On December 30, 2009, thirty-five Northern
Kentucky Clippers ranging in age from
14-18, took on the annual challenge of the Cavalcade of
Toughness - 24 hours of training and team building.
The Athletes
This group of swimmers is made up of girls and
boys from all of Northern Kentucky. It
includes swimmers that are top ranked in the state of Kentucky,
ranked in the top 25 in the United States and among the top 150 in
the world. On a regular basis, most of
these athletes train 9 water workouts a week plus 3 dry-land
workouts. However, on this day they put
together a grueling 24 hours of training.
In addition to all the time they spend at the pool, they also
“get it done” in the classroom. These student athletes
score 30+ on the ACT, keep GPAs of 4.0 and higher, and earn not
just athletic scholarships, but academic scholarship and
recognition as well. To date, 3
Clippers seniors have committed to swim in college (LSU, Louisville
and Kenyon College) and at least 5 more will in the spring.
The Training
The training is not just a challenge physically but more
importantly, mentally. During the 24
hours swimmers can not leave the facility. They go through 10+
hours of water workouts including a 12:00 am-3:00 am workout of
12,000 yards, 4+ hours of land training and 4+ hours of team
meetings/meals. They do get a break
from 3:30-6:00am to rest the body before getting up for a land
workout and a water workout and then a challenge of one last swim,
for time, before they go home.
WHY? Some people may ask why swimmers would do something like this.
Some do it because their friends are
doing it (peer pressure). Some do it
because of the workout (physical). But
most do it because they know it is something that not many are
willing to attempt. These are the
swimmers that do it for the training, the team bonding and the
pride. They know it is a tradition that
was started in our program and they want to keep the tradition
alive. It is so exciting to hear the
swimmers standing around telling war stories of previous years and
seethe sense of accomplishment they have in their eyes and smile
when they look up and say this is my 2nd,
3rd,4th or in some rare occasions
5th year of participating.
Younger swimmers look forward to the time that they will be able to
take part. They come in over the course of the day and look down
from the bleachers in amazement and excitement watching their older
teammates doing things they think are impossible. This is why these
24 hours are so important. These 35 swimmers are athletic icons
that the swimmers of tomorrow can watch and emulate.
The History
Six years ago during a regular workout, former
Coach Andy Rose and I conceived the idea of a ”Cavalcade of
Toughness”. We wanted to do
something to challenge our swimmers beyond what they thought they
could do. We felt we were at a point in
our team’s history that a pride of tradition was forming.
This cavalcade makes the statement about the focus
of our training. The best swimmers from our past continue to
check-in on December 30th to see what is in store for
the 12 am to 3 am practice. “Don’t get soft on them, Coach!”
is what they remind me every year!
Congratulations to all swimmers who conquered
another 24 hours. Special congratulations to the graduating seniors
who finished their final 24 hour practice.
Mary Bank
Krissie Brandenburg
Shane Coltharp
Melissa Thurman
Brooke Schutte
Gracie Lynne
Maddie Mescher
Carlie Herich
Katie Eichinger
Linette Green
Rob Walsh
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