Virtual Meet 1

Virtual Meet 1

By Jay Unver

(Lehrton, Mississippi) The much anticipated Virtual Meet 1 has come and gone and a new excitement flows through Big ASS Endurance like a fresh Fall cold front. Beets did his four events as follows:

200 - 2:40
50 - :31
100 - 1:09
500 DNF (cramps)

Like with their virtual race, I was there when Hodge received news of Beets' swim and the times he did them in. Also like last week, Hodge grew sullen and stopped speaking. I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

This week, Hodge slept later, ate breakfast, and arrived at the Twin Rivers indoor pool at 10:00 o'clock. He warmed up with 1,100, just like last week, only he did not do a fast 50. He then put on his cap, went to the deeper end of the pool and did a dive start to begin his 200. He swam it in 2:47, seven seconds slower than Beets' time. He was visibly stunned when told his time. He then swam several slow laps. His 50 and 100 were swum in

50 - :36
100 - 1:22

The witnesses were starting to chant, "Beets won, Beets won."

Hodge yelled out, "Shut the heck up!!!"

Silence then gripped the building as an agitated Hodge began some more transition swimming.

There was now no way Hodge could win the meet and since Beets DNFed the 500, I wondered how hard Hodge would go. All he had to do was finish the 500 and he would at least have one win. 

Hodge swam the 500 in 8:22, pretty slow compared to the  7:16 of a week ago.

"So, you have been dethroned," I said pulling no punches when Hodge finished his cool down swim.

"Not so fast," Hodge snapped. "We agreed to three points for each victory and two points for second place. 

"So?" I asked.

"Do the math," he said smugly. "Beets won three events. That equals nine points. I was second on three events. That equals six points. I won one event. That is three more points. Six plus three equals nine. We tie, nine to nine."

"By golly, you're right," I exclaimed. "Looks like you dodged a bullet. Do you think that's fair?" I asked.

"Fair? It is what we agreed to in the contract. I don't care how we do it. We can do it by points, like in a regular meet, or by the number of events, or we could even do it by total time. It makes me no difference."