Hour of power: Panthers relay for cancer

ORANGE, Calif. – In an effort to raise awareness and money for cancer research, the Chapman University swim team will dive into the pool on Tuesday afternoon simultaneously with collegiate and high school swimmers all over the nation and across time zones. The Panthers "Hour of Power" will begin at exactly 2 p.m. PST on Nov. 9 at the Allred Aquatic Center. 

Some 40-plus Chapman swimmers will participate in the fifth annual "Leave it in the Pool Hour of Power" relay. The swimmers will be doing continuous relays of any stroke for the entire hour. This event was started in 2006 in memory of Ted Mullin, a member of the Carleton College (Minn.) swim team who passed away from Sarcoma – a rare soft-tissue cancer.  

The event came to Chapman in 2009 when graduate film student David Nonberg joined the Panthers' men's club swimming team. Nonburg, who now serves as an assistant coach at Chapman, was a teammate of Mullin's at Carleton.

"It used to be that only Division III schools participated in the event," said swim coach Dennis Ploessel. "In the past three years, the 'Hour of Power' has grown to the point where schools from all divisions, club teams and even high schools are involved."

Money is raised solely through donations and sponsorships. Any contributions will be donated to the Ted Mullin Fund to research causes and cures for Sarcoma in young people. To find out more information about how to donate to the cause, contact the Chapman swimming office at (714) 532-6034 or dploesse@chapman.edu.

by Robert Flicker
Sports Information Intern