Vulcanizing Alaska

When we left this morning at 7:00am to head to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to get in a morning swim the cars were frosted and it was bitter cold. The University is located about 8minutes from our hotel. The girls were anxious to get to the pool and check out the University. It is a small campus, very similar to Cal since there is lots of construction going on here too. Unlike Cal, there was lots of parking available. The interesting thing was that the cars here have an electrical plug coming out of the grill and each parking spot had a unit that is used to jump start the battery. This is the norm in Alaska because when the temperatures drop very low the battery in a car will not start, therefore they have this feature available. The recreation facility at the University is very nice and also has an ice arena for the hockey team. The swimming pool is 25 yards with 6 lanes, your typical competition pool. The facility has a whole is small and the stands are enclosed in glass. The team got their suits on and stretched before getting into the pool. They began with a long straight twenty minute swim to get their muscles lose. They continued with a basic pre-meet practice until they felt comfortable with the pool.

After the morning workout the team stopped at the University's bookstore to browse and shop. The bookstore sold mostly winter apparel for obvious reasons. Some of the girls bought Alaska Swimming t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts. Parents should be anxious because some of the girls bought items for their parents also.

Following the bookstore we stopped at a small diner to eat which was called The Cookie Jar. What was really cool about this was that Guy Fieri, Food Network Star, visited this restaurant as a feature on his television show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (Triple D) which is shown on the Food Network. He left his autograph and date on the wall and a photograph of him autographed was also featured in a picture frame. We thought if Guy Fieri was there then the food had to be the best and it was! The food was remarkable and the team was stuffed and ready for a nap.
We are now at the hotel and the girls are resting up for the competition tonight. Everyone is excited and ready to get the season started! It looks like the competition will be a tight one, but Coach Ed Denny is confident in the team. Coach Denny "It is the first meet of the season and with that it is a meet to see where we are at in our training. Go out there and have fun with it." Assistant Coach Jessica Siegele also comment "I am eager to see the team swim tonight. As a new coach here at California University of PA I am excited to see how our hard work this fall pays off. The girls have been working hard each and every day leading up to this trip and I am certain they will swim well." Coach Denny and Coach Siegele are confident in the team and are excited to see them compete for the first time this season. Captain Ellie Imhof, sophomore at Cal U, says "I am excited to be in a new environment and for the season to begin. We have been training very hard and I am anxious to see it pay off." Sophomore Melissa Gates says "I am excited to see how everyone does in the first meet. This is a great opportunity for us to see where we are at as a team and I think the best is yet to come."

Good Luck & Let's Go Vulcans!