HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: Friendships made in offseason

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By Clarice LeBlanc, Dubuque Hempstead senior

Friendships are made in the offseason

DUBUQUE - With Hempstead trailing by just two points before the last race at the city boys' swimming meet, the atmosphere was as heated as the temperature of the pool air.

As Senior's relay touched out Hempstead by a mere stroke, the crowd erupted. While the anchor swimmers pulled themselves out of the water, Hempstead freshman Chris Duehr and Senior sophomore John Colin collapsed into a celebratory hug on the deck.

'Our relationship with Senior is more like a brotherhood between two teams,' said senior Alec Rutkowski, Hempstead's captain.

While intercity rivalries remain strong through high school sports, the rivalry for swimmers differs. Many high school swimmers train year round by swimming on Dubuque's club team, the Dubuque Area Swimming Hurricanes, or DASH.

'DASH gives swimmers the opportunity to maintain and improve throughout the year,' said Doug Colin, head coach of DASH.While many believe that athletes are made in the offseason, DASH is a program that prepares swimmers for their high school programs.'It gets you ready for the hard work so you're not totally shocked,' Duehr said.

Swimming for DASH is a different kind of training than high school swimming.

'The training is based on preparing for multiple events, where in high school you only prepare for four events,' Coach Colin said.Although swimming for DASH has a more individual emphasis, it provides opportunities for swimmers from different high schools to get to know each other better.'There is no segregation by school,' Coach Colin said. 'They train in a lane with people of equal ability, so they get to know who they're swimming.'

During the high school season, Hempstead and Senior swimmers still train in the same pool. They are training for separate teams, however, rather than together.

'Being able to see the Senior swimmers at practice every day motivates you to train harder than they are,' Duehr said.

The demanding and rigorous training is put to test at the city swim meet, where DASH teammates compete for city titles.

'It's different because we're trying to score for our own teams instead of for the same team,' sophomore Megan Schill said.

After swimming three-fourths of the year with swimmers from the other team, they are knowledgeable about how to race each other.

'It's strategic because I know how to swim against them,' Rutkowski said.Competing against their offseason teammates makes the meet that much more competitive. The week prior to the boys' city meet, Duehr edged Senior's Ben Colin in the 200 freestyle. However, at city, Colin made a comeback.

'It shows that were both close," Duher said. "It makes me train that much harder to get ahead."

While the meet is competitive, the teams' underlying friendship prevents hostility.

'We're friends every day of the year except city,' Ben Colin said. 'It makes it less of an intense rivalry.'After coaching swimmers from Dubuque schools for up to nine months prior to their season, the city meet puts Coach Colin in a tough situation.'I hate it,' he said. 'I want to cheer for everyone, but I don't cheer for anyone, including my own children. I have to be politically correct and try to not over cheer for one team.'

Losing a city rivalry is much easier when you can be proud of the competitors, and at the same time be motivated to beat them in the next race.

'It's unique,' Coach Colin said. 'You don't see this with other cities. Our swimmers are very competitive with each other but as soon as the race is over it's back to the sense that we're DASH. There's no animosity.'

When the high school season is over, Dubuque swimmers push their schools to the back of their minds and focus on improving with others they have been swimming against.

'DASH brings together the whole swim community into one place and helps everyone get better together,' Rutkowski said.