Aloha From Hawaii: Winter Training Trip Blog

Wednesday, December 7

TBA

Dartmouth College

Winter Training Trip

12/6/2011 2:54:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

By: Dartmouth

Aloha From Hawaii - Dartmouth Swimming and Diving Training Trip Blog

The Dartmouth men's and women's swimming and diving programs will embark on their annual winter training trip this week and this year they'll be heading back to sunny Hawaii for their annual two-week trip. The team will be providing a "behind the scenes" blog so friends, family and fans can keep up with their Hawaiian adventure. Make sure to check back often to see what the Dartmouth swimmers and divers are up to and as they say in Hawaii ... "Hau'oli Lanui (Happy Holidays!)

2011 Winter Training Trip Itinerary

Wednesday Dec. 6 - Depart for Hawaii

Thursday Dec. 7-Thursday Dec. 15

Training in Honolulu

Excursions:

Pipe Masters, North Shore

Pearl Harbor

Polynesian Cultural Center

Friday Dec. 16-Thursday Dec. 22

Training in Hilo

Excursions:

Kilauea Volcano

Ocean Swim in Kona

Day 1: Welcome to Hawaii

Our first day of training trip started bright and early at four in the morning, with everyone trucking around massive bags and trying not to be late for the bus. All smushed in our uncomfortable bus seats, everyone passed out during the two-hour ride into Boston. When we finally reached Boston we made a large scene, walking in our matching uniforms we got weird looks from the people we walked by. Our plane ride to Los Angeles consisted of more sleep and many questions from aisle neighbors.

Perhaps the most exciting point of the day came soon after landing when we arrived at In-N-Out Burger, taking over the entire restaurant with our 66-person line. As a Cali resident, nothing was as amazing as seeing the melted cheese on my double-double and the swirl of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry in my milkshake. After stuffing our faces with delicious fast food we relaxed in the sun as planes flew over us.

Unfortunately we had to go back to the airport to catch flight number two where we were applauded by the plane (or maybe it was only us applauding...). After six long hours we finally touched down in Honolulu, welcomed by the warmth of Hawaii. Then we waited an hour for our caravan of cars to whisk us away to the amazing Ruby Tuesdays. Finally after 17 hours of traveling we found ourselves in our new homes, looking forward to the fun days ahead.

Sasha Alcon '15

Day 2: The Training Begins

"Wrap your heads around this one, because tonight we're doing the...." It wasn't yet time for KOH, but the first day of practices proved to be a testing introduction to training trip. Jetlagged and Poptart-hungry, our team met outside at 7:30 AM for a quick tour of the important locations on campus: the places where we'd be eating and the pool. Greeted by a double rainbow shining over the UH pool, we opened training trip practices by breaking into three groups depending on the amount of practices we attended over break. Two hours later, practice one was done and we dutifully headed to a breakfast with lots of chocolate milk and fresh fruit.

Left on our own until practice at night, our team split in two: half travelled over to the North Shore to catch some of the Billabong Pipe Masters event, while the rest of us headed to Lanikai for an afternoon of tanning and wading in the crystal clear waters. We were left to get lunch on our own; as Lindsay and I can testify, cheese quesadillas from a truck are a lot better than they might sound. With the weather sunny but so windy it was almost cold, we decided to head back to campus. Jesup took those of us in his minivan on the scenic route home: a trip that lasted two hours, but allowed us to see some of the amazing tropical scenery and sights Honolulu has to offer.

As the upperclassmen had predicted, Thursday night's practice was one of the traditional training trip sets: a total of 7500 meters of freestyle back and forth across the pool and long enough to make you want Advil by its end, the Ladder Set was what the coaches had in store for that night. By 8:00, we were all exhausted but proud to have finished, and we headed to dinner for a well-deserved meal and then bed, ready to rest up for the days to come.

Rebecca Butler '15

Day 3: A Word from the Divers

Today I realized that being a diver really is better than being a swimmer. No 6 AM practices (which is actually good because if we had to dive at 6 AM, we would be hitting the board and smacking so much). And although we are very tired at the end of the day, we are much less fatigued than the swimmers.

Waking up at 7:35, I took a shower and headed down to the lobby. Chris took us to get breakfast at the cafeteria and then to the pool. Everybody was very awake due to the fact that it was 2 PM at Dartmouth when we got to the pool. The University of Hawaii divers were there also. They were clearly so much better than all of us. We were pretty sure that they were scoffing behind our backs at the idea that we are DI athletes. That was depressing.

At practice we did a lot of jumps, line-ups, and required dives. Afterwards, I did 403b on the low board and then 405c on the 3 meter. Of course, anything involving 3-meter is frightening so the 405c's were not so fun.

Finally, practice ended and all of us went to Safeway to get snacks to eat at the beach. The drive to the beach was about thirty minutes but it was worth it. We had to drive through a mountain and upon reaching the other side, we saw the beautiful beach, hills, and forest. The sky was bright blue with massive clouds that were gorgeous.

The beach was also extremely nice. We met several other swimmers there including Christopher Calby, Konrad von Moltke, Tara Henn, Jay Schulte, Galen Barry, and John Hill. At first, we put on our sunscreen and then walked a while along the beach and back. Then we swam for a little bit in the water, rode some waves, and splashed around. Finally, the time to tan had come and we all broke out our towels and laid in the sun. Konrad, Ben, and Ryan decided to dig a ditch, cover Ryan with a towel and place chips on the towel, all in an attempt to capture a bird. But alas, no bird was caught. However, the whole ordeal was rather funny to watch.

After leaving the beach, we headed back to the dorms to get ready for the second diving practice and then headed to the pool. Even worse, a lot of us had to do some 3-meter optionals. I did 105b, 107c, 5152b, 205c, and 305c. When I was doing my 305c, the famed freshmen belly flop competition started. They yelled at me to come over and/or smack off of 3-meter for the competition. Now that was just not going to happen. I did the dive and then ran over and did my belly flop only to have to return and finish the practice. All of the 15's had red stomachs from their attempts to go the flattest and hit the hardest. There were some pretty impressive belly flops but eventually it came down to Ryan and Rebecca with Rebecca taking the hardest hit for the win.

After practice, we went to dinner at the cafeteria and then headed to see "New Year's Eve."

Ryan Shelley '15 and Ethan Canty '15

Day 4: Pearl Harbor Bound

We rolled out of bed this morning to quickly form the professional SH squared peanut butter and jelly assembly line. I, of course, spread the peanut butter on two pieces of bread while Shabam spreads the amazingly delicious guava jam on the other two pieces. Now that's some quality roommate teamwork right there.

We then set off on our great journey to Pearl Harbor, which we learned happened to be Jim's 25th time to the museum...very impressive. We enjoyed some postcard-worthy rainbows along the Hawaiian horizon, as well as some equally postcard-worthy poses that Joe Chance was striking in the Arizona Memorial. It's still up for debate whether the sign actually said "Contemplation Center" or more like "Consumption Center"...but that's obviously up for some of our team members to decide for themselves.

Then we headed off to the swap meet where we shopped till we dropped. No, but literally...until we dropped. Although I must admit, we definitely brought some serious Dartmouth swag to the island atmosphere with our LAX pinnies and pimped out neon ray bans.

I'd say today was pretty successful considering at least Burford didn't step in dog poo barefooted and smear it all over the sidewalk. And we are definitely working on being a little less judgmental about our ice cream preferences...although it's still quite a heated debate: Haagen Daaz vs. Coldstone vs. Yogurtland...

The orange guava passion fruit juice still is the highlight of the day, except for when the dining hall machine runs out...but have no fear, we make sure they refill it ASAP. We have the situation under control guys...no worries!

After a monsoon took over the island during practice, we made it back to the dorms and camped out in the lounge room to play some quality games of kemps and president...yes, it was completely necessary to form alliances to take down Meredith. Nothing like a little fun card competition to finish up the day!

Sara Heard '15

Day 5: No'Sho and Some Shaved Ice

Today we had a nice little reprieve from the pool and did an ocean swim instead. Almost all of the girls traded in our one pieces for our training bikinis hoping to get our bronze on, which let me tell you, I was very unsuccessful at. We started off with some beach dry land (running in the sand is harder than I imagined, don't be fooled) and ended up getting at least a pound of sand in our suits, which was just lovely. Then came the ocean swim where, shout out to Allison and Isa, there were some injuries, namely jellyfish stings. After the fifteens were finally done with our last excursion to the buoys, the team headed off to the North Shore.

Along the way we stopped at the ever-entertaining Dole Plantation. Here I got conned into buying pearls straight out of the oysters, be careful of salespeople here, they make anything sound good. The team was entertained by wandering around, eating pineapple ice cream, feeding the fish, and taking face in the hole pictures. Our next stop was Masimoto's Shaved Ice, which was DA BOMB (DA BOMB is also a great radio station here in Hawaii, just an fyi). They had tons of local fruit flavors like lilikoi (passionfruit), coconut, pineapple, and many more. Once we were sufficiently satisfied with our ice, we headed off to the beach hoping to watch the Pipe Masters and maybe meet a few surfers. As my van was one of the first there, we quickly discovered that the Pipe Masters was in fact over. Nonetheless, the sign was still up, so we took some pictures to pretend we saw it. On the beach we got pelted with sand bullets so we quickly packed up and headed out to another less windy beach. But this quick detour was totally worth it because we saw a guy biking while playing the guitar. How he managed to bike on a busy road and strum a guitar, we will never know, but it was awesome.

A swarm of approximately 60 swimmers took over Waimea beach on the No' Sho' and we were quite the spectacle. As some settled in to begin bronzing yet again, others began playing football, or going in the ocean. Everything was pretty calm and relaxed. Then slowly our numbers in the ocean started growing until practically the entire team was in the water. Bodies were washing up on the shore as we body surfed waves all the way in. Chicken fights were attempted (the waves made it a little difficult) and the boys were tackling each other into the waves. Tara jokingly started a nice little synchronized swimming routine where OJ was the main star. Not going to lie, we made a great synchro team. On the shore in front of our mob in the water, was another mob playing in the sand. Here Zach was buried and looked like a turtle until Konnie and Cammy were buried on top of him. Ian was made into a sphinx and he was looking good. We probably were in the ocean for at least an hour and a half goofing off and having tons of fun. My abs hurt so badly from laughing continuously the entire time. Random strangers even began taking pictures of us, which awkwardly enough seems to be a common theme on this trip.

Though we were exhausted from the entire day at the beach, the whole ride home was one big dance party. With Elizabeth at the wheel, Tay Tay was able to double as a DJ and dance with Mary, Charlotte, Snooks, Sheard, and I. I kid you not when I tell you this van was bumping as well as attracting a lot of stares. When we finally arrived back home, we showered and prepped for the big night away from cafeteria food. In Waikiki, a group of us got seated at a lovely table with a perfect view of the sunset, until we realized that the menu was WAY overpriced, so we snapped some photos and went to the cheaper section of the restaurant. Starving, we asked for some bread and were soon gifted with it along with some delicious chili dipping sauce. Within a minute, the two baskets of bread were demolished. Then another waiter brought some more, and yet again two baskets demolished in record time. The sad thing is that we also finished the oil. I am pretty sure we disgusted all of our waiters and the people sitting by us but what can you do. These people seriously underestimated our ability to eat. After dinner we strolled in Waikiki and got some Coldstone (still the best choice obvi), ate it on the beach, and went home. Sure, my body feels like someone sneaks into my room every night and beats me with a sledgehammer, but training trip is all worth it in the end because we are in this gorgeous, tropical place and having so much fun.

Siobhan Hengemuhle '15

Day 6: A Little Poem from the Divers

Two weeks in the sun.

DWSD Training Trip.

We are having fun.

The bright blue ocean

And hot sunshine tans our backs.

Paleness disappears.

Smacking hurts our backs

But at least we get to sleep

Past five thirty am.

In order to dive, We all must see a rainbow

Or else we all cry.

We get so confused

When it is raining and sunny,

Rainbows in the sky.

Diving is so fun

When we are in the bright sun

We love Hawaii.

Diving, diving, dive.

Swimming, swimming, swimming, swim.

We love the water.

Hanover has snow

The sun makes us realize,

This is paradise.

We'll see you all soon

Looking so tan and in shape

Then it's Christmas time.

Kendall MacRae and Fiona Weeks '15

Day 7: A Little Bit of Dancing

I'm not going to lie: the 5:13 a.m. alarm this morning was less than pleasant, proving that even waking up in paradise can be difficult. Still, everyone made it down to the pool for our "recovery" 5000-meter practice, followed by an hour lift in the weight room.

The positive side of rising before the sun, though, is that by 9:00, the entire swim team had crowded into the Hale Aloha cafeteria and was discussing plans for the day over a delicious breakfast. Most of the team ended up going to Waikiki, although for some people, this would be their third trip there in as many days. All of the '15 women, however, had something they had to do before sunbathing: Dance! Upholding the tradition, the '15 women made up a dance to be performed before the DWSD team. While we were sore and tired from practice, we still had fun thinking up the most ridiculous dance moves possible, preparing for our "recital."

After exhausting ourselves from dancing, we quickly changed into suits and headed to Waikiki, the closest beach to our dorms. As awful as practices can be, the sunny, 85-degree weather almost makes up for it, especially when I know it's cold and snowing back in Hanover. Most of us alternated between napping on the beach catching some sun and cooling off in the Pacific, only taking a break to grab lunch. Then, it was time to head back to campus, so that everyone could nap before our second practice of the day, which turned out to be relatively uneventful.

While practice did not involve any notorious sets, everyone was still hungry for dinner. After eating, the '15s got together once more to practice our dance before performing it in front of the entire women's team. Although we are all much more coordinated in water than on land, we managed to pull off a decent show for the upperclassmen. Then, it was time for a bite of birthday cake for Sara Heard '15 and Charlotte Williams '13 before crashing into bed.

Overall, like all days on training trip, practices were difficult. However, getting to spend our last full day in the paradise of Honolulu with friends makes the hard work definitely worth it.

Katie Lachance '15

Day 8: Hula Dancing

Today was another one of those big days. Shortly after morning practice we did a lift session before heading to BYU Hawaii for another practice. The BYU pool was definitely one to remember. There were no lane lines, no flags, and the pool was 37.5 meters long. Not to mention that it was freezing cold. The workout began with Jenn sending us off with her very poignant "BOOPS." And then went into some fast speed work. I don't really have much else to say about that workout, though, because in the midst of practice I somehow found myself bashing my head into the wall of the pool. Luckily, I did not get a concussion, but it left quite a massive bump.

After our workout at BYU, we headed over to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), another memorable moment. There, Konrad von Moltke and Ryan Shelley hula danced in front of 500 people. Joe Chance was made king of the coconut tree (only one to climb up a coconut tree). And three couples (Galen and Chris, Kelsey and Mickey, Matt and Isa) were celebrating their anniversaries amongst a crowd of married couples. There we enjoyed a delicious Hawaiian buffet and ended the night with a blazing Hawaiian fire dance.

Cameron Price '15

Day 9: A Little BMX and a few Dartmouth Connections

This morning was the first KOH. It blew like the wind in that we were going extremely fast. Some guys on the team did personal bests. Others, like myself, were slowly dying over the course of the twenty 100s. After breakfast we went to a Dartmouth Alumni Reception for a few hours. After the mandatory Yogurtland, some of us got the brilliant idea to be divers for the rest of the day. So, we took two- hour naps at the University of Hawaii Pool where the divers stretch and then hung out in their Jacuzzi until we got kicked out. Then we watched Zack Dougherty '13 do a couple of back splats off the 1-meter board. Some of us speculate it was because his Slovenian coach was not up to par. Nejc Zupan '14 would argue otherwise. We decided to go eat noodles at a local joint and met the inventor of BMX and got his business card; he just happened to be hanging out at our restaurant.

Once at the airport, while waiting for our flight from Oahu to Hilo, the president of our airline, having met a few Dartmouth alums and being a swim coach in his previous career, decided to buy our team ten pizzas which we shared with the entire terminal and the pilot. Yay for Dartmouth connections! When we got to the hotel at Hilo, we were all so tired that we crashed hard. Time for week two; let's do this!

Jay Schulte '15

Day 10: A Few Wrong Turns

Our first day in Hilo was definitely not what we expected. We left at 6AM for a pool about 45 minutes away. My plan was to sleep on the ride but a few 12's decided to make that impossible. After a few wrong turns we finally made it to the pool. The temperature of the pool woke everyone up immediately; it was a little chilly to say the least. After our drive back to the hotel, we were greeted with a breakfast buffet. I'm sure the hotel loved having to refill the toast for us at least four times. We then took trips to Safeway to get food for the hotel. I never thought groceries could be so expensive!

Since the weather today was not ideal, most of the team stayed in and either slept or watched movies. It was one of the best naps I have ever had because I was so exhausted. For our second practice, we split into strokes, a nice break from the heavy freestyle set we did this morning. We all parted ways for dinner and went to bed early to prepare for another day of fun.

Amber Jenkins '15

Day 11: Black Sandy Beaches

As I followed my teammates toward the ice cold Pahoa pool for our 7 o'clock workout, I found myself actually terrified of diving in. It was our third workout at this particular pool, but nonetheless, we were still shocked awake and shivering after taking the first plunge. We then split up into our usual sprint and I.M./stroke/distance groups. Both groups did a decent amount of leg work and breath control along with a bunch of small sets. Just as we thought the day would be another rainy one, the sun peeked out through the clouds. Everyone cheered. It was now time for a little friendly competition. It was a relay, strokers versus sprinters, or as some would say NARPs (non-athlete random person) against athletes, or vice versa. The sprinters would each swim 100 yards and the stroke group would do a 25 first then a 50. The strokers would have to lap the sprinters 5 times in order to win, which by about halfway through, we figured would be a stretch. In the end, the sprinters won, but every dog has his day. Despite the banter, we all love each other, and we're all glad to have the day to enjoy.

After breakfast at the hotel, we couldn't wait to hit up the black sand beaches. A few vans ventured out about 15 minutes to a gorgeous rocky part of the coast (not really a beach, but it's hard to explain). You could climb down the steep rocks with the help of a handy rope for support and check out the waterfall. Another van of us went to a beach about four minutes away. Just as we got our towels all spread out on the sand, that resembled dirt but was in fact sand, we felt the dreaded raindrops. One of the local Hawaiians who owns the rental outrigger canoes came out and warned us that it was about to pour. We followed him under an overhang, where he told us all about the canoes, and just as he predicted, it poured. Thankful for his kindness, we thanked him and walked back out on the sand and collapsed on our towels. The sun came back out so naturally, we broke out the Maui Babe, in hopes of getting some tan-age, but most of us got only a little bronze and Linds just got fried.

Soon it was time for afternoon practice at the University of Hawaii- Hilo pool. We lifted first and then hit the water. The water was similar to Pahoa- freezing cold! We got to work though, and overall had a great practice. With our bellies starving, we headed to dinner. My van went to a local diner called Ken's. The amount of food that the table of '15 women plus Jay ordered was amazing. We licked our plates clean and waddled out of the restaurant stuffed. Back at the hotel, we gathered to celebrate Sara Heard's birthday with some delicious cake. A few of us went to check out the lighting of a fire at a traditional Hawaiian pig roast. The men had a flame-thrower (Jack was mesmerized) and were lighting a massive bonfire that would roast a pork, chicken, and turkey wrapped in banana leaves. After getting some culture, we arrived back at the hotel. Exhausted, we all headed to bed. Although we sometimes ride the struggle bus with early mornings and rough double practices, it's all okay because we are all together, enjoying this beautiful place.

Nina Mascia '15

Day 12: A Little Volleyball, Anyone

Yes! We got to sleep in today! 6:45am in the lobby has never felt so good! So the day started out with the realization that we only had one workout for the day. However, with that realization came the trepidation of practicing at the University of Hawaii-Hilo pool. See, everything about the pool is fantastic; steaming hot showers, nice gym, and beautiful landscape. The pool temperature, however, was a horrid 70 degrees and the next two hours would not be fun. As we huddled around the pool deck scouring at the water, Allison ('15) asks, "Why are we swimmers?" I mean, what do we like about jumping into a pool that is colder than the ocean? Sometimes I think it is because I enjoy the view we have of the ridiculously handsome men's team. But most importantly it is because I know that if I put in the effort and others around me are doing the same, we will be great at Ivies.

Anyway, after getting some nice sun during practice, we headed to breakfast to enjoy Portuguese sausage, eggs, and toast. We got some down time before we made our way to a black sand beach about five minutes away. There the sun was out with no hint of clouds in the distance. Jim had arranged for us to go canoeing with the help of Ira, a hospitable Hawaiian local (which of whom sheltered us from the monsoon that attacked the same beach the day before). Some people laid out their towels and took advantage of tanning. Others got first dibs on the canoes. I was a little hesitant on going canoeing especially after finding out how hard and tiring it was on my DOC trip earlier in the year. However, I sucked it up and decided to take in the experience and it was surprisingly not hard at all. It was nice jumping out of the canoe and into the cool water (that by the way was warmer than both the Hilo and Pahoa pools).

While canoeing, a volleyball match had ensued and a team lead by Ray Li ('12) had been undefeated five games in a row. All of us tried to compose a team that would take down these boys plus Snooks (Natalia '14). After more losing streaks from every opposing team, Joe Chance ('13) lead a team of guys that took down Ray and Snooks. It was epic and came down to the last two points! It ended at a perfect time because then we were led under shelter from another monsoon and then we got to eat. Ira and his family made Hawaiian delicacies and we finished right on time to enjoy more warm weather. Some of us took advantage of this opportunity and headed over to jump off a tower that was about 10m high. It took all of us a couple of minutes to get the guts to jump, but eventually Chris C. ('12), Siobhan H. ('15), Nina M. ('15), Kendall F. ('14), Caitlin N. ('12), Joe C. ('13), Sara H. ('15), Jack D. ('12) and I did it. It was a great way to end all of the fun in the sun.

For dinner, we engorged ourselves at Ken's Pancake House for the third time and then the women's team got together for a fun training trip tradition ('16s get ready!!!). Once we were done with all the laughs and banter, we hit the pillow and knocked out. I am almost done with my first training trip and only a couple of tough practices left! Yay!!!!

Valerie Orellana '15

Day 13: Volcano Time

Today was our much-anticipated volcano day as we saw one of the true gems the big island has to offer. We assembled our caravan after practice and our daily hotel breakfast that was, as always, heavy on white rice and toast. Despite the torrential downpours, there were incredible, breathtaking views from the top of the volcano. No need to fear parents, there was an educational aspect to our journey as we made our way around the visitors' center and even had the chance to make our own earthquake! We also took a stroll through some insanely dense foliage that reminded me of Jurassic Park. We didn't see any dinosaurs though, unfortunately. Maybe next time. On our way down to the ocean, our driver, the legendary Ben Feeser, realized we were almost out of gas. Believe me when I say that finding a working gas pump in the vicinity of the volcano was a challenge. Finding gas that was under 5 bucks a gallon would prove impossible. Our third stop was the charm. We even scored some raw ramen noodles to hold us over for an hour before we would re-enter civilization.

As the minutes ticked by before afternoon practice, we scrambled to the local McDonalds before making our way over to the frigid UH Hilo pool where we swam under the lights and monsoon-level rain. The day was capped off with a glorious trip to the local Panda Express. The look on the faces of the employees as we demolished plate after plate of Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef was priceless. Even though it was rainy and a big change from the gorgeous day before, even Necj admitted that the views at the volcano were "beautiful." The long car rides allowed for great bonding and our car was even able to obtain an auxiliary cable to play solid tunes courtesy of my training buddy Cameron. December 19th was a day in beautiful natural surroundings, reminding me how lucky we are to be in Hawaii as a team.

Konrad von Moltke '15

Day 14: Ocean Swim Time

At 6:45 a.m., the haunting iPhone alarm awoke me from my cozy cot. Happy that we were able to sleep in, I got ready for the day. Mary '14 and I checked on our towels drying outside, but despite our efforts, all of our towels and a few articles of clothing were wetter than before. At 7 a.m., we all headed downstairs for our private buffet at the Queen's Court Restaurant with its beautiful panoramic views of Hilo Bay. In addition to the normal meal of eggs, toast, white rice, and fruit, we had leftover chocolate cake... the day was already looking up! Now off to the better side of the island.

As we started out on our two hour drive to Kona, we checked the weather: 74 degrees with only a 20% chance of rain. Finally a break from rainy Hilo! Ray '12 started off his DJing for the car ride with a nice selection of Christmas music. It wasn't hard for me to get into the spirit despite being surrounded by rainforest and unpronounceable roads, such as Waekanu Road and Kamamalu Street. But like most long car rides on this trip, I soon fell asleep in the back seat and annoyed those around me with my twitching. After an hour, I woke up due to a sinking feeling in my stomach. We were traveling on a one lane highway roller coaster. I'm glad I was awake for the second half of the trip. Even though Rebs '15 felt we were in the Sahara Desert, the scenery was very pretty and interesting. We saw sheep, cows, horses, and turkeys, and Cnic '12 thought she also saw mountain goats.....doubtful. Also spotted: a couple of helicopters (Obama?) and a Porta-Potty on the side of the road (would have been useful yesterday for Calby's van).

Half of the team arrived at the Kona Aquatic Center around 10 am. After showering off in the cold showers on deck, we dove into the warm water, a nice break from freezing Pahoa and UH Hilo. Since there was no time for KOH (test set of 20 x 100s), we had a good workout of a mix of IM, stroke, and free. After getting lost and/or needing to stop to get gas, the other half of the team soon trailed in and started. After practice, we had three hours before our ocean swim, so we all hopped into vans. In charge of navigation, I directed my van down towards the beach, and we ended up eating at Pancho & Lefty's, a Mexican cantina and grill. Despite its great location overlooking the bay and downtown of Kona, the slow service left us with only 45 minutes to digest before the ocean swim. Zach '13 loved the fried ice cream though. OJ '13 spent most of the meal giving us details about sharks and jellyfish in the waters around Kona and must have thought that his extra large Scandinavian Shave Ice was going to be the last thing he was ever going to eat.

After spreading on Vaseline to prevent chafing, we heard from Coach Canales, the head coach of Kona Dolphin Swim Club, who assured us that there would be no sharks on the Ironman Course. He also broke the good news that we'd swim a shorter course: 1.2 miles instead of 2.4! It was comforting that there was a kayaker, paddle boarder, and a boat with us during the swim. We were told to find a buddy to swim with, so I stuck with Val and Sasha '15. The water was very clear and we could see the coral. About 0.4 miles into the course, we saw two dolphins swimming beneath us!

After completing the ocean swim in one piece, Burf '14 and (am)Ber '15 bought Ironman t-shirts, and Wulffie '15 decided it was time to celebrate, so we went to Kope Lani to get ice cream. Other girls grabbed root beer floats, coffee floats, brownies, and cinnamon rolls. After the long car ride, we arrived home to Hilo, and it was downpouring... surprise surprise. Some '14 and '15 girls went to Ken's House of Pancakes (my fourth night in a row) for some dinner and bonding. I finished up the day writing postcards to family members while some other ladies watched Law & Order in my room. The mens' team had some bonding, but they're "bound by tradition" and unable to tell us about it.

A big mahalo (thank you) to the coaches for putting together this fun trip! It's been great getting to know everyone better, and I'm sure all of our hard work and effort will pay off later this season! Mele Kalikimaka J (Merry Christmas).

Lindsay Tyler '15

Day 15: Christmas Dinner

Today was the most fun. We woke up early to prepare for our last plunge in the artic waters of the Pahoa pool. Although rain poured from the sky on the way to early morning practice, excitement filled the air- especially for the seniors. Before practice, vans blasted pump up tunes and some seniors were quite a sight to see as they ran straight to the pool decked out in practice attire- complete with caps and goggles already on their heads. The day got even better when we were relieved from our heavy IM set early to help the local team swimmers with their "perfect" streamlines and push offs. After lessons, we were generously given chocolates and pictures of the team- tokens of appreciation that made the day increasingly better.

After breakfast, the majority of the team crashed in the hotel. Naps and movies were the norm, however a small group did venture to Big Island Candies to stock up on some goodies.

Fortunately, the coaches were super understanding and found us a new pool to practice in for the afternoon- one that was 79 degrees! In exchange for the pool time, some of the captains and injured members of the team gave the high school members of the Kamehameha Schools swim team a stroke clinic and answered questions about college life. With the new pool, the highly anticipated second round of KOH became a reality. After completing yet another milestone practice of training trip, the team rushed back to the hotel to get ready for the annual team Christmas dinner.

With ladies in dresses and the men in slacks and ties, our almost unrecognizable team loaded into the vans to travel to a local steakhouse for dinner. After dinner, Coach Jim gave a short speech praising our accomplishments over training trip and then Coach Jesup delivered the catch- a competition that will keep us going strong over our very short "break." Seniors Galen Barry, Kelsey Pinson, Michael Ahern, and Matt Stumpf served as comic relief as they presented a poem recapping their very last training trip. Senior Christopher Calby wrapped up the night with a bizarre story; which really gave us a glimpse into the inner workings of his complex mind. Stuffed and satisfied, the team headed back to the hotel to pack and crash as soon as possible- as at the crack of dawn awaited the last and possibly most difficult physical and mental obstacle of the trip...

Allison Wulff '15

Day 16: The End

It was finally here! After two long weeks of hard training, we all awoke bright and early at the crack of 4:15 AM to complete our final practice. We all knew what to expect - the traditional 100 x 100s on 1:15, 1:20, 1:25, or 1:30. Luckily, Jim managed to snag some pool time at Kamehameha High School's heated pool so we would not have to endure 10,000 meters of hypothermia.

Though intimidating sounding, the set was not that bad overall. To cope with the roughly two and a half hours of straight swimming, a lot of us tracked epic beats in our heads, played word games, and communicated what we could to each other with the two seconds rest we got after each 100. A large number of us completed the set on 1:30, a smaller group on 1:25, a handful on 1:20, and Nejc Zupan '14 managed to complete the entire set at a blistering 1:15 pace. Completing the last 25 meters of the last 100 was perhaps the most satisfying feeling of training trip. As we all finished, smiles set in and congratulations were given all around.

We headed back to the hotel for breakfast and some last minute packing, and by 8:45 AM were off to the airport. After a long wait to check in all our baggage and barely catching our flight on time, we said goodbye to rainy Hilo. As we arrived in Honolulu, some of us said our goodbyes and headed off to connecting flights while others searched for ways to pass time before their flights.

Most people stayed behind to hang out in the airport, but OJ Chang '13, Matt Long '14, Nick Burford '14, Mary VanMetre '14, Siobhan Hengemuhle '15, and I decided to call up a taxi and journey to Waikiki for one last time. We expected a typical white van to pick us up -instead, a limo appeared out of nowhere. Dartmouth swimming rolled in to Waikiki with style.

After some final fun in the sun, we met up with everyone at the airport again and said our final goodbyes. As I said my goodbyes, I found myself feeling like I would really miss my team, even though we would only be home for a little over a week. While we put in hard work and no doubt improved swimming wise (and got great tans), I realized that training trip was also a crucial bonding experience for the entire team. Through grueling swim sets, movie nights, cramped van rides, the mandatory and daily Yogurtland excursions, the McDonald's Dollar Menu, and countless little team activities, I feel like I know what it means to be part of the Dartmouth swimming and diving family. We'll always look after each other. Bring it on Yale and Penn!