Men's Swimming | 1/13/2015 11:42:00 AM

Wingate, N.C.----The nationally-ranked Wingate University swimming teams completed their Florida training trip Sunday. Wingate seniors Jasmine Arzadon (Lorton, Va.) and Sam Knapp (Madison, Ala.) share thoughts from the last portion of the trip…
 
Jasmine Arzadon
 
The last couple of days in Florida were well spent as we experienced several fun-filled team competitions. One of the activities our coaches had planned for us was a lip-syncing contest. We let loose and chose songs that highlighted events that had happened over the trip so far. Some teams nailed their songs with excellent song selections and great dance moves, while others fell a little short of the mark. Needless to say, we shared a lot of laughs from the contest.
 
After postponing the anticipated Dry-Land Olympics for several days, we finally held the games on a chilly, but sunny Saturday morning. We were all fatigued and sore, not entirely sure where we would summon the strength to compete in the games. We all turned things around when we learned about the game's ultimate prize: a $10 Chipotle gift card. The games included four individual events: pull-ups, push-ups, long jump and a 100-meter run…and four team events: 800-meter run, wheel barrel race, leap frog race and a 4x100-meter relay. The games brought out the best in us, allowing us to cheer on our teammates as we fought hard for those Chipotle gift cards. It's crazy what free food can do to motivate a swimmer. In the end it was the 7 Fishes team who won the championship.
 
The last time Wingate's swim team was in Florida, I was a freshman. Now as a senior, I enjoyed watching my team share in the same experiences I had when I was there for the first time. This 10-day trip was long, tiresome and pushed us to our physical and mental limits, but we got each other through it. Along the way, we made new memories, strengthened friendships and certainly the bond of this team. With Bluegrass Mountain Conference only a month away, this team will continue to work hard to defend our titles.
 
Sam Knapp

Sunday was a very bittersweet day. Leaving the Florida sunshine for the cold and rain of North Carolina definitely wasn't fun, but at the same time we had finally finished the hardest training of our season and we needed a rest. As one could guess, the ride back was pretty uneventful, but the real highlight of the last few days (of training trip) happened on Saturday when we had the Dry-Land Olympics.

We split into five teams of eight and competed against each other in eight different events for the title of Wingate Swimming Dry-Land Olympics Champions. Even though we were all exhausted from the grueling training we did and from the 6000+ meters we had just swam, the two hours before we were all excited and ready to get to competing. Running, long jump, pull-ups, push-ups and a number of team relays were hard fought while we tried to determine a champion. Sweat, blood and tears were spilled on the track and turf at Lake Brantley High School because the winning team got gift cards to Chipotle. The whole team was giving it their all, some maybe even more than they had the past couple weeks in the pool!

Even though my team somehow got second, it was one of the most exciting things we did during our time in Florida. After getting Saturday afternoon off from training (which was definitely needed after our four-hour marathon in the morning), we were back with our team to have a scavenger hunt. From having to take a picture with a live reptile to finding a green M&M, it was quite a challenge and had us running around the hotel for the better part of an hour trying to find everything on our list.

For some it was a "tanning trip," for others it was a training trip (especially our distance group), but overall it was a great 10 days in Orlando with my teammates. Of course, any training trip blog covering the last days wouldn't be complete without mentioning the game that has taken WU Swim by storm in our off time down in Florida…Trivia Crack. While our assistant coaches might not be good at it, Coach Sanocki answered almost every question right. Florida was awesome, but it is nice to be back at school.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 10th "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,000 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past eight years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 72 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 72 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 81 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.