Jan. 1, 2005
As the Notre Dame men’s swimmers and men’s and women’s divers continue their training and competition trip to Ireland, four veteran swimmers – senior David Moisan, juniors Doug Bauman and Jamie Lutkus, and sophomore Louis Cavadini – have taken the time to chronicle the happenings of the first portion, punctuating each diary entry with the team’s signature cheer: Boom!
Check back for another set of diaries on Jan. 3 or 4, one from the swimmers about their jaunt to Limerick and one from the divers about their times in Dublin. Also, look for photo galleries and a series of midseason reports to be appearing soon on und.com.
Tuesday, December 28
9 p.m. in Ireland/4 p.m. in South Bend
Everyone seems a bit chipper today. Maybe it is because we’re all excited about our new gifts, but more likely we’re just happy to see each other after being home for Christmas. Practice was a 7,000-yard shocker. Boom!
Midnight in Ireland/7 p.m. in South Bend
The Lutkus family cordially invited us to an amazing dinner. We had some amazing lasagna, amazing twice-baked spaghetti, amazing salad, and amazing French bread for dessert. We topped everything off with amazing banana splits! Then we watched a sweet movie called “Napoleon Dynamite.” Before we left, Mrs. Lutkus gave us goodie bags filled with delectable treats for the plane. Lucky! Boom!
2:57 a.m. in Ireland/9:57 p.m. in South Bend
We watch the football team on ESPN in the Insight Bowl against Oregon State. Unfortunately, the Beavers prevailed 38-21.
Wednesday, December 29
2 p.m. in Ireland/9 a.m. in South Bend
Where is [freshman swimmer] Jay Vanden Berg? Late addition to the itinerary: another 7,000-yard practice. Whammy! That was followed by lunch from Jimmy John’s and $10 per diem for dinner that night. Lucky! Boom!
6:30 p.m. in Ireland/1:30 p.m. in South Bend
Loading the bus for the trip to Chicago’s O’Hare airport are 29 men’s swimmers, five men’s divers, two women’s divers, and 11 staff members/adults. Jay Vanden Berg is here. The flu let up this year just in time for our trip. Once we finished the challenge of loading our luggage (47 people x three bags … you do the math), we head to Chi-town. Boom!
8 p.m. in Ireland/3 p.m. in South Bend/2 p.m. in Chicago
We are stuck in traffic in Chicago on the way to the airport and watching “Napoleon Dynamite” for the second time. Lucky! Boom!
10 p.m. in Ireland/5 p.m. in South Bend/4 p.m. in Chicago
We check our team in at the Aer Lingus ticket counter. The lady behind the desk informs us the line for security is an hour long. Sweet! Boom!
11 p.m. in Ireland/6 p.m. in South Bend/5 p.m. in Chicago
We love standing in line. We finally reach the TSA security checkpoint. There are, like, infinity people in line. Boom!
12:10 a.m. in Ireland/7:10 p.m. in South Bend/6:10 p.m. in Chicago
Plane departs from Chicago and heads to Dublin. The in-flight movie was “Napoleon Dynamite” … just kidding. It was “The Princess Diaries 2.” For dinner on the flight, we had a tough choice: chicken or beef?? Some of us were dismayed because we fell asleep during the sixth hour of the flight and missed a good breakfast (so we heard). Boom!
Thursday, December 30
7 a.m. in Ireland/2 a.m. in South Bend
We arrive in Dublin and deboard the plane. We just got by customs; Ruphio (freshman Cayman Islands native Andrew MacKay) smiles as he passes through the short “European Union Citizens” line. Fifth-year senior diver Meghan Perry-Eaton tries to follow, but is informed by the customs agent that she is in fact a U.S. citizen. We claim our baggage on the carousel. Nemo (Cavadini) complains to Aer Lingus workers of an ink stain on his new shirt from his seat on the plane. We leave the airport and meet our bus driver, Eoin (pronounced like Owen). Boom!
10 a.m. in Ireland/5 a.m. in South Bend
We arrive at the Four Seasons hotel … I mean Travelodge! It was a steal at ?40 per night (the exchange rate is 1.00 euro to $1.33). Only half of the rooms are ready since we are four hours early. Our first taste of Irish cuisine is at the hotel restaurant, the Little Chef. Our menu included a tough choice between “The Special” or “The Special.” No tots! Boom!
1 p.m. in Ireland/8 a.m. in South Bend
Eoin takes us on his own tour of Dublin, while we are struggling to stay awake. Eoin gets on the bus microphone and shares his thoughts on Dublin and gives us a short description of his life. Eoin informs us that he grew up in Northern Ireland and dreamed of being a cage fighter. After making some sweet moola, he moved to Dublin and bought a bus. Highlights of the tour included people snoring, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Post Office, the American Embassy (it was ugly), and the door where Tom Cruise came out of in the hit movie “Far and Away.” Eoin told us about the history of the Gaelic language and said, “A country without its language is a country without its soul.” He then tells us that only 20 percent of people in Ireland speak fluent Gaelic. Other notes: the grass is greener in Ireland; driving on the left side of the road is scary; people actually do have Irish accents; using the metric system is hard (especially while reading the pace clock in practice); and their ancient horses are bred for their powers in magic. Boom!
3:20 p.m. in Ireland/10:20 a.m. in South Bend
Junior swimmer Doug Bauman made the wrong decision of taking a nap after being awake for 24+ hours. We finally leave for the pool at 3:40 p.m. and arrive – flustered but ready for practice – at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) at 3:44 p.m., 16 minutes before practice time. We get our first glimpse of the beautiful, Olympic-sized pool, our home for the next week. Enzorade is the Irish version of Gatorade. Boom!
6 p.m. in Ireland/1 p.m. in South Bend
We leave the NAC, stop by the hotel, and go to dinner. After not eating lunch, a famished team gets a real taste of Irish food. After a good dinner, Eoin drives us back to our hotel, and we finally get to sleep after being awake for 36 hours. Good night, Irish. Wake up call at 7:50 a.m. (Ireland time) Boom!
Friday, December 31
7:30 a.m. in Ireland/2:30 a.m. in South Bend
Another breakfast special at the “Little Chef.” This day they added toast. Orange juice is 2.49 euros. Boom!
9:20 a.m. in Ireland/4:20 a.m. in South Bend
Doug Bauman makes the bus on time today for our four-minute trip to the NAC. We don’t leave until 9:37 a.m. because of some confusion among the non-swimmers. Today we swam 6,700 meters in our NAC wave pool. This was followed by our first weight session with staff member #5, Lisa Shall (strength and conditioning coach), and staff member #6, Sal Vallejo (athletic trainer).
1 p.m. in Ireland/7 a.m. in South Bend
We wait in the parking lot for the bus – claimed by Eoin to be the best in Ireland – to start. We finally get on the road and head to the mall. While at the mall, we eat lunch at Burger King. That’s what I’m talking about! Swim team member Frank Krakowski orders two sandwiches. We are amazed that he was able to eat two sandwiches after practice. Someone should yell at him for being that hungry. Boom!
Next stop: Limerick for the swimmers, more time in Dublin for the divers.