Covediver's Underwater World

I have a friend, nicknamed “Con”, who has enlisted in the Marine Corps as a rifleman. He recently graduated from high school and will soon complete his first semester of college. The completion of his second semester will be delayed as his ship to boot camp date is this winter, about the time the days in Alaska seem to get perceptibly longer. Some of his friends have already gone to service, others no doubt will follow, most will not.

We have had a few discussions about his choice of service and duty during the last couple of years. I taught Con the rudiments of boxing as an off season activity to help keep him in condition for football. He learned well. In between drills and after sparring we had a number of wide-ranging conversations. A little more than a year ago, he mentioned that he was thinking of going into the military. What little advice I could give him was largely abstract and intellectual. I have never served in the Armed Forces, much to the surprise of many who knew me as youth who were sure I would go Air Force or into Naval Aviation after nearly a decade in the USAF’s civilian auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol. In the middle of a shooting war, people like me can’t begin to fathom what the ramification of that decision might be. Of late, I do seem to know several folks that have served in harm’s way, including a swimming coach just a few years younger than my half century. I did put Con in touch with a Marine I knew who had recently returned from his second tour in Iraq, but have never asked either the details of their conversation. Con told me he was enlisting as a rifleman. He figures if he is going to be a Marine, he is going to volunteer for the most emblematic assignment of what it means to be one.

Tonight I was at the health club where I have coached Con and others over the last few years. I ran into another high school student who has a passing familiarity with Con. He asked if I was still coaching. I mentioned that I was not, but that I did an occasional session with Con who is getting ready head out to boot camp soon. I was surprised at the kid’s reaction when he who shook his head and asked “why would he want to do something like that?” Now after my conversations with Con, I have a pretty good idea. My response to the question was that “because he wants to” and then paraphrased BD’s response from the accompanying Doonesbury cartoon which seems to say it all…"Look, we all make our choices...those of us who choose to serve don't demand that you share in our sense of duty...however, we do ask that you respect it--and respect the sacrifices we're willing to make for our country!"

Every so often I am privileged to witness an event that is so inspiring as to be worthy of notice. Let me share my most recent experience with you.

I served as timer for an age group (kids 8 to 19 years old) swim meet a short time ago. As a timer, I was one of two people per lane to use a stop watch to back up the automatic Colorado timing device that starts when the gun goes off signaling the start and ends when the swimmer touches the submerged pad at the end of the race. With up to 16 lanes in use (two pools, side by side, eight lanes each) many timers are needed. I volunteered to work the two-day event out of a sense of obligation. The swim club that hosts the Masters meets that I so enjoy competing in needed help with the age group meet. So when our Masters swim team coach asked for volunteers, I said “sure”.

Now if you have never been to an age-group swim meet, it is akin to organized anarchy bordering on pandemonium. Imagine a structured pool party and races with your 10-year-old and 100 of his or her closest friends. These kids need to be organized into events and heats. They must show up at the right lane at the right time to swim the right event. They must swim their race in accordance with a rule book that makes military rules of engagement look simple by comparison. Coaches use Sharpies to mark the event, heat, and lane number on the arm of each competitor. It is then up to the kid to be in the right place at the right time. Most kids swim multiple events, so they have what looks like a train timetable imprinted on their forearms.

Think busy flight schedule out of O’Hare airport without air traffic control and you begin to comprehend the logistics of putting on a meet.

Besides the kids who compete, the heroes of this affair are the officials. I have been an official for amateur boxing and collegiate track and field. Let me tell you, I had it easy compared to the USA Swimming officials at an age group swim meet.

Of all the great accomplishments that I witnessed, one in particular stands out. An eleven-year-old girl is swimming a 100-yard individual medley. For the uninitiated, that is 25 yards, each, of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. The slightest transgression of the rules regarding stroke execution, transition from one stroke to another, or at the turns will end up in the individual swimmer being DQ’ed (disqualified).

Just before she mounts the platform to start the race, the girl’s swim goggle strap breaks. Faced with this situation, she accepts a quite different pair of goggles offered by a team mate. She puts them on without adjustment and stages on the platform. The horn sounds and she launches off the blocks. As soon as she hits the water, the goggles flood. From experience, I can tell you that swimming with flooded goggles is worse than swimming with no goggles at all. See meanders between the lane lines unable to see or maintain a straight heading. It is like she swims by feel. Still, with some difficulty, she finishes the event. She swims all the strokes nearly flawlessly, but because of the goggle difficulty she has problems with the transitions. As a result, the officials reluctantly disqualify her and explain why. She stoically accepts the outcome with protest, excuse, or tears. She returns a few events later with an adjusted pair of goggles to swim her next race.

Faced with her tribulations, I know many adults who would not react with the same dignity shown by this child. What this tells me is that as I age, I don’t need to be concerned about what happens in the future. With kids like this girl, everything will be just fine.