Christopher Doser is a Senior, earning degrees in Math, Music Education, and Saxophone Performance.
What is it like to jump between the two campuses all the time?
How do you manage your time?
It is difficult but fun! I love both campuses. I live on the river campus, and often think of my “workday” taking place at Eastman and my “more casual workday” taking place at U of R, where I also swim on the swim team. Managing time is really difficult, and the one thing I try to focus on is being productive in short snippets of time, like reading a book (or taking a nap) on the bus, practicing saxophone for 20 minutes, or finishing one homework problem at a time instead of sitting down for hours. I also try to make time to talk with and get to know as many people as I can, because I think that’s important too!
Have you ever had a conflict between an Eastman event and a team event?
How have you dealt with this?
Yes, and I usually talk to the people who are involved and work out a compromise. Everybody is really supportive of what I do, and I’m lucky to have coaches, teachers, and colleagues who I consider very good friends and role models.
Why is the swim team is important to you?
The swim team is so important to me because of the people. I have made some great friends through the team, and the relationships we’ve developed through racing together on relays and individual events will last a long time, and I’ll always remember them. There’s nothing like finishing a great practice – even if it’s really really hard and you don’t want to do it – and then sitting on the wall of the pool chatting with the guys. They’re a great crew and I wouldn’t be as successful without them.
What is your favorite memory from the team thus far?
My favorite memory from the team is my sophomore year at our UAA championships, the 800 free relay. The guys in the relay were Dan Napolitano, Evan Jones, James Frauen, and me. It was the end of the meet and we were all exhausted, and the four of us were swimming the last event, the 8 free relay. I just remember DNap pumping us up for the relay, and then we went up there, and we swam incredibly… faster than any of us thought we would. It was a school record relay, and being up there with those guys for those 6ish or so minutes, was awesome. It went by so fast, and we were just in the moment. I’ll remember those feelings! That moment, and lots of others, gave me a true sense of what it means to be on a team. We worked together and because of each other, gave more than we thought we could or had in us.
Does your family come to your meets?
Yes, my family has always tried to make it, and it means a lot to me. We’re a swimming family in a sense: my older brother swam, and my younger brother swims currently (and is going to in college). It’s cool to share a sport with your family, and the support we all give each other. It’s something I am always grateful for.
How does your commitment to the team affect your academics?
Can I take a pass on this one? 🙂
Any sport requires a lot of time and commitment, and swimming is no exception. As a student athlete, you are challenged with working your academic schedule around your athletic schedule, and that can always be tricky, especially when a swim practice makes you really tired out! Once again, it is a matter of balancing. In many ways, swimming makes me more efficient with my work, because I have less time to do it! Especially in the off season, it is often times harder to get work done because you waste more time just because you don’t know what to do with it. The sport keeps me in check.
Have you had the opportunity to travel with the team?
Yes, we have traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois for some meets, and will be going to Georgia this spring. Traveling with the team is fun because we have some traditional movies we always watch and the bus rides home are always exciting..
Chtchekine is a member of the class of 2016.
