Visiting Allegheny College

This past weekend I drove the 320 miles from Maryland to Allegheny College in Meadville, PA for the 1st Annual Alumni Swim Meet. I haven't been back to campus in the 10 years since graduation. Some things on campus have changed, but most of it was exactly how I remembered. One thing that has changed is that Coach Erdos is not longer coaching the swim teams. We spent Friday night cathing up with our classmates, meeting fellow swimmers from other years and cathing up with Coach Erdos and his family. Saturday was the alumni swim meet and presentation of the scrapbook that we had all contributes pictures, stories and letters for. It was incredible to hear other alumni speak about Coach, telling many of the same stories of coach always pushing you to be your best and right there at the end of your lane when you did. I felt lucky to have been coached by him. I learned a lot in my four years. Here is the letter that I wrote to coach:

Dear Coach Erdos,

Congratulations in an incredible coaching career at Allegheny. When you think back over the last 31 years, I’m sure you have many inspiring memories of all of your swimmers and divers. While I was just one of many athletes whose life you touched, I do have wonderful memories of my 4 years on the Allegheny Swimming & Diving Team and I want to share with you ways that my life was changed because of you.

On my college recruiting trip, I knew Allegheny was where I wanted to be. You did not remind me of any coach I had ever swum for, you reminded me of my Dad, who along with you, is a person I look up to and respect. I arrived at Allegheny in 1994 at an interesting time in my life. I was completely burned out on swimming, but yet still wanted to compete at the collegiate level. I quickly found a home on the swim team and made many friends who I still keep in touch with today.

In writing this letter, I have asked myself several times “What lessons did I learn from Coach Erdos that I carry with me today?” Lessons learned in athletics always apply to life in general and many of the things that contribute to my personal and professional success as an adult I did not learn in the classroom, but I learned from you.

#1- Always give 110%.
#2- When things don’t turn out quite like you expected, learn from it, move on, and try again.
#3- In order to be successful, you’ve got to keep your head on straight
#4- Don’t put stumbling blocks in your way, push them aside and move forward

These are only a few of the many things that I learned from you. I especially remember one conversation that we had on the bus on the way home from a meet in Ohio my senior year. You were having one-on-one conversations with each of us and you as we were driving down the highway you told me “Julie, you’re taking all the exits” and as you said that you motioned with your hand towards the exit ramp. I’m not sure that conversation sunk in that year, but it has been something that I have thought about a lot in my last 10 years of working and competing in triathlons, Ironman races, open water swims, and now recently masters swim meets. Especially during the long races, there are times when I want to give up and am good at coming up with excuses in my head, but I always tell myself, “Julie, don’t take the exits.” Every time, that gets me back on track.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and I bet I’m not the only person who wished that they had worked harder in college. I did enjoy my 4 years of swimming, but I see the success that I have had as an adult and often wondered what I would have done in college had I put this much effort and positive energy into it. I can’t change the past, but I know that I will always try my best in whatever I do now.

Over the last 10 years, I have competed in 50+ triathlons, 4 Ironman races, too many open water races to count ranging from 1 mile to 8 miles, and have recently in the last few years begun competing in masters swim meets. While I still haven’t swum faster than I did in college, I am almost there and it feels incredible! I want you to know that YOU have had a very positive impact on my life and so much of what you taught me, while I may have appeared to not be listening all the time, has sunk in and drives me to be the best at what I am doing today.

I have this quote on my bulletin board at work and read it often: “Be not the slave of your own past - Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience, that shall explain and overlook the old.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Congratulations on a wonderful career at Allegheny and THANK YOU for making an impact on my life.

Sincerely,
Julie Oplinger
Class of 1998

It was an incredible weekend and I was sad to leave campus, but inspired to continue swimming and will definitely be back for future swimming alumni weekends.