesota’s Aquatic Center. This pool is no different. Rely on what got you here because when it comes down to it, the pool is the same length.
Weyandt: Coach Weyandt stated that although the team is comprised of just seven individuals, those seven have the ability to make a power statement and prove something. He told the swimmers to rely on what has got them this far. They are here for a reason and that should always be in the back of their minds.
All three coaches mentioned the fact that they have not seen so many smiles both this week and in the month leading up to the meet. That says something about the commodore and love these individuals have for both each other and their sport.
From the perspective of this SID, this team is ready to compete. The women walked into tonight’s banquet with a presence and carrying a quiet confidence. I too have seen nothing but smiles on the faces of these women and that alone has made this journey a memorable one.
Tomorrow morning’s trials begin at 10:00 a.m. Hayley Booher will kick things off in the 200 IM, Katie Olson and Kate Reilly will compete in the 50 free, and Olson, Booher, Reilly, and Jenny Stromm will go in the 200-medley relay.
The link below will bring you to a photo gallery from today.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gogusties/sets/72157650957526437/
To give fans of behind the scenes look at this year’s NCAA Championships, Sports Information Director Ethan Armstrong will be with the Gustavus swimmers in Shenandoah. Over the course of the four-day meet, Armstrong will be blogging, posting pictures and videos, and providing day-by-day recaps of all the action. His blog posts will be entitled “Lone Star State Of Mind” and will be updated on the Gustavus athletics website throughout the meet.