2008 Woodie Awards
Chlorine and Class
Kyle West
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Sports
Swimming is a tough sport, arguably more physically and mentally demanding than others. For every one yard swam, a runner would need to run three just to equal the amount of energy burned. To put that into perspective, the 50-yard freestyle is the standard sprint in swimming and a fast time for women is only around 25 seconds. To burn an equal amount of energy, a runner would have to sprint 150 yards in the same amount of time.
The toughest part of swimming isn't the actual swimming, but rather it's fighting your mind's endless cries of pain and exhaustion. With such a combination of hardship, it's no wonder that the women who swim at Guilford aren't only exceptional athletes, but exceptional students as well. Take for example the team's captain, senior Genevieve Holmes.
As a double major in both Music and English, she's lettered for three years, been on the Student-Athlete Honor Roll three years, been an editor for the Guilfordian, and studied abroad. Despite her academic workload, Holmes manages to swim the 50-yard freestyle in 26.77 seconds, ranking her eleventh in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) for the 50-yard freestyle.
Putting that into perspective, the top time for the 50-yard freestyle is 25.45, held by Julianne Miata of Washington & Lee. Only one other woman swam the 50-yard freestyle under 26 seconds, according to the ODAC website. Holmes, who also swam in high school, has been trying to get her time down to 25 seconds for the past six years and hopes to finally break that barrier at this year's championships.
The team shares Holmes' dedication toward both academics and athletics, as evidenced by sophomore Justine Merritt.
In her first year at Guilford, Merritt, a Mathematics and Music double major, set five school records. She has proven her versatility and speed as a swimmer, having broken the previous records in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle, the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard Individual Medley relay (IM), and the 100-yard backstroke.
The toughest part of swimming isn't the actual swimming, but rather it's fighting your mind's endless cries of pain and exhaustion. With such a combination of hardship, it's no wonder that the women who swim at Guilford aren't only exceptional athletes, but exceptional students as well. Take for example the team's captain, senior Genevieve Holmes.
As a double major in both Music and English, she's lettered for three years, been on the Student-Athlete Honor Roll three years, been an editor for the Guilfordian, and studied abroad. Despite her academic workload, Holmes manages to swim the 50-yard freestyle in 26.77 seconds, ranking her eleventh in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) for the 50-yard freestyle.
Putting that into perspective, the top time for the 50-yard freestyle is 25.45, held by Julianne Miata of Washington & Lee. Only one other woman swam the 50-yard freestyle under 26 seconds, according to the ODAC website. Holmes, who also swam in high school, has been trying to get her time down to 25 seconds for the past six years and hopes to finally break that barrier at this year's championships.
The team shares Holmes' dedication toward both academics and athletics, as evidenced by sophomore Justine Merritt.
In her first year at Guilford, Merritt, a Mathematics and Music double major, set five school records. She has proven her versatility and speed as a swimmer, having broken the previous records in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle, the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard Individual Medley relay (IM), and the 100-yard backstroke.
Be the first to comment on this story