Calling all Gustie sports fans—grab your pom poms and foam fingers and be sure to head over to the Gustavus Swim Team’s annual Alumni/Intersquad Pentathlon this Saturday, October 1st! A lively swimming tradition, the Alumni Meet marks the beginning of GAC swim season and what’s sure to be an epic year for both our men’s and women’s swim teams.
Kate Reilly, a junior Athletic Training major and third-year member of the Gustavus Women’s Swim Team, describes the alumni meet as a fun, old-team atmosphere. “The meet is a really fun get-together,” Kate noted. “We invite all of the alumni back to swim against us. It’s more just for fun and socializing—we don’t really care about times or place and we don’t keep track of scores.”
Besides just reuniting new and old Gustavus swimmers, the Alumni Meet also offers a chance for first-year swim team members to get adjusted to the college swimming environment prior to attending a real competitive meet. It’s the first meet that upperclassman Gusties get to experience with their new team members, which provides a great atmosphere for them to get to know each other athletically as well as personally. The pressure for competition is off, while the excitement of a cheering crowd remains.
When asked about her experience with the alumni meet, Kate laughed. “Freshman year, I was really overwhelmed,” she reminisced, “it was weird—I didn’t know if I was supposed to worry about how fast I was going but after my first event I realized that no one cared about that—it’s about socializing and getting to know our current teammates and those who swam before us.”
Kate said the environment at the meet always gets her pumped up—the support of her fellow swimmers, the joy of having the alumni back again, and the fun nature of friendly competition are just a few of the great aspects of the alumni meet.
This year’s meet is expected to be just as exciting and energetic as those before. Be sure to go watch Kate and the rest of the Gustavus Men’s and Women’s Swim Teams race against Gustie alumni on Saturday, October 1st at 10 a.m. in the Lund Aquatic Center.
Beat ‘em, bust ‘em, that’s our custom! Gusties will shine!