Great Start to the Season

The AquaBears have started off the 2011-2012 season with a bang!  Solid performances were turned in the first weekend of October at the Intermountain Shootout in Grand Junction, CO; the returners were at or faster than in-season times from last year while the freshman showed what they are made up in both individual events and relays.  A short two weeks later the Bears dominated Nebraska-Omaha by winning 12 out of 16 events; top performances were turned in by Gina Riggle, Courtney Van Oost and Sarah Moldenhauer.  The Bears have Air Force, Univ. of New Mexico and New Mexico State all within the next week and a half, its going to go by quick and no doubt they will be able to handle it!

Keep checking out both our Facebook Page and UNCBears.com for updates and pictures from the season.

Thanks for your support! GO BEARS!

This week's A Day in the Life of an AquaBear comes from Freshman Jasmine Fryrear. Jasmine, who is from San Diego, CA, gives us a rendition of the Ke$ha Tik Tok song to describe her day as a Bear.



Jasmine Fryrear



Wake up in the morning feeling like a zombie (hey what up moon)

Grab my clothes I’m out the door I’m gonna do this swimming.

Before I leave, rub the sleepy gunk out of my eyes because when I leave for practice there’s no coming back.

I’m talking suits riding up our butts butts, boys chekin out our sweats sweats, food filling up our guts guts

Swim starting , playing our favorite CDs

Outside it’s around 20 degrees

Trying not to be sleepy

Can’t stop, swim a lot

Swim will be the death of me

Today, I’m a fight

Til I get this time right

Tik tok on the clock

But the swimming don’t stop

Owwwowwwowowww

Can’t stop, Swim a lot

Swim will be the death of me

Today, I’m a fight

Til I get this time right

Tik tok on the clock

But the swimming don’t stop

Owwwowwwowowww

Ain’t got a care in the world, but I smell like chlorine

Ain’t got no shirts in my closet, cuz I got all this gear

And now, the fans are lining up cuz they hear we got speed

So we show them how the NC bears will succeed

I’m talking about NC bears getting crunk crunk

Teams tryin to get our spunk spunk

Gonna swim so I don’t sunk sunk

Now, now we swim til our food comes out

Or the team does a breakdown

The team breaksdown

Breakdown, down

Can’t stop, Swim a lot

Swim will be the death of me

Today, I’m a fight

Til I get this time right

Tik tok on the clock

But the swimming don’t stop

Owwwowwwowowww

Can’t stop, Swim a lot

Swim will be the death of me

Today, I’m a fight

Til I get this time right

Tik tok on the clock

But the swimming don’t stop

Owwwowwwowowww

Kelly, you build me up

You break me down

My heart it pounds cuz I can’t breathe

With my arms ripped

You got me now

I got that speed

Yea, I got it

Kelly, you build me up

You break me down

My heart it pounds cuz I can’t breathe

With my arms ripped

The teams arms ripped

The teams arms ripped

Now the swimming don’t start til the Bears walks in

Can’t stop, Swim a lot

Swim will be the death of me

Today, I’m a fight

Til I get this time right

Tik tok on the clock

But the swimming don’t stop

Owwwowwwowowww

In other words, life as a freshman on the UNC swim team is tik tokking! Although zombies and sweats aren’t everyone’s ideal approach to their day, I live for these days. I’ve had two full meals by the time many people have even woken up and I’m also asleep before many people’s classes are over. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this crazy stuff without the support of Ke$ha songs and my team mates. I love the smell of chlorine, banking study hall hours, and devouring the Holmes Dining hall food. The daily life of a freshman UNC swimmer is supported through a loving and goofy family that devotes hours of time to swimming and the team. Now break it down again!

A Day in the Life.....Blue vs. Gold

This week Sophomore Kira Alger talks about the Aquabears' Blue vs. Gold Intersquad meet; from Monument, Colorado, Kira swims Sprint and Mid-Distance Freestyle for the Bears.

Sophomore Kira Alger

 Today feels like any other day. First thing in the morning I wake up at 5:30 a.m. to go pump some iron with the team. Our weight trainer, Emily, pushes us to the limit. If I think I can’t go any lower on squats she tells me to go a little lower. If I think I can’t lift anymore weight she tells me to add five more pounds. It’s hard to believe that I have to swim in a meet later this afternoon. I was a little nervous as to how well I was actually going to do with all this working out we were doing prior to the meet.

            I go back to my apartment and take a quick nap before my first class. I find it a little sad that I am already taking a nap at 7:30 a.m., but I have to prepare myself for the afternoon. I wake up at 8:00 a.m. to start my day with a pleasant walk to my first class with my good friend Kaitlin Sorenson, who also happens to be on the swim team. We talk about anything and everything; it’s nice to talk to someone who is going through the same obstacles of being a student-athlete. I walk quickly from Kepner to Michener Library for my next class, psychology. Even with my long, fast strides I still don’t make it to class on time! I always have to sneak into the back of the classroom so that I don’t distract people from the professor. Today’s lecture is on sleep deprivation and talking about sleep made me sleepy. Next is Anthropology, I sit in the very front so that I can take good notes and pay close attention to the teacher, it’s so interesting!

            It’s almost noon and I have some time to wind down. I eat lunch and relax until 2:30 p.m. Today is the Blue and Gold meet, my first meet since Conference. I wasn’t sure what to expect or know how fast my times would be, but I knew one thing, I had to sprint my heart out. I swam the 50 free, 100 free, and anchored in the 400 free relay. Overall, I went a little faster than I did last year at this same point. I already see improvement and it’s so early in the season! The coach was very happy with me.

            Afterwards we had a team dinner. It was delicious! I loved it. My roommate, Jamie Byrne, and I stayed at the team dinner until the end. Patience is a virtue. When everyone left we stuck around long enough so that we got to bring some of the delicious chicken home with us. We had food for the rest of the month! I figured that was a good way to ended my day.  

A Day in the Life.....Camping!

This week, sophomore Emily Essig-Peppard gives us a glimpse into the AquaBear's annual camping trip in her "A Day in the Life."

Sophomore Emily Essig-Peppard

Tents?  Check. Sleeping pads?  Check. Sleeping bags?  Check. Jersey (Coach Kelly’s dog)? Check. Food, layers of clothes, and more food?  Check, check, and check.

This past weekend the UNC Swim and Dive Team took a trip to Carter Lake for some team bonding out in the wilderness...well, I wouldn’t really call it “wilderness;” we went camping at a campground with "bathrooms" that would make you want to just use the wilderness instead (and be thankful for all those underwater sets).

Once we got there we went straight to work; getting all our tent mates together, putting up the tents quickly and easily(as we are all expert campers, of course), and unpacked the wide array of food from everyone. We then started our ‘oh so famous’ campfire (this is a very important part of our whole trip); after we finally got it raging, everyone settled down in a cozy circle around the fire to start the fun.

 We started off our activities with every girl (and Kevin) reading aloud their list of favorite things, so to speak (which included drinks, foods, restaurants, hobbies, etc.); this way everyone knew that extra something about their teammates and coaches. We then ate our self-provided dinners, where almost everyone cooked over the fire or ate their “gourmet to go” meals from Holmes Dining Hall on campus (which meant each girl eating around eight hot dogs for dinner, and no way of ordering pizza). After we had finished stuffing our faces, we sat back down to follow up on our “Getting to Know You list.” Coach Kelly read off one sheet at a time and would call upon a girl (or Kevin) to see if we could remember the favorite thing of our teammates.  Because we are so attentive to detail and payed very close attention, we were all able to guess the right person every time without much hesitation; as you can tell, we are great at this team bonding thing. Then it was time for each team member to share their life's greatest adversity, and accomplishment; while this may seem easy, trust us, it is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. This activity brings us mostly to tears, with the occasional laugh here or there, but the most important thing about this activity is that it brings us closer together. Once everyone has gone, it was time for us to hug it out and move on to the best part of the night, SMORES! We ended the night on a positive note and then headed to our very luxurious and comfortable tents for a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, we enjoyed our breakfast with the Women’s Basketball team from UNC; we shared laughs by throwing a mini concert full of lip singing and dancing, and even some funny talents we had (like the b-ball girl’s armpit farting). Not only were all of us watching, but some young kids from the next campsite over also enjoyed our treat and were dancing along to our songs playing so quietly (which really means blasting). After watching everyone's astounding talents, we said goodbye to our fellow athletes and gathered for one last meeting on the trip.

For the last time we sat down around the campfire to discuss our team goals. As a team we decide what we want to achieve throughout the season (from breaking records, to Team GPA, and to Life Skills). We also come up with steps on how we are going to achieve these goals as a team. After our “Team Goal Meeting,” we headed our separate ways to pack up the tents and clean up our campsite. Once we were finished, we ended the trip with a short hike to the top of a hill, to sit on top of the rocks and look down on Carter Lake. Here, we took time to reflect on the weekend and the gorgeous view in front of us. Now, we have come back to campus with a new outlook and are greatly looking forward to a great season with a team composed of new girls and returnees, ready to charge ahead and bring many wins to UNC Aquabears!

A Day in the Life........

This week's A Day in the Life is written by Katy Rysemus who is a Sophomore from Tacoma, WA swimming the Fly, Breast and IM events for the AquaBears.


Sophomore Katy Rysemus



5:30am. The dreaded sound of my alarm clock wakes me up for the new day ahead.  Leaving the warmth of my bed is probably the most difficult thing I will have to do all day.  Once I’m up and moving around I find my weight clothes, grab something to eat and am out the door to go pump some iron for an hour. I had not ever really lifted weights before I came here to UNC, but doing so has made a deep impact on my swimming career and I remind myself of this if I ever struggle with a new lift or a greater amount of weight. Knowing that this will make me better turns the pain into purpose.

     After an hour of lifting, I head off to the dining hall for breakfast so I can obtain some sustenance so I will be able to stay awake in my classes. My favorite meal is scrambled eggs, fruit, and a bowl of cereal or if I’m really hungry a Belgian waffle…yum! Once my stomach is happy, I’m off to start my day of classes. I have a break after my first class so I make the trek back to my apartment for a quick nap or I complete any unfinished homework (but naps are preferred). I make something, usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a granola bar, for lunch and am out the door once again for the remainder of my classes.

     Once my last class is over I quickly head over to Butler-Hancock for afternoon practice.  After we have done about umpteen million mini-jacks and what seems like hours of jogging in place, we jump in the pool for our daily dose of chlorine. Practice is pretty hard most days, both mentally and physically but being surrounded by your teammates who are going through the pain with you makes it a little easier to accomplish. Words of encouragement can often be heard echoing off of the pool walls and this is part of what makes our swim and dive team not just a team, but a family. We support each other in every endeavor. Once practice is over, it’s time for either an ice bath (brrrrrrrrrr) or ice bags that make us look like deformed creatures, but we wear them proudly.

     Next is dinner and homework. The best dinners are when the entire team takes up a table at the dining hall and everyone can tell who we are because of the overwhelming aroma of chlorine and the loud chatter. After dinner it’s time to hit the books. Since I am an English Secondary-Education major with a History minor, I typically have more reading than anything. Nothing like some Emerson or Thoreau to end the night (an easy put you to sleep)! As the night grows later and later, I can hear my bed softly calling my name, wishing for me to let all my worries go so I can start the next day fresh and happy.

A Day in the Life.....

This week's A Day in the Life comes from Sophomore Jamie Byrne who is from Parker, CO and majoring in Sport and Exercise Science. 

Jamie gives us a glimpse of her everyday life now that classes and practices have started.




Sophomore Jamie Byrne



5:30 AM my alarm goes off.....or not. Five minutes until practices starts and I am running around my room like a chicken with my head cut off, I can’t find my shoes or sports bra. It’s funny how things disappear when you need them most. Good thing we have been trained to work under pressure. Summer is over now and it is time to get back into the swing of things. No more lifeguarding in the warm sun and eating watermelon, instead I transition into having intense practices and protein shakes. Swimming, weights, and school is now the routine.

After weights I go home to eat a quick bowl of cereal before I head to class; unfortunately, my roommate Kira has drank all the milk again so I guess I will go with a bagel. Dang, I miss the dining hall days. My first class is American Sign Language which is one of my favorite classes so far. My teacher doesn’t speak throughout the entire class instead he acts out all the signs and spells them out for us. I sure wish he’ll be on my team if we ever play a game of charades. Next is my Exercise Physiology class. It’s a hard class but it’s nice to be out of the general education courses and into a class that is actually a part of my major. Last for the day is Introduction to Music. Good thing this class is last because this is usually about the time I start to crash. It is impossible to fall asleep while listening to African music and “feeling” for the beats by dancing and stomping.

Time to eat again, alright! I have a little break to relax now before I go to swim practice. Practice is tough. It consists of butterfly and endurance sets in order for us to get back into shape as fast as possible. We can then start focusing on what really matters, our dual meets and conference. I finish off the night with some homework and a sit down dinner with the roommates. It’s nice to be back in Greeley with the team and getting to know all the new freshmen. We are working hard together and staying positive. I can tell we are going to become a stronger team this year!

The Cap is Back!

The Flower Cap has reappeared to help celebrate the birthdays of our athletes!  Practice has started for the 2011-2012 season which is a perfect time to celebrate summer birthdays.  This week both, Sammy Leonard and Alicen Fair, who have birthdays in June were honored at practice.  Happy Birthday girls!

Senior Sammy Leonard is ready to go!



Junior Alicen Fair ready for her swim!