This past January while some Wesleyan students were on campus racing to J-term classes, slipping on ice and braving freezing temperatures, others students were in sunny Florida. Eleven students from Virginia Wesleyan, under the supervision of Dr. Kate Loring and Dr.Mary Beth Saunders ventured south to the Florida Keys. There they experienced an unbelievable J-term swimming with dolphins. Their destination was the Dolphin Research Center, a not-for-profit education and research facility located on Grassy Key, in the heart of the Florida Keys. The center is built around a natural saltwater lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico, and it is home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. The staff has created the best possible environment for the animals. The center is dedicated to assisting marine inhabitants in distress from the surrounding waters of the Keys. They rescue and rehabilitate dolphins and provide them with expert medical attention. The DRC also gives the public a chance to learn first-hand about the world of dolphins. To prepare them for their dolphin encounter, the VWC group attended a series of educational seminars which covered such topics as environmental concerns and marine life.

Participants felt it also heightened their awareness about the importance of protecting our oceans. They watched a video of a dolphin swim session that instructed students on proper behavior and protocol when in the lagoon. They learned that dolphins have their own language and communicate among themselves. Dolphins respond to hand signals as well as verbal commands. Loring said, "We learned to think of each dolphin as an individual." Each dolphin has a name and a distinct personality called their dolphinality. Finally the students were ready to take the plunge. They were introduced to the dolphins from the dock. Each swim session lasts 20 minutes, which is the average time of a dolphin’s attention span. The group described the dolphin’s skin as rubbery, yet silky and almost Jell-O-like. Katie Rouse had a wild ride on her dolphin. It swam to the dock so fast she almost lost her bikini top. Heather Blicher said, "I am a very shy person. I’m always worried about what people think of me. The dock was full of people, yet when I got in the water with my dolphin, I lost all my inhibitions. I became unaware of everything around me. When I grabbed the dorsal fin of the dolphin there was a total connection made between us. It’s hard to explain. I was in another zone. This experience has changed my perspective on life."

"Tursi was one of our favorite dolphins," said Kristin Tillman. "She loved to jump and make noises and scream with her mouth wide open." Tursi was born at the center, and her parents were two of the five original "Flipper" dolphins. The group got very attached to Cindy, a 20-year-old bottlenose dolphin. She suffered from an abdominal illness and had been sent to the facility for their special care. They watched the staff administer massage therapy to her. Her ailing body was contorted and humped in pain. The trainers encircled their arms so she could rest in them, and her body would go limp in their loving care. It was a very moving and emotional experience for the students to witness. Two other dolphins in the group would often swim over to show their concern for their family member in distress. Sadly, after the group returned home, they received a call saying that Cindy had died. They felt grateful for the time they had shared with her. Dolphins are used in therapy with physically and mentally children and adults. Therapy sessions have been used with children suffering from cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and autism. One child with cerebral palsy had never spoken. He said his first word, "Anna," which the name of his special new friend, after having a dolphin encounter.

It has been discovered that time spent with dolphins can help humans expand their speech, increase motor skills, reduce stress, and keep their attention focused on specific tasks for longer periods of time. Ashley Peterson would like to study dolphin child therapy as a Therapeutic Recreation major. Tillman, who is currently studying Psychology and Animal Behavior at VWC, would like to do an internship there. The students were required to keep journals to capture the warm, sun-filled days of this memorable trip. The group agreed the time spent at the center was absolutely thrilling. It seemed almost magical when dolphin and human spirits merged during the swim. For now, at least, they may not need the journals to recall memories of their swimming adventure with the dolphins. The trip was both unbelievable and unforgettable. For more information about the center visit: http://www.dolphin.org.

How does the song go? Oh yeah. "She wore an itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, yellow polka dot bikini." Well, maybe that was fine in the 80s. But no way in the year 2000. Now it’s all about style, who’s got it, and who THINKS they’ve got it. Pretty soon we’ll be heading for the beach, but don’t forget to take your bathing suit! You pull it from the bottom of your drawer and realize that there is no way you’re fitting in that suit again. What do you do? Get the credit card and run for the nearest mall. Sophomore Kristen Bown says, "Bathing suits are always overpriced, and I don’t have the time to go around trying to find one that I like and that fits right." Anna Scott, a sales associate at Bikini Hut, says, "The newest thing in swim wear this year is a takini, which is a mix between a bikini and a tank top. It is still a two piece, the difference is the top is designed like a tank top."

"Bikinis are being cut a little fuller, and a lot of them have skirts to go with, them too, this year," says Scott. As you dart past one shop after another, you are filled with the crucial questions: What kind of suit do I want? What if they don’t have my size? Am I going to be able to pay my credit card bill? Freshman Jason Cholewa says, "Guys only need to buy bathing suits once every 10 years. We only need new ones when ours fall apart, or we lose them." STOP. There it is. Your destination. So many suits, so little time. Junior Erin Heischober talks about shopping for a bathing suit: "It brings out personal insecurities unless I find one that fits me and that looks good on me." Oh, what to do. RACE. RACE. You only have two hours to find the perfect suit. Scott says, "The colors this year are very vivid. They’re really bright, colorful and very flattering."

"How many do you have?" asks the sales associate. "Lets see, three, eight, 12, 18, 22, ah, I have 31." I’m sorry you can only take three in at a time, replies the sales associate. Great! Oh, well. It doesn’t matter. There’s no obstacle that can bring me down. I WILL find the PERFECT bathing suit. Let’s see what I have: two pieces, one pieces. No, I wouldn’t forget about the thong. Heischober explains: "A thong bathing suit for me? Definitely not. But if it looks good on someone, they should go for it." Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, but if you do decide to wear a thong bathing suit, please take some extra precautions, and keep in mind that they are illegal on Virginia beaches.