Aqua Antics

When a swim coach wins a big meet he runs as far away from his swimmers as possible. But his run is no ordinary jog, it is a flight, because the tradition after an important swimming victory is to throw the coach into the pool--three-piece suit and all.

Harvard men's swimming Coach Joe Bernal has probably taken the predictable plunge more than his dry cleaner would like to reveal. And after the aquamen snagged their seventh straight. Eastern Seaboard title last weekend, Bernal took the involuntary swim once again.

But hurling head coaches into the swimming pool is only one of many aqua traditions.

Like that episode of Brady Bunch when Greg steals the opposing team's mascot goat, swimmers have their own team symbols waiting to be snatched.

Besides whiffing an odd mixture of chlorine and Ben Gay, the first things a swim spectator notices upon entering an aqua stadium are the huge team banners designating the territory of each pack of swimmers.

"Swim teams guard their banners like the Roman legions guarded their aquilifers," said Harvard swimmer Lars Rierson, referring to the eagle-topped stafs carried by Roman soldiers.

But Harvard did not keep a close enough watch on its small banner a one point last weekend, and an enterprising Eli sneaked under the bleaches and snagged it.

"The person that was suppossed to be guarding it got carried away in the meet," explained Rierson.

Luckily for the Harvardians, a spectator spied the thief as he fled and Harvard ended up getting the prized possession back.

The looting for all types of college paraphernalia was rampant at the Championships. Coach Bernal minded all the aquamen to secure their belongings or make sure someone was guarding them.

Coaches' splashes and banner snags are probably not the most crazed anties practiced by the men's swim team.

They have a few nifty cheers.

The most popular one goes: "hip za zoo za chik-a room ba zoo F. Skiddy Von Stade mister Fu (clap) Man (clap) Chu (clap, clap) teddy roo teddy ra teddy ruddy duddy fuddy duddy sis boom ba Harvard Harvard ra ra ra."

But when you hear the clan of aquamen exclaim "suits on heads" you'd better be ready for more than a few hand claps.

For while few team members will admit to stealing banners, the bare fact is that almost all follow this Harvard tradition.