(Art Brandt cont'd)

world in mileage to swimming meets. One afternoon a woman confronted Mrs. "X" and asked, "How can you run so much day after day? You spend so much time with your kids in that damn swimming. Must be something else they could do!" Well, Mrs. "X" is a calm woman and followed with three words I will never forget. "We're building character." Meaning here are boys and girls swimming because this is what they like and for them this is a reward. We swimmers who are the grand-daddy's of the age group swimming (meaning six to ten years) swim because we love the thrill and excitement of the finals and the cheering team behind as support. Or maybe the shiny medal or trophy, and a great time or split. It's that wonderful satisfaction or feeling, mom or dad's pat on the back or kiss on the cheek, or the handshake of the coach. The only real swimmer is the one who works at it forty weeks a year, swims in three meets a month and trains six days a week, once or twice a day. This philosophy not only goes for swimming but for every other sport. A true athlete must love the sport and be willing to train both mentally and physically so as to withstand the hurt and pain that goes along with the fun and rewards of any competition. In the school paper an editor wrote in his column: "look at all the potential athletes walking down the halls and streets." I saw him in the hall one day and said, "These boys may be potential somethings, but not athletes. The only athletes are the ones in the pool, basketball court and football field. The potential is shown only on or in the playing field. These are the boys and the girls who are both mentally and physically fit to accept any responsibility."

Flotsam & Jetsam: N.Y. race riots in Harlem are nothing like the "race riots" at Astoria pool that sparked our Olympic hopes. "Doc's - dazzlers" from Indiana came through, along with other notables. The distribution of Counsilman's swimmers, as in the past, seems to indicate that he is dedicated to swimming and swimming champions in general rather than just a team success at Hoosier Heaven. If Doc has twelve breastrokers, he trains twelve breastrokers, and doesn't convert one to a freestyler, etc............somewhat less spectacular was the Tiger-trio from Patton: Doug Webster, 4:35 400 m. free; 17:58 1500 m. free; Joanne Scarborough, 3:00.5 200 m. breast; Rick Skarbo, 1:04.3 100 m. back; 2:23.3 200 m. back. But they all had their troubles in New York. Ricky said he got hit in the "groan," whatever that is, while Doug claimed he became sick after eating a "blue steak. ..." And I thought the town was strange..........New York is sort of like a village that got carried away with "togetherness." I'll never know how anyone could be "lonely" there, but I guess the people are hypersensitive (except taxi drivers). For instance, if you don't own a dog you're considered to be from a broken family. And there's other marvels, too. Take for example the stingy ol' man who put up the stop lights--one to an intersection, carefully sheltered behind a telephone booth; or the ice cream peddlers at 3 AM in the Time's Square movie houses; or the swaying subways...if you ride them long enough, they'll let you off in Dante's inferno. The only place I felt at home was Greenwich village........... Congratulations Cynthia Goyette (Golden Lions) for making the team. Other local swimmers who made the cut-off times: Sue Stuckey (Golden Lions), Jerry Gorski (NWAC), Bill Jennison (NWAC)- -Bill, who went for the 100 m. fly, had the right attitude all the way. When told that the chlorine was exceptionally bad, he replied: "That's okay, I can stand it for 57 seconds." Ken Weibeck showed remarkable improvement, too, after just one summer under the mentorship of Walt Schleuter going 1:02.9 for the 100 m. back and 56.0 for the 100 m. free. Lee Davis, whose best events