Hi everyone, Che here. In perusing the previous entries on our blog this winter for ~inspiration (read: ideas to steal for myself), I noticed that a lot of what we’ve offered up has been our experiences away from (/coming back to) campus, and more importantly, away from Club Swim. Perhaps, dear reader, you’ve been pining for an inside look at what 18W has been like for club swim – the day to day grind in the pool; meetings in smoke-filled rooms planning for our next incredibly successful social event (come thru); how Kimmy, Michael and the rest of our heroic leadership team possibly manage to balance studies with keeping our crazy group afloat.

If so, you’ll have to wait until next week. I, too, have been away, on a study abroad in France.  It’s much warmer here than in Hanover – think single-digits Celsius in stead of Fahrenheit – but winter is winter, and the best part of my winter at Dartmouth has always been Club Swim. Braving freezing temps together to make the arduous trek from the pool to the Hop, trying desperately to warm up after the polar plunge,hosting our only home meet of the year – these are the things I miss from last year. And so the question arises: what to do in lieu of all these missed experiences?

The first order of business: find a burger. Nothing beats this classic repast for warming and filling the soul on a cold winter’s day. The French, though proud of their own cuisine, share my fondness for burgers, and as such I’ve had some luck on this front. My best experience was a lucky two-for-one; I was accidentally served the wrong (delicious) burger, and I was immediately supplied with a second, correct (delicious) burger for free. This might be something to try out at the Hop if you have the opportunity (order mix-ups happen, right?) –  but please be aware that neither Club Swim nor any of its members condone or encourage the intentional changing of an order for personal gain at any DDS, or any other, culinary establishment. For more on burgers, please look forward to my upcoming coverage of the Hop Burger Special in the spring – keep yourself well informed, and avoid the pitfalls of a pineapple salsa placed directly on the bottom bun!

The second order of business: swim! Sadly, there is nothing to report here. I’ll definitely get in the pool soon, though. Probably like tomorrow or the next day. Hmm, or maybe this weekend. Definitely this weekend though. Or maybe next week. Yeah, next weeks sounds good. We’ll see.

The third order of business: get back to campus. Spring term is fast approaching, and with it comes Ivies – which is, for those readers who aren’t aware, our biggest and most fun meet of the year. We all train hard for three weeks under the firm (but relatively gentle) hand of our coaches; we swim during the day; and we rage at night. If you’re looking for something fun to do relatively early in the busy spring term, Ivies can’t be beat.

So to all of our readers who are on campus right now and don’t have to wait for spring to come back – don’t miss out! Club Swim is a great place to be, especially in the winter and early spring. The water is cold, but the friendships are warm – and if you plunged this weekend, the water is pretty warm too! Ok, shameless plug over (oh wait, come to the home meet on Feb 24th to watch the coolest kids on campus show off their flair and their perfect swimming form. Okay now we’re done).

Happy 18W everyone,

Che.