Justin Hake

Past Entries

Entry 1

Entry 2

November 1, 2004

It's Halloween! In the week preceding Halloween, any Emory swimmer worth his weight in gold (or blue for that matter) knows this is the time for Jon Howell's famous "Bobbing for Apples Extravaganza!"

The way the game works is, after a brief warm-up the entire team waits patiently at the wall while Jon scatters a bag of apples throughout the pool. Then, when the whistle is blown, the team swims off in a frantic race to retrieve one of the apples in their mouths without using their hands, and bring it back to the opposite pool deck.

During the game, the team collides to become one writhing mass of limp arms and Swedish goggles all fighting for one piece of not-so-bite-sized fruit. The victorious few that manage to complete the feat get to sit out of the next workout set and eat the apple while the rest of the team swims.

Though it may be observed to be a small novelty by an outside viewer, the team is always ready to jump at a chance to do something in the water other than swimming (and the prospect of missing a set is always high on the priority list, too).

Thanks to Jon the Emory swim team got to enjoy another Happy Halloween, and this Emory Eagle got to enjoy one of the sweetest combinations of the season: an apple, a break, and a victory.

Justin Hake is a junior from Red Wing, Minn. He would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.