Virtual Swim Meet 3

Virtual Swim Meet 3

by Jay Unver

(Lehrton, Mississippi) Despite Zane Hodge being found guilty of competition interference and receiving the most severe penalty in Big ASS history, Virtual Swim Meet 3 went off without a hitch Friday, November 1st. Hodge, who received several penalties for the latest scandal, was not suspended from competition and made the most of his opportunity to exact revenge on his enemy, Randal Beets.

I met Hodge at Twin Rivers Recreational Center's indoor pool at 10:15 a.m. He wasted no time in getting into the water and beginning his warm-up which consisted of 1,150 yards of steady swimming. When he finished that, I had my first opportunity of the day to speak to him.

"Did you receive Beets' times?" I asked.

"I did."

"What do you think?"

"Good times. Darn good times."

"Can you beat them?"

"I CAN, but it will take really hard swimming to do it."

And then he was off on his first of three 500s which was the agreed upon competition events for the day. I have seen him swim enough to recognize that he was pushing really hard. He did bilateral breathing for 25 yards and it was all two strokes per breath after that. He went through the first 100 in 1:27, 200 in 2:57, and finished 500 in 7:30. Beets' times were

1 - 7:37
2 - 7:33
3 - 7:28

Hodge immediately went into some easy swimming for 250 yards. Then he stopped, took fluids, and readied for 500 number two. 

"How do you feel?" I asked. "Can you hold that pace?"

"I feel OK, but that hurt. I don't know if I can hold or not. I've never done 3 X 500 for time." 

And then he was off again. This time he was even faster. He did 100 in 1:24 and flipped for 200 at 2:41. But he slowed after that and finished, amazingly, at 7:30. Hid breathing was labored, he lapped his watch, and then he was off for another easy 250.

I tried to talk to him before his third 500, but he ignored me. I thought he should feel pretty good about things since he had a lead. All he had to do was equal Beets' slowest time and he would win. Maybe he was tired, but he definitely looked worried. 

This time I didn't get any splits. He was hammering so hard I was mesmerized. At the end, I clocked him at 7:28. He had done it. I wanted to talk then, but he was intent on more swimming, so I left and caught him at Plate City that afternoon.

"How does it feel?" I asked as I climbed over the fence into his back yard which is Plate City Gym. He was lifting, preparing for future meets.

"Pretty good. Especially in light of everything that has happened lately." But his grin said more than pretty good. It said, dang good.

"I didn't get to see you before the pool. Were you nervous like you were for the other meets?"

"Yes. He's gotten a lot better. I can't pencil anything in anymore. Heck, he beat me three times in a row, the match race, and Virtuals 1 and 2."

"You have to admit, you are lucky to be able to compete. Everyone expected Dr. Nomann to suspend you."

"Lucky heck. My lawyer says we will threaten to sue if Nomann doesn't agree to arbitration on the Show Cause. That's just ridiculous. Don't you think so?"

"I can't say since I'm an employee of the Association."

"Well it is, and it won't stand. Take that to the bank."

"You seemed nervous after the second 500. Why, you had a lead?"

"I could still lose it. I knew I had to do a good one one more time. Never having swum three 500s all-out, I wasn't sure I could do it."

"But endurance is your specialty," I protested.

"That's not endurance. That's stamina."

"I see. What's next?" I asked.

"You mean in the virtuals? We have talked about a 700. I don't know what else."

"Zane Hodge, congratulations," I said as I offered him my hand.

He shook it and said, "Thank you very much, Jay. Thank you very much."