Hey from down South! So my summer has been pretty boring. I’ve been swimming and working basically everyday with 
the occasional travelling to visit family and attend swim meets. Anyways I’m working at my mom’s daycare again for the fifth, and hopefully last summer. I work with about 30 kids each day, playing games with them, taking them to the beach, and working with them on their reading and math skills. The kids range between preschool and 6th grade and are hilarious! Swimming wise it’s been a tough summer. After not swimming since states and getting my tonsils out, I finally got back into the pool at the beginning of June and have been swimming everyday. My club coach has been extremely tough and very determined to get me back in shape before I come back up to Troy. The “fun” part of his coaching is that we have been swimming in a 30-yard pool all season, which is extremely difficult. (You’d be surprised at how much harder it is to a swim a 1,980-mile than a 1,650 mile and still try to be within 15 seconds of your best). Besides swimming and work, I’ve just been lounging out on the beach, travelling to Pittsburgh and Ohio to visit family and sleeping. Lots of sleeping. Can’t wait to see all of you in a few weeks! -Barb

#MotivationMonday

Did you know it took Rob 2 days of standing in the pool lobby and chickening out, before he actually approached Maria and asked if she would teach him how to dive. She walked past him one of those days and he proceeded to look at the ceiling before hurrying out the doors.

Hey guys! So I've been asked to write up a blurb for the blog today so I'll tell you about my summer! I have been living in Troy all summer which has been quite the experience. I moved into my new apartment which was lots of fun an a total adventure. The landlord let my housemates and I do whatever renovations we wanted to I got to paint my room and rip up the carpet (woohooo!!). But in all seriousness its pretty exciting to have a place of my own and some super awesome roommates.
I have also been working out some and definitely diving like crazy (you know me, can't get enough ). And to top it all off I have been interning at GE Global Research Center over in Niskayuna. I currently work there full time for the summer as their Environmental Health and Safety Intern. It has been just the most amazing incredible experience. My job has multiple different facets to it. A lot of it is working on the day to day operational stuff...reporting water tests to the state, keeping track of hazardous waste, making sure we are up to regulations etc. I also work with our emergency response team on occasion - usually for special projects - so I tend to help out our fire chief and deputy lieutenant with various tasks around campus. 
The last part of my job has a lot to do with special projects that come up around campus. This is the part that I honestly can't tell you a whole lot about (security stuff) but I'll try my best. This is where if there is an emergency, regulation change, or state audit I get to step up and make sure things get done to the point to meet what the state and various government agencies require. For example, if we need to remove PCB material, then I get to make sure that we follow all the rules and regulations the EPA, DEC, and DOT have set out as well as set up with the emergency response team what we will do in case something goes wrong. So yeah! Work has my head spinning 90% of the time but honestly it is so amazing. And to top it all off I have been finding out what incredible towns Troy and Albany are too! Lucky me got to see the Styx and Foreigner in concert (I still can't believe that) But anyways, yeah its been a ridiculous summer full of everything and I hope y'all are having just as much fun and adventure as I am managing here back in Troy. Can't wait to see you soon! 

--Maggie Cullather

Never stop working hard, you are unstoppable. #MotivationMonday

Recently Matt's Vine made it onto Comedy Central, who knew we were swimming with a celebrity! #FunFactFriday

Hey everyone! Greetings from Troy! This summer has been pretty laid back for me but I'm still lifting and swimming and doing what I need to do; it's my last year so I gotta go big or go home...graduate...hopefully not end up back at home...

Anyways I'm working with the captains to plan an awesome start of the year BBQ so we can have an afternoon of fun and get to know the freshmen before the year starts! We're also doing our annual trip to the racetrack one of the school weekends so get excited for these two super fun swim team events (yay team bonding)!

As far as workouts go I can say that I work out every weekday, and do something fun every weekend aka cruising around on my beach bike! I've been lifting twice a week and doing cardio everyday but have unfortunately run into some back problems. This week I even got the have these cool knife shaped (but not sharp!) things prodded into my back...something about stress...probably shouldn't worry about it (bad stress joke). Right now is the time to really start getting back into the swing of things with swimming. If you haven't gotten in the water at all you definitely should. Captains practices will be here before you know and you'll be a lot happier not dying, trust me! Hitting the ground running will not only keep you from drowning during test sets, but also give you more time to get better, faster and stronger!

Marissa and I have been having a blast at 2218 and have recently added crafting and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movies to our routine. Were looking for more movie ideas so if you have any send me a list!! Summer in Troy has offered a lot of opportunities for me in my research department. I'm even helping a PhD student who is getting a patent! I've been doing a lot of manufacturing and making prototypes, but when the whole job gets finished I'm most excited to see it in the real world, oh and add it to my resume #jobstatus.

Miss you guys!

- Ellen

Sorry there haven't been any posts yet this week.

Here is your Motivation Monday, on Thursday

Keep working hard #MotivationMonday

Did you know Kathleen can sing classical and opera, may next bus ride she can show off these talents. #FunFactFriday

I have been asked to write a blog post about my interesting daily adventures. Unfortunately, my daily adventures aren’t very interesting and consist of drifting from one job to the next, with an occasional trivia night at the Recovery Room. My trivia team has consistently been placing 4th and we haven’t won a single thing.

I managed to get a research position for the summer with Dr. Lee in the Chemical Engineering Department. I have been doing a lot of CAD for Dr. Lee. Yes thats right, chemical engineers doing CAD. We are investigating various polymer crystal structures and the shapes they make. I have been drawing these shapes and printing them using a 3D printer. Fun fact: It was shapes like these that were used to design the Water Cube in Beijing. Who knew they weren’t just bubbles! Soon, we will start working in the lab synthesizing nanoparticles for a completely different project.

In addition to research, I am coaching this summer at Uncle Sam, Rob and Meg’s age group team. I help out with all age groups from teaching lessons to 4 year olds, to coaching the senior level 18 year olds. Coaching has definitely been a great learning experience for me. My favorite punishment has become swimming with a weight vest. Unfortunately, most of the kids I coach aren’t quite big enough to do that, so I often have to downgrade to smaller ankle weights. My goal for the summer is to teach legal breaststroke kick to a girl name Mikaleigh, who has spent years trying to do it. I am super psyched for the coaches relay at the last meet of the season. USAM is the 2 year defending champ of the 200 medley relay and Marissa, Meg, Rob and I are planning on keeping up our streak!

If you are following the lift Drew gave us (he will be missed) you are on break this week. I don’t know about you, but I really needed that break. I was losing more and more motivation every time that 6:30 am alarm went off. But what kept me going was this: David Gardiner is lifting 3 days a week and swimming regularly, and he recently completed a triathlon. If David Gardiner is doing all that, I better get my ass out of bed. Enjoy the summer!

-DC

David Gardiner has been staying in shape this summer and recently competed in a triathlon, how are you staying in shape? #MotivationMonday

Did you know Ellen once traveled to the moon, in a cardboard box she decorated with crayon? #FunFactFriday

My Fellow Americans,

 Happy Independence Day! I hope that everyone has been keeping busy and enjoying the lack of school! Fortunately, due to a lengthy job search I ended up celebrating that freedom since school ended. I now have two full days of work under my belt, so I am a pretty big deal. Continuing with me being a big deal my 21st birthday is on Saturday and plan on going out with my brothers. Now onto swimming, it is not yet halfway through the summer and I am super excited to get back and start my final season. I am so excited in fact, that I haven’t been in the pool since States, but I hear good things about it! Since the school year ended I have been going hard in the weight room and have already put up new maxes in squats, db bench, and deadlift. Speaking of lifting, the new news on the team is that we are going through our fourth strength coach in four years. For those of you who are experiencing your first change in strength coach, don’t worry, just keeping working hard and everything will work out (see what I did there?). Enjoy the rest of your summer and I can’t wait to see you all in the fall. 

You stay classy RPI Swim & Dive, I’m Adam Kalish?