Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Swimming and Diving Blog - Anna Griest
10/30/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Oct. 30, 2009
Walking down to Kinney Natatorium on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, I had no clue what to expect. I was about to brave my first official “scored” meet as a Bucknell Bison, and I was not ready to let my team down. As soon as I walked on deck, there was laughter and excitement from all of my teammates. Everybody getting each other ready to get up and go. I have never been a member of a team where everybody cares so much about each other, and instead of being nervous I realized that I had 51 other people that were ready to support and cheer for me throughout all of my races.
Once warm-ups were over and the meet was about to start, I noticed the bleaches starting to fill up with a sea of blue and orange. Not only were parents there, but also friends from classes and dorms, teachers, other athletes and most importantly swimming alumni that made it down for Homecoming. I had never experienced so much school spirit and was proud to represent my team. Right off the bat the girls performed amazingly, winning the first relay. Then came the 1, 2, 3 sweep for Bucknell Distance, showing George Mason that we had come to fight. The meet continued on this path; all the girls stepping up and racing hard, not letting any points go by without a struggle.
While Bison Swimming was making a statement in the pool, but also our dive team was competing extremely well with our dive captain, Allison FitzPatrick, coming out with a best score. I had so much pride whenever I looked up at the scoreboard and saw that both the ladies and the men continued a steady lead throughout the meet. One of my favorite parts of the whole day was the excitement and joy that the swimming alums expressed. It showed me that even when I leave this amazing place in four years I will still love Bucknell and want to come back and cheer on the next generation. I was finally able to justify the long FRIM practices and waking up at 5:30 in the morning. I wasn't doing it for me anymore but for all my teammates and all the Bison who have come before me. I am so excited for my next three and a half years, knowing that they can only get better from here!
