May 8, 2009

BY Mike Sheridan

Villanova Media Relations

For those not far removed from their college graduation, it is the kind of fanciful notion that comes up often in conversations between friends.

"What if?"

At a point in life when the possibilities seem endless and the prospects tantalizing, it is hard not to contemplate the kind of exhilarating excursion that will remain with you forever. For some, that could be a stint in the Peace Corps. Others might take a trip through Europe.

For a group of former Villanova swimmers, however, the answer lies in a unique journey to a body of open water that has tested well-conditioned athletes for generations.

At some point in the last week of June, Tori Delollo, Trista Felty, and Kiersten Rosenberg are scheduled to take to the chilly waters of the English Channel for the kind of challenge that stands alone among open water swimmers. At approximately 2 a.m., they will begin a relay that is expected to last from 15-17 hours. In the process they will be swimming for another friend and former Villanova swimmer, Lauren Schulman, whose diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis in 2007 helped turn their flight of fancy into something more personal and profound.

"We're excited," says Rosenberg, a 2006 Villanova alumnus who now works as a nurse. "I've never done anything like this but we the reason we want to do it is for Lauren. She's been amazing and this is a really great way we can make a contribution to the fight against MS."

Make no mistake, this is not merely a matter of three former Wildcat swimmers chartering a small craft and diving into the deep waters. There are a host of regulations and fees to address before anyone can begin to contemplate being certified for the task. In addition, there have been countless hours spent building a web site, raising funds and trying to spread the word. The swim, in fact, will be the culmination of more than two years of planning and preparation on the part of the trio, all done while they work on building their own careers outside athletics.

"It's difficult at times with all of our schedules being so hectic," notes Rosenberg, "but it's exciting at the same time."

The roots of the effort were born in March of 2007. Delollo, a 2005 Villanova alumnus who excelled in the backstroke while swimming for coach Rick Simpson, attended a sports psychology seminar at Temple University while working on her master's degree. The speaker that day was a paraplegic man who detailed some of the many seemingly unreachable athletic goals he had achieved.

One of those he mentioned was an attempt to swim the English Channel.

When she returned to the apartment she shares in Philadelphia with Felty and Rosenberg, she asked the question so many in the post-college demographic do.

"What if?"

"I came home and threw the idea out to them," she recalls. "They were like, `are you crazy?' They were probably a little shocked."

It would not be the last time the concept raised eyebrows. But over the course of the summer months, the tone changed. As they chatted in their home, the possibility became more intriguing. However, it took the news of Schulman's diagnosis to galvanize daydream into action.

"When we heard about Lauren we wanted to help in any way possible," states Delollo. "We thought swimming for the MS Society would be awesome."

Schulman, like Felty and Rosenberg, is a 2006 Villanova graduate. The Stony Point, N.Y., native was a distance freestyle swimmer in her college days who had moved smartly into a busy life before learning in August of 2007 that she had MS. Her friends and teammates speak glowingly of her work ethic and attitude in confronting MS - she now assists with her local National MS Society Chapter and is planning to accompany her friends to London for the swim in June.

"Lauren's been there for us through every step of this," says Delollo.

When the plan was first formulated the hope was that the swim would take place in 2008. But there are a number of administrative hurdles that any group wishing to swim the channel must clear. It was then decided to aim for 2009.

In the interim, the group has been busy. There is a web site devoted to their quest (www.mswim.wordpress.com) and they have been in frequent contact with the National MS Society. In addition, they have reached out to friends, former teammates and others through a Facebook group. Last month, there was a successful fundraiser held at a Philadelphia restaurant.

There were other elements to put in place as well. A charter boat and the services of a channel-savvy pilot have been secured. Transportation and lodging is set too. Still on tap is a two-hour qualifying swim that must be completed, which is likely to take place later this month. And each swimmer was required to undergo a physical examination.

"When I handed my doctor the form to fill out the first time he kind of gave me this quizzical look," says Rosenberg. "Then when I brought it back he said, `oh, you really want to do this?'"

Of course, the final part of the equation is the swim itself. Wet suits are not permitted and tales of sea-sick swimmers in the notoriously choppy waters of the channel are the stuff of swimming legend. Even for proven veterans of pools around the BIG EAST, those 21 miles are a considerable challenge made more rigorous by the fact no member of the group has much open water experience.

"We each fit in our workouts when we can," says Rosenberg, who swims with the Villanova Masters club whenever her nursing schedule allows. "The fact that we have been swimming for most of our lives does help."

"I feel good about where we're at with our training," adds Delollo. "The only thing we're a little bit nervous about is the cold water. Until you get in there and feel what that's like, there is an element of the unknown."

The exact date of the swim will be determined by the weather conditions. The tentative date is June 29 and it will then be up to the pilot of the boat to decide to go then or wait for another chance that week. Once the call is made, the boat will undock literally in the middle of the night - the swim will begin at 2 a.m., when the channel is most calm. Each swimmer will then be in the water for 60 minutes before giving way to a teammate and spending the next two hours on the boat.

There are a number of variables, not the least being the weather. Seasickness can be issue, not just for those swimming but the passengers on the boat. It is in many ways a test of mental as well as physical fortitude.

These will be a busy six weeks in advance of the attempt. The group is planning to swim at Martin's Dam with a collection of Villanova swimmers after Memorial Day and is also hoping to get some miles in on Long Island Sound. There will be pool workouts as well. And even seemingly small details matter.

"They have told us to take cold showers once a week, blast the air conditioning when we are in the car, sleep with the windows open and that kind of thing," Delollo says. "Anything we can do to help us acclimate to the cold water."

It is clear that the countdown to "What if?" is well underway. For these former Wildcats the prospect is both exhilarating and, at times, slightly intimidating. But at those moments when each may ponder the physical challenges they are to face in the waters of the English Channel, it doesn't take long for any one of them to recall what this is really about.

"It's so much better that we can think about Lauren when we are doing everything we are doing instead of just talking about how cool this would be to do for ourselves," says Delollo. "It's really Lauren who we are thinking of. It's definitely a great feeling to know we are doing this for a specific cause."

The plan is for Schulman to be on board the boat as her friends and former teammates take to the water.

Perhaps then, this is not so much about "What if?"

More accurately, it is a story of "For Whom?"

For more information on the effort by the three former Wildcats to swim the English Channel visit www.mswim.wordpress.com.