Event # 12 Underwater Distance Swim

Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of this event so I stole some appropriate ones off the internet.

With the weather forecast showing that it was going to be cold on the weekend, Nathaniel Janzen decided not to risk it and performed the underwater swim early the Thursday before the event. Uncharacteristically, Spazzz was also not going to make it to Sunday swim and therefore also competed early.

Nathaniel could frequently be heard toting that he planned on winning the underwater distance swim competition and in doing so, make his pool domination 4 for 4 (Aquathon, Team Relay, Swim Set, Distance Swim). A bold statement but could he back it up?

As Nathaniel and Lauren prepared for their attempt, the rest of the team continued swimming the set where Vincent Lavallee proved that he is more than just general good looks, but that he also has a sense of humor as he splashed Nathaniel on every flip turn he had the chance.

With that Lauren went first. Having never made it past the red line (halfway) in the pool she wanted to go further. With sheer determination she made it to the black line! 36 meters down the pool. Definitely a decent attempt to maintain her overall lead.

Next up was Nathaniel. Many swimmers stopped their set to spectate. Nathaniel had been practicing breathing techniques in class all week, and as a Human Kinetics major, knows a thing or two about the body (one would hope). He pushed off and was very slow going, looking very relaxed. As he reached the middle red line then the black line he passed Lauren and looked calm and relaxed, no signs of pain. Although he had been underwater nearly 40 seconds now, he showed no signs of weakness. Rumors had it he had planned on reaching the wall and giving one solid push and popping up. Well as he reached the wall he just kept on going. Eventually (and after Vincent took 4-5 breath to watch underwater), he surfaced at the red line near the lifeguard chair for an astounding 72 meters!

Upon completion Nathaniel was heard yelling:

"Now I am the ruler of all the ocean! The waves obey my every whim!"

Sure it was strange that he was quoting Ursula from The Little Mermaid, but he had just spent 90-100 seconds underwater, so we'll cut him some slack.

Sorry Lauren, no one was impressed with you anymore. Surely this will be the distance to beat on Sunday.

Sure enough as Sunday came around, people already had their doubts. All eyes were on Derek Westra-Luney and Matt Reeve. Derek because of his superior swimming skills, and Matt because his pride usually carries him to exceptional performances. Would his pride carry him through to the Victory?

Vincent Lavallee went first, with the goal only to beat Lauren he reached the black line, gave one strong pull and surfaced around 38-40 meters. Not bad he shrugged.

Rachel Schoeler had gone alongside Vincent finishing right around 41 meters. Now the current leader in the women's field.

Matt Reeve and Derek both went side by side, and impressively made it to the wall, however, neither decided to push off again for the added distance bonus. Surely Nathaniel's record would stand.

Now the interesting competition started. In the women's overall, Victoria Gilbert was 4 points back from Lauren. By beating her by 1 spot she would regain 3 points, but not the overall. She needed to beat Lauren by 2 positions, gaining 6 points in the process and the overall title. Unfortunately the gap between Lauren and Rachel (who was currently in first) wasn't just kids play.

Victoria pushed off, appearing to struggle a little bit, but with sheer determination managed to pull her way along. When she finally surfaced, the overall title was still unknown. Measurements were needed. In conclusion, it was decided that Victoria beat Lauren by merely a foot. In doing so was only able to capture second place on the day, but more importantly only 3 points from Lauren, allowing Lauren, our Spastic friend to retain the overall lead in the final competition for the Vincent Lavallee Cup!

Full Results (not exactly reliable for most):

Nathaniel	72
Matt	50
Derek	50
Rachel	45
Andrew	41
Vince	40
Victoria	37
Lauren	36
Scott	31
Winston	30
Claire	30
Kelsey	28
Derrick	25
Celeste	25