Do it for Norm (RIP 2017-2017)

            Once upon a time, on a pool deck not so far away, there lived a large spiky cricket who wished to live a long and happy life. Unfortunately for him, the chlorine-infused teenagers governing his fortune had other ideas. No sooner was he spotted hopping along the tiles when, with one fell swoop, his back leg was crushed by a black croc birkenstock sandal wielded by a shrieking member of the Uni swim team. Still, our valiant warrior persevered.  He continued his journey, slower since he was dragging half his body behind him, but never giving up -- even though the freedom of the outside air was at least fifty meters, four doors, and countless stomping feet away from him. As we watched his noble struggles, we argued about whether or not to put him out of his misery with another hit with the sandal. One brave chlorinated soul decided to take the responsibility upon herself, and hopped out of the pool to retrieve the poor six-legged adventurer. But instead of ferrying him to the hope of a better life outside, she walked to the trash can and unceremoniously threw him inside. Seemingly oblivious to the gasping laughter that exploded from the closest lanes when she did, she stoically strode back to the pool. After she hopped in, one lone voice rose above the rest to suggest how we could memorialize the poor insect: Let’s call him Norm!

           It was then that the legendary status of Norm began to develop in the hive mind of the Uni swim team. It started as something of a mild inside joke, or perhaps a niche team meme. Whenever something unpleasant happened, or a particularly pronounced L was taken, one especially humorous response could be to say that belongs in the trash -- with Norm!. Given that Norm’s persistence in the face of insurmountable odds is a quality we can all aspire to, he soon developed into a team inspiration as well. In addition to the classic words of inspiration -- You got it! Go! Keep it up! -- we added another: Do it for Norm!.

            Even as our practices have transferred to the ARC, far away from Norm’s final resting place in the trash can at the corner of UIAC, his memory has stayed with us. Instead of fading away, Norm only seems to become more significant as the swim season goes on. It’s become a staple of our team cheers, and a shockingly effective one at that. Whenever there’s a difficult set at practice or challenging race at a meet, most people eventually tune out the yells of their teammates. But a single shout of Do it for Norm! will nearly always result in a grin on the blocks or one more burst of energy to fuel a fast set.

             Which is an interesting thing if you think about it because a dead cricket in a trash can is not an inherently inspirational entity, and nor is a random inside joke, really. But somehow Norm has gained the power to inspire us all on a daily basis. We say it’s because Norm represents perseverance (he teaches us to always keep going, no matter how many times you’re hit by a sandal!) but when we hear the phrase Do it for Norm no one’s thinking of the literal circumstances of the legend. And in fact there isn’t much special about the legend at all: there was a bug on the pool deck, someone (almost) killed it, someone else then threw it in the trash. So the question remains: what does it mean?

            On the surface, it means nothing. But I suspect that’s precisely why it means something to us. To be really unnecessarily philosophical, we’re a swim team without our own pool, and as such our season is a lesson in making something out of nothing. We learn how to alchemize pool-hopping practice schedules into fast race times, early morning alarms into team bonding at breakfast, and most importantly, how to transform people who might otherwise have barely waved at each other in the hallways into a close-knit group. In this sense the Norm phenomenon is the purest expression of the true Uni Swim spirit we could have hoped for. No one person created Norm; instead he came into being as the result of the team spontaneously turning a mundane situation into a hilarious one. The real meaning of Norm, then, is a reminder that it’s easier to make something out of nothing with others than alone. Easier to turn a bad day at school into a better evening at practice; easier to turn 3-hour-long bus rides into constant and riveting conversation; and easier to turn a school sports team into the one thing I'll miss the most when I graduate.