Meet Andrew...

1.    Name:  Andrew Bellows

 

2.    Zodiac sign:  Pisces (very fitting of a swimmer)

 

3.   Hometown: Cumberland, RI

 

4.    Your favorite stroke: Backstroke

 

5.    Lane you swim in and why your lane is better than the other lanes on the team: 

I swim in Lane 6.  I wouldn't necessarily say that my lane is better than the others.  I think we have a great group of swimmers in Lane 6 who motivate each other in practice, like to have fun and at the end of the day are some of my closest friends.

 

6. 6.   Tell us a little bit about your aquatics/sports background? 
   

I grew up in a very competitive family, with everyone doing some sort of sport, from swimming to tennis to baseball to golf, which probably explains why I am very competitive.  I started swimming competitively at age 7 in a summer league as a dare and started swimming year round the following year.  Eventually, I landed at Attleboro Bluefish (the same team as 2008 Olympian Elizabeth Beisel) and actually against Justin Burkhardt in numerous meets.  I was All-Conference and Massachusetts All-State in high school in the 500 Free and 100 Back, where I earned a varsity letter all four years.  I competed for American University for two years, and after a 9-month hiatus, I've been swimming for DCAC ever since. 

 

7. 7.   When and why did you join DCAC (any interesting stories associated)? 
   

I  joined DCAC in May 2001, which seems like ages ago.  I joined because I knew some people on the team, Neill Williams, Christina West, Matt Holder, through my swimming days at AU.  Friends of mine wanted me to join because they knew I still wanted to swim.  It wasn't necessarily that it was a GLBT team that drew me to DCAC, but that it was a very supportive and competitive team with an incredible group of people who were on it, regardless of abilities.  And I think it was the best decision I have made, swimming-wise.  It's the team I've swum on the longest in my 22 years of swimming.

 

8. 8.   What is your favorite kind of swim set/workout and why?
   

My favorite type of swim set/workout are IM-based.  They are exhausting, but, they allow you to work on all four strokes and get you to think about technique and body position.  And, it's probably the only time I would willingly swim butterfly.

 

9. 9.   Do you compete, if so, what competitions are you planning on participating in the next year?
   

Yes, I compete every year.  I am currently planning on swimming in the PVLMSC Last Chance Meet at Wilson in December, the UMBC meet in March (even if it is my birthday weekend), Swim for Life and the Gay Games in Cologne.  Other than that, I will look at the schedule and see where I'd like to swim.

 

10. 10.    Do you have any swimming/sports goals for the coming year?  If so, what are they? 
    

Definitely I want to swim well in Cologne.  And I want to break WonKee Moon's SCY team record in the Men's 30-34 100 yd backstroke.

 

11. 11.   What do you love most about swimming? 
    

Relays.  Swimming can be a very individual sport.  And often times at meets, you're forced to race against yourself because you're racing with people of various age groups.  But, with relays, it becomes a team atmosphere and you can share the sense of pride with winning with teammates. 

 

12. 12. What do you dislike the most about swimming? 
    

Jumping into cold water.  After all these years, it doesn't get any easier.  And, I don't have very much insulation to help that.

 

13. 13.   What's in your night stand drawer? 
    

Miscellaneous stuff, but nothing surprising or shocking.  That's all in a box under the bed.

 

14. 14.   Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, or Kristen Stewart and why? 
    

Taylor Lautner.  Have you seen him in GQ this past month?  I feel dirty just even saying that.

 

15. 15.   Ever "date" anyone on the team past or present?  Care to elaborate? 
    

Nope.  The team can be like a sorority.  Enough said.

 

16. 16.   Anyone you want to date on the team?  Care to elaborate? 
    

No comment, though applications are being accepted to be my first lady.

 

17. 17.   If you could be anyone else on the swim team, who would you be and why? 
    

It's not a specific person, but a type of person and that is the teammate who has never swum or trained competitively before joining DCAC.  It takes a lot of courage to take up a sport, particularly as an adult, and particularly swimming.  I swim now because I've always been swimming.  I don't know if I would be if I hadn't been doing it for so long.  I have a lot of admiration for that type of swimmer.  As someone once said about me, they don't think I would take up anything I wasn't proficient in, and they are probably correct.

 

18. 18.   Please describe DCAC in three words or less:  
    

Incredible, supportive, fun

 

19. 19.   What is something that most other people on the team don't know about you? 
    

It's hard to answer since I feel that so many people know me, but I have an identical twin brother.  (Sorry guys, he's straight ... allegedly.)

 

20. 20.   How sick are you of these questions right about now?  
    

They got me out of 30 minutes of actually working ... so that's a plus!