<ve It In The Pool
Imagine you are in the best shape of your life. Do you think you could swim in relay for an entire hour? This Tuesday, November 10th at 4pm at the West Gym Pool, the members of the Carleton swim team will attempt to do just that at their annual swim event, the Ted Mullin Hour of Power. In light of this event, I interviewed Kelsey Sloan ’10, Hour of Power Program Director and contact for Merchandise, about the event and its importance to our community.
M.H.: Why did the swim team begin the Hour of Power relay?
K.S.: It was started as a fundraiser for sarcoma research after Ted Mullin, a swim captain and history major at Carleton, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma while at Carleton and then passed away early in the fall of 2006. It has always been a way for the swim team to show how much Ted meant to the team, Carleton, and the sport of swimming, and also to raise awareness about this form of cancer that strikes young people in our demographic more than anyone else.
M.H.: What is the spirit of the team at the event?
K.S.: We swim for an hour straight, as a relay (so one person per lane is in the water at a time), maintaining every lane of the pool on the same length while we all swim our hardest, as Ted did at every practice. We aim to “leave it in the pool” as Ted always did, while keeping the total team effort that made the team so important to him.
M.H.: Why is this event important to you? Do you have any personal connections?
K.S.: I met Ted while I was a prospy and he really made an impression on me as someone who was the nicest, funniest, and friendliest person I had ever meant. I could tell that he meant something really special to absolutely everyone who met him, including myself. As the only member of the current team to have ever met Ted, I think that it means something to me on that level.
M.H.: How do you think this event is affects the greater Carleton community?
K.S.: Ted was the ultimate Carl. Everyone who ever met him just couldn’t stop talking about how incredible he was, and that has affected everyone on the current team in one way or another. It’s an amazing honor to be able to participate in the event, but I think it’s really cool to watch, too. I hope that we get a lot of people at West Gym to cheer us onAnd all the money we raise is multiplied by 10, so give whatever you can and help us to pay tribute to an amazing captain, swimmer, and friend!
The swim team will also be tabling in Sayles on Tuesday, November 10th from about 10-2, in order to sell t-shirts. Stop by and give your support for this amazingly important cause.