Scott Schultz Sr. • Back, Fly Cary, Ill. How do I begin to sum up 14 years of competitively swimming after learning how to swim at the age of six months? I guess I will start by quoting the Grateful Dead song, “Truckin:” Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me — WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN. When I think about my LONG swimming career, I think about how strange it has been. Yet strange in a good way; strange in a way that has proved my love for this sport — to persevere. In my many years of love for the sport of swimming, I have had my ups and downs, just as any other dedicated swimmer has had — if not more. A lot of the times in my swimming career, the light’s all shining on me, and other times I felt like I could barely see, my reason for swimming (6 a.m. practice, shaving 2 times a day for 3 days in a row, etc.), yet when sitting down to write this, it occurs to me, what a long, strange trip it’s been. It has been a great trip for me, filled with many great moments and memories. I have a lot of people to thank, now that my swimming career is “coming to an end,” and the long strange trip is soon to be over. Mom and Dad, foremost, thank you! In my eyes, this will not thank you enough but here goes. Thank you specifically for signing me up for the Barracudas and for getting me into the great sport of swimming. You both have had more impact on my swimming career than you might imagine. I can’t remember a home swim meet or conference meet throughout college that you weren’t at — I greatly appreciate that. Thinking back to high school meets, I can’t remember a meet you were not at as well. Your encouragement and support has pushed me to grow and develop in swimming and also into the person I am today. Thank you for everything. Next, I would like to thank the rest of my family that has made the drive to see me swim. Maybe I instilled some thoughts in Jack, Catie, and Sarah to give swimming a try. Thank you to all of my friends that have come to my meets and supported me in general — and to all my roommates junior and senior year. To my roommates this year (Jut, Tool, Aussie), you have truly made my senior year enjoyable. To Mahoney and Wallace: “Drink all day and rock all night, the law come to get you if you don’t walk right,” and thanks for your support as well. I know I am forgetting others who have come to watch me and supported me, so thank you, too! To all the coaches I have had over the years, Thank you! Coach Eric J. Lindquist, you are the best coach I have ever had. You and I have had tons of talks about our love for the sport of swimming and life in general. A little different than the first e-mail I sent you, huh? I do not know if I would still be swimming today if it weren’t for your guidance. I could not have asked anything more from you as a coach. I hope you realize the amount of respect that I have for you as a coach and as a person. Eric Glow and Shawn McCarthy, you have both impacted my swimming career and life in ways that you won’t be able to imagine. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement, you are great friends to have. To my teammates I am leaving behind, keep training hard and persevering. Remember to keep our traditions alive and definitely start some new ones. I wish you all the best of luck: Sean, Steve, Spanks (sorry that is what I know you as), Travers, L-Train, Bob-O, Girtler, and Lundeen. Sean — keep working hard and all the things that we have talked about will become a reality. I have a mission for you guys to continue that was mine to begin with — get our swim program to the high level that it deserves. This was my attempt to sum up my 14-year swimming career, which has been one of the hardest things I have had to do in a while. I would not have made it to this point in my swimming career without everyone I have mentioned and most definitely those who have gone unmentioned. Wow! What a long strange trip it’s been!