Dear President Wright,

 

As a graduate of the Dartmouth athletic community (Women’s Basketball 1994-1997), I am disheartened and concerned to learn of your recent decision to terminate the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs at the end of this athletic season. 

 

            I have benefited immensely from experiences in Dartmouth College athletics, and credit many of my fondest memories to time spent at Thompson Arena, Alumni Gym, and at the various fields and practice facilities.  I built friendships with fellow classmates that lasted long after practice each night, and that continue to be just as strong today. 

 

            The Dartmouth community, and its athletic community in particular, are special. Anyone who has participated as a Dartmouth College athlete, males and females alike, believe this to be true.  The unique intimacy established at the College, and shared amongst its athletes, is truly remarkable, allotting for tremendous successes, both on and off the field. 

 

Athletes at Dartmouth have achieved amazing records and accolades over our collective careers and, moreover, athletics have given women an important venue to display our strengths.  No team or individual led that charge; instead, our accomplishments were the result of the collaborative energy, determination, understanding, and camaraderie throughout the Dartmouth athletic community.  I can remember looking up into the stands on a cold winter’s night, in the middle of a snowstorm or during exams, to appreciate the many faces of other Dartmouth athletes, my friends, there in support of my team. Their presence was genuinely welcomed and helped my team to carry on. 

 

As a roommate of a former member of the swimming teams, I was a first-hand witness to the unbelievable dedication they ungrudgingly exhibited day after day.  Wrapped in their huge parkas, I heard the swimmers exit our dorm rooms or apartments each morning, before dawn, for the first of the day’s two practices, only to thank them later for helping me stay awake to study during the wee hours of the night. Somehow, despite this maddening schedule, Dartmouth swimmers still attended game after game to cheer their friends on other teams, the same way we did for them.  It didn’t matter what sport we played—we were all Green.

 

  Dartmouth College swimmers and divers are a rare breed.  On the surface, each is modest, mild-tempered, and humble—some might even be described as shy. Submerge them below (or just slightly atop) the water’s surface, however, and their humility morphs to scrappiness, their modesty explodes into competitiveness, and their shyness into gregarious fervor. These former classmates who have always reveled in being the underdogs inspired (and continue to inspire) those around them to want and to do more. It must have been something in the water.

 

The people I know who have formed the Dartmouth swimming and diving programs embody the strength and perseverance that which Dartmouth prides itself, and I cannot sit idly by and let this decision be made without voicing my undying support for the continuation of these programs. I can only hope that the decision to terminate these programs was not based solely on the number of wins and losses produced by these men and women who have sacrificed so much.

   

The success of Dartmouth College Athletics can only be as strong as the parts that make the whole.  By terminating the swimming and diving programs, you are making a mockery of past, present and future Dartmouth Athletic traditions and triumphs. Most importantly, you are mocking the soulful encounters and friendships I have experienced while attending the College. I strongly urge you to reconsider this decision and to realize the lasting impact that Dartmouth Athletics- each and every team- has on the reputation, character and integrity of the College.

 

Sincerely,

 

Deirdre Driscoll (in conjunction with Erin Rath)

Class of ‘98