Unver Interview with Hodge

A Rising Tide

By Jay Unver

Dr. Nomann has done it again. After "the merger" as people call it- the joining of the Associations of Sports Swimmers, the Association of Sports Shufflers, and the Association of Sports Syclists into Big ASS Endurance- Nomann has worked relentlessly to make the three fledgling groups into one athletic powerhouse. He has succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imagination.

From the beginning, Zane Hodge- who recently re-broke his own Big ASS World record for longest swim- has been the dominant athlete. Not any more. Two years ago, the signing of the UK's Anabel Lavers to a multi-year contract added to the international profile and prestige of the Association. The recent signings of Ben Ray and Wilson Carroll has sports fans drooling, Big ASS respect rising, and Zane Hodge reeling.

I sat down with Hodge at the Plate City Training Center and chatted about Anabel Lavers, Randy Beets, and the latest signees. I found some of his answers surprising.

Unver: First of all, congratulations on your fourth Chicot Challenge and the new world record you set. Or maybe I should say, "reset."

Hodge: Thank you. It's always a thrill. 

Unver: You'e taken the world distance record from 13.94 to 16.0 to 17.7 to 19.0. Where does it go from here?

Hodge: I'm afraid it goes away. Bel is scheduled for a shot at the English Channel this month. If she makes it, she will not only be the first Big ASS athlete to complete that famous swim, but her swim will also made her the new world record holder at 21 miles.

Unver: How do you feel about that, and if she is successful, will you try to retake the record at the next Chicot Challenge or swim the channel yourself?

Hodge: Starting with the Channel, the answer is no. I do not plan ever to swim the channel.

Unver: Why?

Hodge: Several reasons. One is the expense. It costs an American about five grand to pull off a crossing. Dr. Nomann a few years back offered me a $100 bonus for successfully doing it. But that leaves $4,900 I don't have. I refuse to go begging for funds so I can achieve a personal goal. If I ask people to give, it will be for a worthy charity like the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi not for myself.

Hodge took a sip of coffee and then seemed to be listening to the birds that sang from the tree limbs overhead.

Unver: You said "several reasons." You only gave me one.

Hodge: Oh. Besides the expense, the channel is a cold water swim. You know I never got very good at that. I made no bones about the fact that Randy Beets was the cold water man around here. I can't imagine being in cold water for hours on end. I just don't have the stuff for it. And training for that around here is impossible. Water temps are averaging in the high 80s, and its a cool year. I asked Karah Nazor, the race director of Swim the Suck, and an English Channel soloist, how she trained for the cold. "Oh, that's easy," she said. "Just go to San Fransisco for six weeks and swim in the bay." Again, making a trip to the west coast and spending weeks out there is not in my range.

Unver: That reminds me. We need to talk about Randy Beets, but before we do that, back to the channel thing. If Anabel makes it, will you immediately attempt to retake the record?

Hodge: I am not sure yet what form my charity swim will take next June. I am rethinking everything from venue to name to distance. My initial thoughts were to go for 20 miles. That would leave me short of the record. One thing to consider is the logistics of a long swim. We are starting to bump up against the upper limits of what we can pull off. Anabel doesn't have to worry about alligators. They are the main reason I don't want to be in the water before or after dark. I think the dangers are very low in the daytime but rise exponentially with darkness.

Unver: Interesting. Back to Beets. What do you have to say about him?

Hodge: It was really nice that he made to the Challenge all the way from North Carolina. I liked that he was the one left in the kayak at the end. Everybody else had gone in the pontoon boat to the finish at the landing and was waiting on us. It was just him and me. I knew we were going to be a little short on distance, so I gave him my Garmin and trusted him to get me 19 miles. He came through like I knew he would. We have both always been adult enough to put our differences aside and work together on the Challenge once a year. I cherish that.

Unver: And what about the rivalry? It continues?

Hodge: I'm afraid I have destroyed Beets. It's a shame really. I think the pressure of losing to me year after year topped off with the injuries and my relentless harassment campaign last fall did him in. That's why he didn't show up at the Suck. He was overwhelmed with performance anxiety. 

Unver: You know this?

Hodge: It's my opinion, but I'm right. Then he got beat in Chattanooga by Ben Ray, one of Nomann's latest signees. Sad. For me very sad. A great athlete who is now a shadow of himself and losing to a Johnny-come-lately.

Unver: So you don't think much of Mr. Ray.

Hodge: Oh, contrair. I think he is a real talent and will be in the Association for many years. But he IS a come-lately. And to beat Randy Beets like that. Good for him. Bad for Randy Beets.

Unver: And what do you think of Wilson Carroll, another recent Nomann addition.

Hodge: I have actually trained with Wilson a couple of times. He invited me to Seldom Seen Training Center for swims in his famous lake.

Unver: And?

Carroll and Hodge after a training swim at
the Seldom Seen Training Center.

Hodge: He dragged me around the lake pretty rudely. But I'm not in top form right now. But neither is he. It remains to be seen what will happen when we have a showdown. It seems like we are pretty close to the same speed, though. 

Unver: And Nunnery? He crewed you at the last Suck. Now he's in the race.

At this point, Hodge, who had been relaxed and jovial, suddenly became intense and energized. He leaned forward towards me and with a growl in his voice barked

Hodge: I tell you what about that Nunnery. He should have stuck to being a pontoon boat captain and TV commentator. I'm going to whip his hinder parts at this year's Swim the Suck. Write that in your article. I'm going to whip his hinder parts.

I didn't ask any more questions. Hodge was agitated enough.