Mark cried at swim camp

Mark gives a lot of speeches. It is part of his job. It is so funny to me when people ask, "So, he just swims for a living?" No. He swims, yes, but he also hosts clinics, gives speeches, and makes appearances.

One of Mark's favorite "jobs" is talking to the Auburn Swim Camp each summer. We love Auburn (see picture below for proof). So, Mark is more than thrilled to speak to young swimmers that travel from far and wide to participate in Auburn Swim Camp. One night during swim camp, the campers gather in the big auditorium and Mark tells them stories about the day he decided that he was going to become an Olympian (this is my favorite story, have you heard it? Someday, I'll ask him to tell you), about how his coach pushed him to a best time with Van Halen tickets, and how all he used to want was to get on TV. The kids love it. They ask a lot of questions which often make Mark laugh.

Last night Mark told me that he cried at swim camp.

I guess I should tell you that Mark, generally speaking, is a crier to begin with. He is an emotional guy. He cries when he is happy (this wedding season has been rough for him) and when he is sad. He even told me that last night one of the kids asked if he had ever cried at practice. Mark's response? "Yes. I've also said a lot of bad words. But, in both situations I made sure I was under water." He even told the kids that after any practice, even those in which your coach makes you cry, to thank your coach for making you better. Ha!

Why did Mark cry at swim camp last night? He was retelling the story of the 2004 Auburn University 200 medley relay at NCAA's. It was Mark's senior year (and mine, too). The AU relay consisted of Mark, Doug Van Wie, Derek Gibb, and Fred Bousquet. They were swimming against the Texas relay (others were in the race, but no one else seemed to matter) which consisted of Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Ian Crocker--they were pretty much the All-star team. Long story short, and against all odds, Auburn won.

When Mark retells this story he emphasizes the determination of the underdog. He talks about the power of a collective effort. He highlights the importance of belief in yourself even when the odds are against you. Makes me want to cry just telling you about how he cried as retold the epic story. I have often heard him tell people that that moment, that relay, that race, and those guys made up one of the best moments of his life.

I did not attend Mark's speech last night, but I wish I were a fly on the wall. I wish I could have seen those campers faces when Might Mark started boo-hooing as he spoke of the relay. My guess is that first they were uncomfortable. But then, I would almost put money on it, I bet those kids walked away from Mark's session with a different attitude, a different perspective, and a different commitment to the sport of swimming, to their coaches, to their teammates, and to themselves. I'm confident that each and every one of those campers are hoping that someday they'll have a swimming moment that brings them to tears.

And... we're back

We (I) am finally back from our long vacation. Sounds glamorous doesn't it. Well, when I say vacation, I really just mean a state of mental nothingness. Nothing to blog about. Nothing really to say--those of you who know me probably find this hard to imagine. You're right. I have a lot to say, but none of it really pertained to our everyday Olympian, so I spared you the boring inner monologue of this everyday Olympic swim wife/PhD student/mom/fan of the #1 football team in the country.

That last tidbit is the focus of this post. Auburn (our Alma Mater and the school that I currently attend--our house is roughly .5 miles from campus!) won the BCS Football National Championship this week. It was glorious.


Before the game even began I found myself a little weepy. My dear friend and fellow Olympic swim wife, Heather, posted this link on her Facebook page. I clicked on it, started reading, and immediately started to get choked up. Why are people motivated to win? Who do they want to win for?

Sometimes I worry that Annabelle and I put pressure on our everyday Olympian. In 2009 I think the pressure was at an all time high. In 2009 we decided to move from Charlotte, NC back to Auburn. Mark was going to be leaving David Marsh (Mark had swam under David for almost a decade!), I was going to be quitting my job, and I was 5 months pregnant. We were living in constant change. Everything was changing--coaches, training style, homes and financial position (I was leaving my job to go back to school). We were stressed. Mark had a lot to prove that summer (mostly to himself). At nationals, as usual, Mark had to swim to a 1st or 2nd place finish to keep his paycheck and to qualify for the World Championships.

Mark swam into a 3rd place position in prelims. As you can imagine, I was nervous the entire afternoon until the finals session. Sick to my stomach, actually (this could have been the stress or the pregnancy--still not sure).

Mark walked out with the rest of the field before finals. He looked calm. His face was still. He looked different than usual. It was then that I realized he was swimming for me. He was swimming for our baby.

Now, I'm not saying that we are in the forefront of his thoughts before every race. But, in that moment, we were.

The end of the story goes something like this... Win. American Record. Fist pump. Crying. The end.

So, to return to my original intention for this post--Auburn won. When we did it (Win, that is), I looked to Mark and said, "Do you remember winning?"

Mark and I were both a part of National Championship teams in college.

After brief discussion, we determined that our new perspective of those wins is probably different than it was at the time. It has only been recently that we truly understand the beauty of an National Championship. It was perfection and we didn't quite realize it. I can't wait until those guys in pads and football jerseys realize the beauty of what they accomplished. It will hit them, like it has hit us, and they will remember it as perfection, too.

What do they say, "Youth is wasted on the young...." well, so are National Championships. What I would give to get to relive that moment. So, in an attempt to relive the glory days, here are a few pics.

For those of you uninterested in this trip down memory lane, don't worry. I'll return with our regularly scheduled programming of swimming info, professional athlete anecdotes, and other real life trials and tribulations of our everyday Olympian and his family soon (I promise). Until then... join me on this blast from the past.

Dropping our National Championship banners; 2003

Auburn Men celebrating at Toomer's Corner after NCAA's 2003

Auburn Women on the football field to receive National Championship rings; 2004

Mark claims that this is his favorite swimming memory.

Me with my diving coach, Jeff, at NCAA's; 2004

Singing the fight song after winning SEC's; 2004

Mark and I at our senior banquet (aren't we cute?); Auburn 2004