Though he is contractually obligated to remain discreet on the details, head swimming and diving coach Jim Halliburton possesses knowledge of some exciting news: over winter break, one of his athletes won money on the “The Price is Right.”
This was just one of the many adventures from what was an action-packed winter break for the swimming and diving team.
From Jan. 2-8, the swim team embarked on its annual winter training camp week, which this year located in San Diego. But despite sunny weather, optimum proximity to the beach and a trip to the set of “The Price is Right,” not all was fun and games for the swimmers.
They had something more important to worry about, which necessitated at least five hours of training a day, according to Halliburton. The Atlantic-10 Championships, to be held Feb. 18-21, is now the sole focus for the remainder of the season.
“It was fun, but it was not a vacation. There’s a lot of things to do in San Diego but you are too busy training,” sophomore Michael Dahle said.
Here is a rough itinerary of the average day for Saint Louis University’s swimmers in San Diego:
7-8 a.m.: Unless they chose to wake up at sunrise to go surfing, which many swimmers did, the first item on the schedule was dry land training, an aspect that has been crucial to the swimmers’ success this year. Trainer Mike Lane was in charge of the dry land training, and his techniques were unique as ever. It wasn’t unusual for San Diegans to observe the team jogging to a local playground and proceeding to do pull-ups on the monkey bars.
“People at the hotel were wondering what we were doing, carrying each other on the beach at 7 in the morning,” Halliburton said.
Normally, swimmers devote three days per week to weights and dry land training, but the surplus of available time in San Diego allowed time for daily commitment.
“Mike was killing us,” Halliburton said.
8:30-10:30 a.m.: The first of a pair of two-hour training sessions in an Olympic size outdoor pool followed. The 50-meter pool presented a nascent difficulty in training for the swimmers because the added length of the pool diminishes the number of flip turns and, subsequently, more strokes are required.
One particular swimmer who excelled during these brutal workouts was senior Justin Breithaupt.
“He had probably the best training camp of any swimmer I’ve ever had at SLU,” Halliburton said.
Lunchtime: The swimmers were thankful for their lunch break, which provided for them the opportunity to explore San Diego and try out new restaurants. If they so wished, the swimmers could spend some time hanging out on the beach.
4-6 p.m.: The second pool training session culminated a tiresome day for the swimmers. Overall, a greater amount of volume and distance was expected throughout the training camp.
“It was a lot harder than normal, because we didn’t have school or anything,” Dahle said.
Historically, the swim team travels to an exotic locale for their training week. In past seasons, they have gone to Phoenix, Fort Myers, Fla., and Orlando, Fla.
“I think that gets boring, going to the same place,” Halliburton said.
The swimmers followed their intense training with a strong effort in Brookings, S.D. in a duel with South Dakota State. It was a stark change in scenery for the swim team, but Halliburton was pleased with their effort, despite fatigue from the recent training.
Breithaupt in particular turned in a noteworthy performance, individually winning five events in the two days. Dahle, freshman Billy Hrabovsky, sophomore Stephen Sheridan and seniors Adam Trafton and Kevin Parker also won multiple events for the Billikens.
For the women, sophomore Jordan Hagar, freshmen Katie Kolster and Hannah Tautz, and junior Lindsey Tamkun also won multiple events.
Three meets remain before the A-10 Championships in Buffallo, N.Y. The Billikens next take on Illinois Institute of Technology, Lincoln College and Lindenwood at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Coincidentally, the aforementioned episode of “The Price is Right” is scheduled to air on Feb. 19., during the A-10 Championships.
