Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Swimming Journal - Eric Sokolosky
10/23/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Oct. 23, 2008
It's amazing how fast time can fly when you're busy. Two months have already passed since I left Connecticut and came to Lewisburg, Pa., to begin my freshman year at Bucknell. Anyone can tell you details about living the "college life," but it is another thing entirely to experience it for yourself. I had always expected that practicing and competing at the Division I level would be a challenging task, and in my first week on campus I learned many of my responsibilities through the NCAA Compliance meeting. I can now recite my social security number forwards and backwards and know exactly how many times I can sign my name before my hand starts to cramp. My teammates, especially the upperclassmen, have made the adjusting phase as smooth as I could have hoped for.
We began our training right away once school started. Having swum competitively during the summer, I was only a few weeks removed from the water and felt I was in decent shape. I was not, however, accustomed to such a high level of intensity both in and out of the water. Doubles and lifting hit hard, and getting up at 5:30 three times a week takes a great deal of motivation. This process became easier as I felt myself getting stronger and swimming well in the afternoon sets. As a team, we began to define our goals for the season and individually we started to specialize during practices as competition drew closer.
Traveling to UMBC for my first college meet was a new and interesting experience. I had a few more butterflies than I thought I would, but was able to control this nervousness and perform fairly well. I now realize how lucky we are to be able to swim every day in such an amazing facility; Baltimore was nothing like the comforts of our home pool.
With the excitement of our first home meet against Boston College approaching, class work is picking up steam and the balancing act is becoming more difficult. This all part of the challenge though, and I know I'll continue to work hard to succeed.
With dual meet season just around the corner, any swimmer will tell you this is what we live for! I am ready to compete!
- Eric Sokolosky '12
