Kutztown excited for Alaskian adventure

KUTZTOWN, PA. (October 30, 2009) – Kutztown University senior Steph Jeppesen (Bethlehem/Liberty) and junior Kerry Choplin (Thorofare, NJ/West Deptford) have visited some pretty exotic places in their lives between them: Jamaica, Costa Rica, Denmark, Hawaii, Texas and Florida.

However, neither one of them have been to Alaska, the largest state of the United States of America by area – until now.

Alaska is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait.

Jeppesen and Choplin will be among a group of 16 Kutztown women swimmers competing against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks on Fri. Oct. 30 and Sat, Oct. 31. The Golden Bears departed for their cross-continent 4,228-mile trip Thursday morning. By the way, for those who would consider driving from Kutztown to Fairbanks, it’s only a 72 hour, 55 minute trip.

Despite taking three flights, the team is pumped for the opportunity to swim in the 49^th state.

“This is definitely going to be a different experience,” Jeppesen said. “This will be an opportunity to bond with each other. It’s definitely good to do some traveling.”

To be sure, the Golden Bears will face additional challenges besides a strong Alaska-Fairbank squad and bone-chilling cold temperatures. Friday’s high temperature was expected to be 22 degrees and Saturday’s high is scheduled to be 19 degrees. Fairbanks is located 125 miles from the Arctic Circle.

They will have to get used to the 4-hour time difference. As soon as they retrieve their luggage from the Fairbanks airport, they will head straight to the pool to workout and get the muscles moving after a flight itinerary that would make any travel agent happy.

The Golden Bears are flying from Philadelphia to Minneapolis then from Minneapolis to Anchorage and finally from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Altogether, the total time with layovers and such is roughly 16 hours.

“I can’t wait to go,” Choplin said. “I’ve been out of the country before and I think this is a really good experience for us because I think this is going to bring us closer together as a team. It should be a lot of fun.”

Kutztown swimming coach Tim Flannery is happy for the chance, but he is treating this journey like a business trip. It’s an opportunity to swim against a quality opponent and face some adversity. They plan to get in some sight-seeing.

“This is going to be a stresser for my young ladies,” Flannery said. “They’re going to be tired but they’re going to have to overcome that to swim at a high level. This meet is a good way to prepare for PSAC championships and such. Even next weekend (when KU hosts Indiana and Bloomsburg), is going to be a challenge because the ladies are going to be tired. This is a good opportunity for us and we’re looking forward to it.”

The Golden Bears have gotten off to a solid start posting a 3-1 record. Alaska-Fairbanks swept California (Pa.) two weeks ago to even its season record at 2-2.

This trip had been planned for quite some time but when it became a reality Choplin was pleased. Choplin’s International Studies class has spent part of the semester discussing Alaska and the effects of global warming on its climate.

“I was blown away when I saw the trip on our schedule,” Choplin said. “We are looking to swim well.”

The Golden Bears will swim Friday night at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. They are scheduled to arrive back in Philadelphia around 1 a.m. Monday. Fans will have a chance to see Alaska-Fairbanks when it visits Kutztown for a meet on Monday Jan. 18 beginning at 1 p.m.