Big Green Training Trip Blog 2015: Puerto Rico

Monday, December 7

Ponce, San Juan, Puerto Rico

All Day

Dartmouth College

Winter Training Trip

Big Green Training Trip Blog 2015: Puerto Rico

12/8/2015 9:14:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

By: Dartmouth

Every winter break, the Dartmouth men's and women's swimming and diving teams embark on a training trip and, every year, the members of the teams take turns writing blog posts to keep parents and fans updated on their adventures.

This time around, the Big Green traveled to San Juan, Puero Rico, where they will spend a week and a half training hard and basking in the sun. Let the blog posts begin!

December 19 - Goodbye Puerto Rico
by Megan Crook

Alarms chimed in unison dark and early at 5:15. Swimmers eagerly hopped out of bed -- today was the last day of training trip. Some thought they wouldn't make it, but the day had finally come. The only thing standing between them and home sweet home was just one last practice.

Upon arrival at the pool, Joby Bernstein was the first to hop into the pool in hopes of continuing the tradition of swimming 100 x 100m during the final practice of training trip. The absurd amount of 100s was counted by awarding one tennis ball for ten 100s.

Meanwhile, swimmers split up into their secondary stroke groups. Distance and sprint finished their practices successfully but unfortunately for stroke group, their practice was ended prematurely due to time running short. A wise man once said, "all good things must come to an end." (Sorry Coach Blaire!)

Now was time for the final intrasquad competition. The races kicked off with the grueling 200m butterfly (ouch). The coaches, feeling unprecedentedly merciful, allowed fins to be worn for this exhausting event. Henry "Jimmy" Patrick, however, decided that he did not want to wear fins. Claims of insanity were thrown left and right at young Jimmy, but they did not faze him--he completed the race finless. Meanwhile, Joby was still swimming his 100 x 100s in a far lane.

The competition concluded with a t-shirt relay. 16 men and women total from each the Green and White teams battled it off in swimming a 50 free in the weight of an oversized t-shirt. The race was very close -- it was nerve-wracking for many swimmers. Delaney Hall described it as "an emotional rollercoaster" and very rightfully so.

In the end, it came down to the amount of time swimmers took to transfer one t-shirt to another. The Green team won the relay in an exciting finish, ultimately deeming them the champions of the entire intrasquad competition. Even with all odds against them (having sick/injured people, someone leaving for Estonian nationals) the Green team still came out victorious. GO GREEN!!!!! (Obviously, no bias for either team is intended).

And with a team picture, taken after Joby's 100th 100 (Go Joby!), training trip 2016 was over. Everyone rejoiced. Exuberance filled the air. We made it!!!

December 18 - Attack of the Jellyfish/Meat
by Robert Purvis and Amber Zimmerman

The day started early when alarms went off in time for the team to make it to 6:00 practice. After a brief warmup, we transitioned into a strenuous all-kick practice. The coaches challenged us to make difficult intervals, including 1:30 in a 100m kick. We also had partner skull/kick races. Finally, practice ended with the Intersquad competition, with the 100 free, 200 breast, and 100 IM.

We returned to the hotel for a much-needed breakfast. It was delicious as always, and many team members leisured in the dining area enjoying the buffet and each other's company. After breakfast, most of us retreated to our rooms for rest and relaxation. Several ventured to the beach for the afternoon, while a van of mostly men's team members went to the local movie theatre to see the new Star Wars movie. Reviews varied.

All too soon it was time for afternoon practice. Today's afternoon practice was unique, beginning with dry land on the beach followed by an ocean swim before we drove to the pool. Although slightly intimidating, we were comforted by the fact that this was our last double of the trip.

However, when we arrived at the beach, we were rewarded with the great news that we did not have to practice after the ocean swim. We began with a strenuous dry land which started with a beach run and continued with abs in the surf and partner exercises. Finally, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived: the traditional ocean swim.

According to tradition, seniors swam one lap, juniors two, sophomores three, and freshmen four. Everything seemed normal until people began swimming back to shore mid-lap. It turns out we had swum right into a pack of jellyfish. Although several didn't finish due to their battle wounds, the surviving freshmen received an enthusiastic welcome when we finally made it back to shore. The beach practice ended with a sandcastle building contest, which ended in a debatable white team victory and gain of 10 points.

The day concluded with the team's visit to a Brazilian Steakhouse. With the boys dressed in ties (strictly enforced by Jim) and the girls in dresses, we made our way into the beautiful restaurant with the goal of consuming as much meat as possible. Some faltered at the task, but Delaney Hall and Robert Purvis were proud to announce that their meat consumption was on par, even stellar.

With the team stuffed and exhausted, we headed back to the hotel, ready to rest before the final practice of the trip at 6 the next morning.

December 17 - Extra Water Bottles
by Henry Patrick and Melanya Zaraska

The day began earlier than usual thanks to Kalamazoo needing to use the pool after us, so we set out at 5:30 to go splash around a bit. Upon arrival at the pool the men and women were divided up into separate practices.

The men killed a sprint set that involved several 100s race with fins off the blocks. The women did some swimming as well, including a set of 6x300s. After practice the green team elongated their lead over white in the intrasquad meet.

After that, we were given the wonderful gift of a leisurely breakfast. We then departed for Old San Juan. Head coach Jim Wilson was extremely excited to take us to El Morro Fort which was built in the 16th century. We explored the dungeons and winding staircases of the fort with some team members being much more engaged than others. Noah Stewart, for example, found himself completely in his element, taking pictures of walls and reading as many descriptions as he could find.

Other team members, although they may have been fascinated by the history of the structure, found themselves quite exhausted from both the heat and the numerous practices up until this point and were ready for a nap.

We all returned back to the hotel and were able to rest for several hours before afternoon practice. After practice we had a wonderful catered dinner by the local supermarket and the team had their annual secret Santa gift exchange. The boys then enjoyed some quality bonding by the beach with anticipation for the next day of swimming.

December 16 - Beach Day
by Carter Jacobsen and Allison Parent

After a fun date night, our day began very early with a 6 a.m. swim. With the entire pool to ourselves, to begin, the team was able to avoid the typically obligatory sunscreen application session with the prospect of being out of the water before the sun rose. A recovery day of drills and kick was capped off with an impressive win for the white team by non other than captain Logan Briggs on the men's side and on the women's side for the green team an equally impressive win from AnnClaire MacArt in the 300 free. It was clear Coach Jim started the day off well as he sang along to his favorite songs on the way back to the hotel.

We had a rushed breakfast in order to leave the hotel by 8 a.m. Some members of the team took this deadline lighter than others as Joby Bernstein said, "Jim would never leave without one of us," as he continued to eat at 8:07. What many expected to be a short ride to the marina turned out to be a 1.5 hour trek across the island. Many members slept throughout the drive while others proclaimed their love for Gossip Girl and New Girl.

After making it past chain-link security gates and a remote airport the team made it to the marina. Everyone boarded two boats, one larger one for the athletes and one smaller one for just the coaches. A thirty minute ride to an island off the coast ended up to be quite a soaking ride for members Carter Jacobsen, Henry Patrick, and Delaney Hall. The boats were anchored just off the beautiful island and activities commenced for the next few hours.

Many swimmers went snorkeling at a reef just a few minutes down the coast and saw what Iain 'future marine biologist' Edmundson describes as, "obvious signs of habitat degradation were present highlighted by a lack of schooling fish." Other members used the standup paddle boards throughout the day such as Misha Tovmashenko. Both coaches Blaire and Jim spent the day under a palm tree on the beach clearly working on tans to impress their fellow employees back in Hanover.

The trip back to the hotel was uneventful as swimmers had their eyes focused on thorough showers. The team went their separate ways for dinner with the seniors having their annual senior dinner with the coaches. Everyone went to bed early in preparation for another early 6 a.m. practice.

December 15 - Date Night
by freshman Delaney Hall

Day Eight began with a morning practice that, to our horror, began at 6:30 a.m., rather than 7:00 a.m.. However, at least we were not the group that was already in the water when we arrived at the pool. We got to it right away with a freestyle set focused on fast 200s and 100s.

At the end of the set, however, havoc was wreaked when the swim team from Kalamazoo College in Michigan invaded our valuable lane space, meaning that only four swimmers – two each from the Green and White teams- could compete in each event for the intra-squad competition. Captain Logan Briggs proposed a solution that resolved the issue: running multiple heats of each event to fit all of the swimmers. In the confusion that ensued, Misha Tovmashenko exclaimed, “Wait, wait! I have no idea what's going on!”

The practice was followed by a breakfast buffet at the Embassy Suites, which proved to be a significant upgrade from the offerings at our previous hotel, which included a large vessel of cornstarch, eggs, ham, and a bowl of ice. We enjoyed to-order eggs, French toast, and other tasty treats.

The women's team then assembled in the lobby to draw names for the team's annual date night, which was to take place after afternoon practice. Many men's teamers could not handle the anxiety of waiting for their names to be drawn, and retreated to their rooms where they either waited on their phones for the results, or went to sleep.

In the lengthy gap between practices, swimmers ate lunch, shopped for secret Santa items, napped, and went to the hotel pool to “catch some rays.” The sunburn that was previously acquired by Henry Patrick had transformed into an alarming amount of peeling skin. While some teammates used words such as “repulsive,” “gross,” and “Voldemort, when he dies” to describe his burnt flesh, Emily Holt described Henry as “a radiant angel who never looks anything less than extraordinary.”

Some of us even tried our luck at the hotel's casino. After winning no more than $4 dollars on the slot machines, one '19 in particular reported, “I don't have a gambling problem; I have a winning problem,” after being dragged out of the casino by concerned teammates following an hour long “streak.”

We were joined by the Kalamazoo swim team for afternoon practice, which consisted of several fast 50s. It was a lot of fun meeting and socializing with the swimmers. Some DCSD members even recognized Kalamazoo athletes as previous opponents.

After warm down, the team dispersed for date night. Some pairs chose the more intimate option of eating by themselves, such as Jack Cardwell and Molly Brickman, while others grouped up and ate in packs. Logan and Olivia drove vans into Old San Juan where we ate at a restaurant called “Fatty's.” The dinner was quite an experience, starting when the lone waiter informed us that the establishment had run out of water. We prevailed, and quickly made our way back to the hotel.

After dinner, the group of sleepy young men and women marched to their rooms where they exchanged stories about their respective evenings, and then prepared for bed. At press time, several roommates were happily setting alarms for 5:20 a.m. in order to make a 6:00 practice tomorrow morning.

December 13 - HoJo No Mo'
by freshmen Grace Herron and Iain Edmundson

Per usual, our day began with our alarm clocks waking us up for 7 a.m. practice. But as the team made their way out to the lobby, there was a glimmer of hope; today marked our last day in Ponce. Alas, we were finally returning to San Juan, where we began our trip.

Before we could leave for San Juan, we had one more morning practice at Catolica University. The team swam together in a combined workout. It seemed to be going well until we got to the main set: 24x150's freestyle. There were three different intervals and the coaches challenged us to make the fastest one we could. Despite being worn down and sunburnt, the team stuck it out and finished all 3600 meters in 53 minutes. Delaney Hall remained positive, exclaiming “At least we got in 53 minutes of tanning!” With aching muscles and grumbling stomachs, we headed back for one final breakfast and nap time at the HoJo.

Most vans left Ponce around 12, leaving enough time to stop for lunch on the way to San Juan. Two vans headed out before noon. One went to Museo de Arte de Ponce, and the other went on another “Joby Expedition” to a swimming hole. It was a quick turn around at the Embassy Suites, with just enough time to drop off suitcases and head to afternoon practice.

Unfortunately, we were not able to lift at Sacred Heart University. We started swimming instead at 4 p.m.. After splitting up into our respective groups, all swimmers were thrilled to find out it was a much needed recovery practice. In stroke group, we even did strokes representing three different animals: dolphin dives, whale swim, and shark stroke. The swimmers that had Emily Holt's van were extremely thankful for the easy practice, considering they had just scarfed down Taco Bell minutes before practice.

After practice, we headed into San Juan for dinner at Bebo's. The team enjoyed trying traditional Puerto Rican food like “mofongo.” The vans returned to the hotel and the team had the night to themselves. Some sat by the beautiful outdoor pool and others went for ice cream.

Since there wasn't an intersquad meet today, our team (the White Team) had a brief strategy meeting at the hotel. To boost team spirit, Dorian Allen provided “flash tats” for everyone, which are sparkly temporary tattoos. After the meeting concluded, most swimmers headed back to their rooms to get a good night sleep before another day of double practices.

December 12 - Day Six
by freshmen Molly Brickman and Noah Stewart

Today began with an early morning swim practice with a 6:30 departure time. The guys and girls were split into groups for an IM and freestyle practice. It was fairly tough, especially considering our eventful day in the sun followed by practice yesterday.

After practice, we had another portion of our intra-squad meet, with the 4x100 IM relay, 100 breaststroke and 200 freestyle. The green team won today's meet, with a score of 61 to 32, bringing the total to 175 for green and 128 for white (Shout out to Joe Kind for his bonus spirit points).

Considering our busy and tiring day yesterday, the majority of the team spent the day in the hotel sleeping. Unlike other days with trips to the Ponce Art Museum and various beaches, everyone was in need of a rest day today.

We left the hotel at 3:30 for what we knew was going to be a tough practice because we had dryland from 4-5 and swimming from 5-7. The dryland was split by gender, Blaire with the guys and Eliot with the girls. The guys did an enormous amount of ab work, including a set called “300” in which we had to complete 300 reps of various sadistic activities (thanks Blaire) while the girls were forced to run by Eliot, presumably due to his unnatural love for running.

After the dryland session, we had a surprise intra-squad challenge in which 3 guys and 3 girls from both the green and white teams competed to see which team could complete more sit ups in 2 minutes. The tight race ended in a white team victory, 568 to 560. After all that, we swam for two hours in our primary groups.

Upon completing a successful practice, we ate at a buffet in Ponce, which was appropriate for our post-practice appetites. We all plan to rest up again tonight for a practice tomorrow morning and then our travel back to San Juan for the rest of training trip.

December 11 - Attack of the Sun
by freshmen Laura Barthold and Robert Purvis

Friday began with our first morning off. After four grueling days of double practices, the team was delighted to sleep in … until 7:30. This time however, we woke up to our blaring alarms with excitement – today was beach day!

The entire team travelled by boat to a nearby island called Isla Caja de Muertos (aka Coffin Island), which luckily did not live up to its name. At the island, a group of swimmers headed on an ambitious 45-minute hike up to a lighthouse, led by Joby Bernstein. This group somehow braved the elements to gain access to beautiful views of the entire island. Also, this group discovered a series of caverns on the way back from the lighthouse. They welcomed these as a break from the heat and sun. Joby refused to comment.

However, the majority of the team collapsed on the island's beach, which Jim declared “the nicest beach in Ponce.” Once we managed to squeeze onto the beach, the next six hours went without a hitch. Some swimmers perfectly staged candid photos against the scenic mountainside. Others, like Delaney Hall and Robby Purvis, teamed up for chicken fights in the water. All was going smoothly for them until they faced off against Grace Herron and Maddie Dunn, who somehow (by using questionable tactics, to say the least) were victorious. Men's teamers like James Thompson and James Verhagen, attempted (failed) to catch flying fish with stealthy, barehanded tactics. By 3 p.m., the team was red and exhausted from lying around, and the day's work had not even begun.

The team hurried back to the hotel and then to practice, barely arriving in time and struggling to pull their suits on over their bodies. We split up into our secondary groups, which was a welcome change for some, especially those who ended up in sprint group.

After a relatively normal practice, we split up for dinner, headed to various restaurants around Ponce. One group headed to a local Denny's, where captain Olivia Samson showed her maturity by ordering the Rudolph Pancake Breakfast and Santa's Milk & Cookies Shake. After a satisfactory dinner, the team headed back to the Hojo, where the entire team collectively collapsed for the night.

December 11 - Iguanas
by freshmen Megan Crook and Henry Patrick

Day four was yet another hot and humid day in beautiful Ponce, Puerto Rico. The vans departed at a bright 6:15 a.m. and swimmers were fully awakened with the usual pump-up music blaring through each van's speakers.

Unlike the other days, today's morning practice was divided by gender. At the end of a rigorous workout of dryland followed by intense swimming, we regrouped for day two of our intersquad competition. The Green team pulled ahead of the White team by gaining a whopping 70 points, totaling 114 points for Green and 94 for White. Today's events included the coveted 50 freestyle, the seemingly never-ending 200 backstroke, and the interesting 100 pull, in which two pull buoys were required—one between the legs and the other between the ankles (shoutout to Coach Eliot).

We headed back to the Hojo for a lovely breakfast buffet. Post-stuffing our faces, we began to split up for their daily explorations into the Puerto Rican wilderness. Several vans went to the beach at a local resort. "Foco" Joseph Kind recalls his experience; "I enjoyed the sun. Ya boy got tan."

Another group went to a National Reserve/Park where they swam in the ocean and played football in the sand. While there, one swimmer discovered a cave that was exposed by the lowered tide. "It reminded me of the bat cave minus the cool gadgets and batman," commented Joby Bernstein.

Yet another group, referred to as “squad” by junior Jack Long, decided to go to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, a local attraction considered one of the finest art museums in Puerto Rico. There, swimmers enjoyed coffee from a top Ponce café, received a student discount for having their Dartmouth IDs present, examined masterpieces, and took priceless squad photos. Some plan on returning for a second visit.

After our excursions, we headed out to afternoon practice at 4:30 p.m. We split into sprint, distance/mid-distance, and stroke groups once again. At the end of a tough workout for all groups, we were rewarded with dinner at a nearby Macaroni Grill and ice cream at a neighboring Cold Stone Creamery.

Post-dinner and dessert, satisfied swimmers returned to hotel Hojo. Day 5 of Hanukkah was celebrated outside with candles and the angelic voices of Joe and Joby (and a generous amount of bug spray) at 10:05 p.m.

Some tired swimmers retreated back to their rooms for some much-needed sleep; however, the night was not over for Emily Holt and her “Iguana van.” This crew of seven were lured back to the pool deck with Coach Jim's stories of iguanas that bathe in the pool at moonlight. After a van ride full of anticipation, the crew arrived at the Catolica University pool. Alas, the gate to the pool was locked but three iguanas were allegedly spotted through the wire fence. According to Caroline Filan, “there was one mac-daddy iguana that was at least feet feet long.” Dorian Allen recalls seeing the iguanas “just rollin around in there.” At 11:00 p.m. the adventurous crew returned to the hotel and rested.

It became quiet at midnight as swimmers prepared for their big beach day on Friday and their first morning off of training trip 2k15!

December 10 - Paradise
by freshmen Amber Zimmerman and Carter Jacobsen

Another day in paradise began when the alarms blared at 6:15 a.m. Some people had breakfast bars in preparation for practice, while others chose to wait until we returned to the hotel. The vans departed and thankfully we all arrived on time for practice.

We began practice with dryland exercises on the campus track. The 1.5 mile run was met with much enthusiasm, while the sit ups on the back scarring blue track added an interesting element to the workout. After our abdominals were thoroughly worked and our bodies were dripping with sweat, we welcomed a jump into the lukewarm pool. Practice went without a hitch and we ended with our Green and White team races. White leads after day one by a score of 49-43.

We returned to the hotel for post-practice nourishment. Everyone ate to their heart's content. After breakfast, the team split in many directions, choosing their own excitement for the day. Many chose the napping option including Tony Shen, who “did nothing and had a rejuvenating day” during which he “recovered from a hard morning practice in preparation for a difficult afternoon” so he could do well at Ivy League Championships.

Others made trips to the grocery store nearby for room snacks. Another popular option was attempting to find beaches. Blaire's van located a private beach resort and subsequently tailgated a random resort patron in order to gain access to the ocean. The group spend a wonderful afternoon “chilling on an awesome, private beach,” according to James Verhagen.

Several other teammates spent the day lounging at the hotel pool and reading sophisticated material (like Dorian Allen). Unfortunately, some individuals were suffering from excruciating ear pain, which warranted a trip to the nearby medical clinic. Carter Jacobsen, Delaney Hall, and Amber Zimmerman all received antibiotics for their respective ailments.

We all convened in the hotel lobby at 4:30 for a brief team meeting before afternoon practice. During this meeting, Jim shared the horrifying news that at night, the pool is visited by giant iguanas who like to bathe in the water.

During practice, we split into stroke, sprint, and mid distance groups. All practices were strenuous, effective workouts. Fortunately, the pool was less cloudy than the previous day, allowing for fewer lane line collisions. However, those swimmers who received rather painful sunburns, like Henry Patrick and Caroline Filan, did not have the most enjoyable evenings.

We drove from practice to the New York Buffet, at which we ate traditional New York Chinese food and pizza rolls. After dinner, we returned to the hotel where Hanukkah festivities and hair cuts occurred. Eliot received his first team mohawk, while others merely received touch-ups. After post-dinner lounging, most team members retreated to their rooms before 10 p.m. to rest up for a long 2.5 hour practice the following morning.

December 9 - Tragedy Strikes
by freshmen Delaney Hall and Melanya Zaraska

After waking up at 6:01, the team congregated in the hotel lobby where we rolled out in our seven minivans, of course playing pump up tunes on the way to the pool to boost our morale. We plunged into the 50 meter, 10 lane pool in the beautiful San Juan weather. I could feel myself getting tanner with each stroke.

We hit the water with a kick set, at which point most of us were reminded that it had been a while since we had trained long course. Then, after a long and grueling “zig zag” set, we rushed back to the hotel to catch breakfast, which closed at 9:00. Having woken up very early, the team retreated to their rooms, where they took a lengthy nap.

When we woke with a start to our alarms, we grouped ourselves in vans and began our journeys to Ponce for afternoon practice. The different vans had very unique experiences, but we all convened at a lighthouse that was recommended to the team by Joby Bernstein.

After snapping some cool photos, we set off for the pool, where 90% of the team got lost. Certain members of the team report an incident involving an extremely steep hill and smoking tires. Team members Carter Jacobsen and Robby Purvis confirm, “I am a changed man. My life flashed before my eyes when we started rolling backwards down the hill. All of the Puerto Ricans were laughing at us.”

Upon arrival at the pool, the water was a bit murky and Henry “Jimmy” Patrick reports, “I ate like, three bugs. It was gross.” Nevertheless, we completed our set and the team then split up into their vans to return to the hotel.

By the time Eliot's van had returned to the hotel, the dinner provided for us had run out because of a few team members who had eaten more than the allotted one plate of dinner, and in turn, certain swimmers had to make a journey to Subway. After dinner, Hanukkah festivities were carried out, and the team mentally prepared for practice the next morning.

December 8 - Just the Beginning
By freshmen Iain Edmundson and Allison Parent

Today we began our training trip with a lovely bright and early swim beginning at 7 am at Princeton. We had a quick hour and 15 minute set in which we quickly became accustomed to our new inter-squad teams. Green Team with Blaire and White Team with Eliot.

We then had a nice relaxing two hours to pack and get ready. During this time, we celebrated Katie Altmayer and Timo Vaimann's birthdays with some chocolate cake for breakfast. Then we were off on our relatively short bus ride to JFK...well, way shorter than the ride from Hanover to Princeton.

Upon arrival at the airport, we made it to our gate with ample time to spare during which people dispersed to curb their post-practice appetites. The airport wait was not only filled with "delicious" airport food but also snapchats chock-full of longing for the sun and sandy beaches of Puerto Rico. The members of DCSD were ready to leave the bitter cold temperatures of Princeton behind in exchange for the high 80's of San Juan.

The flight was uneventful, but the entire team definitely enjoyed the free TV and movies. Once we finally landed and baggage was reclaimed, the team stepped outside into the warm air of San Juan. Despite a lengthy wait for vans, and then essentially every driver not knowing where we were supposed to go, we eventually made it to an Olive Garden, seeing as the classic Ponderosa had been closed. The $15 limit was stringently upheld, minus a few fruity drink while unlimited breadsticks and salads definitely curbed appetites quickly as well.

To finish the night off, a birthday cake for Katie and Timo (again) and a team photo (plus a few Olive Garden employees) was a great way to end the night.

One day down, eleven to go.