Cape had gotten about four inches of rain over the past few days, but a cold front moved through, dropping the temps down into the mid-teens and low 20s. That sets the stage for my assignment to cover a swim meet in the basement of Academic Hall on December 10, 1966.
My equipment had been sitting in the car for most of the day, so it was at the same temperature as the air, let’s say 20 degrees. I walked into the heated air of an indoor swimming pool where the humidity approached 100%. The first thing that happened was that the lenses fogged over with condensation. It took almost half an hour before the equipment warmed up enough that I could SEE through the lens.
Camera froze up
After about six shots, the camera locked up hard. It wouldn’t fire; it wouldn’t advance; it was dead. I gambled that I had at least one usable shot and headed for Nowell’s Camera Shop. (The first shot above ran in the paper, so I got my $5.) (Click on the photos to make them larger.)
Mr. Nowell opened it up and said that there was as much condensation INSIDE the camera as there had been on the outside of the lenses. All that moisture turned the dust inside the camera into mud.
I might have used that as an excuse to buy a new Honeywell Pentax body while he was fixing the frozen one.
Pool records, like my camera, were broken
You can read the whole story about the meet in The Missourian. It says that SEMO won the meet against Drury and Culvert-Stockton. The 400 medley relay team of Dave and Dan Ranson, Hal Bliggenstorfer and Dennis Lorch set a new varsity and pool record with a 4:24 time.
Arnold Moore set a varisty and pool record in the 100 freestyle with 13:40.6 and Charles Stevenson was timed in :29.4 in the 60 freestyle. Lorch also set a freshman, varsity and pool record in the 150 individual medley relay when he was clocked in 1:51.2.
Photo tip of the day
Your winter photo tip of the day: Do not leave your cameras out where it is cold, cold, cold, if you are going into somewhere that is hot and humid, humid and humid.
Arnold Moore set a varisty and pool record in the 100 freestyle with 13:40.6…This was probably the 1000 yardd free style. The old pool was three lane 20 pool that would produce 3 foot waves in the pool as soon at anyone jumped in the thing. I was like swimming in a bath tub with mix master turned on high!
Not place for quick times or fond memories. The New Parker Pool was way nicer, even if the girls kept the water at 85 degrees whenever possible and 85 degree water will tire you very quickly if you are really working out hard in the water.
You are doing a really good thing here. The archive you have should be preserved and published. Thank goodness we no longer have to buy a tank car of ink to make that happen.
Thanks, Keef. It’s a good thing I DON’T have to buy a tank car of ink to make it happen. I couldn’t afford a fountain pen of ink.
I think that is me in the far outside lane. It would be the 200 free which was right after the medley relay. I’m not sure if there was a meet on the previous weekend. If not that was the first event I swam in college. The first meet was usually the first week in December. That was most likely my second meet.