By Drew Williams/sports editor

Students at the SE Campus intramural swimming competition April 21 had their own ways of preparing for their swim.

Some students sat on the ground quietly and prepared mentally while some practiced in the water for as long as they could.

Student Clay Peddicord concentrated on getting himself in the right mindset.

“I picture myself going as fast as possible,” he said, “like a skipping stone going ‘pap, pap, pap, pap’ all the way down there. That’s how I’m going to win.”

Peddicord eventually won third place in the 50-foot front crawl and said he should have won first place but blamed his performance on the women in bathing suits who made him lose his concentration.

The big winners of the day were Garrett Gilliam, Mohamed Mohamed and Bri Amelio. Gilliam placed first in the 50-foot front crawl and the 25-foot front crawl in his division. Mohamed won first in the 50-foot front crawl, the 50-foot breaststroke and the 100-foot two-stroke medley in his division. Amelio placed first in the 50-foot front crawl and the 100-foot two-stroke medley in her division.

Gilliam said the biggest difference was his morning routine.

“My breakfast this morning consisted of a Gatorade and an apple cinnamon Nutri-Grain bar, and I think having those two aspects combined with the electrolytes in the Gatorade and the nutrients in the Nutri-Grain bar really paid off and really helped me win this great battle of the aqua phenoms.”

Other winners in their respective divisions included Elizabeth Morgan in the 50-foot front crawl, Shannon Watterson in the 25-foot front crawl and Joe Tran in the 50-foot two-stroke medley.

Tran, who is an avid participant in all SE sports including being the captain of the TCC flag football champions Team AK, said all it takes to win is dedication.

“I just try to be competitive every day and work out and be active in life,” he said. “The thought that keeps me motivated is that there’s someone out there who is always trying to be better than you, so you have to be on top of your game.”

After the racing, some students participated in the big splash competition. It was not competitive at all though as student Jamie Letzkus advanced through the first round, second round and finals with a perfect score of 15 in all three.

His splash in the final round drew “oohs and ahhs” and applause from the other students as it was double the size of any other splashes in the entire competition. He said his appetite helped him win the contest.

“I put down some doughnuts right before the competition, and I stick out my stomach as much as I can. That’s the best technique,” he said. “Now I’m just happy I won. I feel like a fat kid that just won an all-you-can-eat buffet contest.”