It’s Time for the Hour of Power

Photo Courtesy: Carleton College

By Olivia Wile, Swimming World College Intern.

Cancer is a diagnosis that nobody wants to receive – especially not those in college. So when sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, took the life of Ted Mullin on Sept. 3, 2006, his Carleton College coaches and teammates were quick to act.

What is the Hour of Power?

The Ted Mullin “Leave it in the Pool” Hour of Power Relay for Sarcoma Research is an annual fundraiser that supports the Ted Mullin Fund. The event consists of an hour of all-out sprint swimming, using any stroke, in relay fashion. The catch: all lanes must stay on the same lap. The inaugural “Hour of Power” was held on Nov. 7, 2006, and the event is still going strong today.

Carleton College’s head coach Andy Clark says the fundraiser began as a way to bring awareness to sarcoma but has grown into something much larger:

Initially, it was a way to create awareness of a disastrous disease that strikes an age group that’s basically college-age and younger in a very terminal way. The whole goal here is to spread that awareness of sarcoma and really the limitations we have in understanding this disease in terms of treatments, cures and ways to fund research.

Since the first Hour of Power, the Ted Mullin Fund has raised over a million dollars. Proceeds from the event are donated to support sarcoma research at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Ted_Mullin_Carleton_College_Hour_of_Power

Photo Courtesy: Sarah Rubinstein

Remembering Ted Mullin

It’s difficult to lose anyone to cancer, but Clark says Mullin’s passing was especially challenging for both himself and Carleton to cope with: “It was devastating. Losing a friend, a teammate, someone that you cared and loved dearly, especially at a point in their life. You’re not looking at your endpoint yet: you’re looking at what your next chapter is going to be.”

Clark says that Mullin was a strong contributor to the team both in spirits and talent, making his loss even harder to deal with. “To lose someone as genuine and as historically big as Ted was to our program was a huge, huge hit; that was a tough one to cope with and understand.”

However, during this difficult time for the Carleton community, Clark says the group used the tragedy as a way to make a difference:

I think the Hour of Power was a way for our team to cope with his loss and a way to try to make a difference. We couldn’t save Ted, but we can try to save others and certainly create the opportunity that lives can be saved by the efforts we put in the pool, especially on this special day.

Photo Courtesy: Carleton College

Making a Difference

This year, over 150 teams and 6,600 athletes participated in the Hour of Power. Clark says it has been exciting to watch the event grow over the years.

“Since our first in 2006, it’s been exciting and certainly inspiring to see the growth,” explained Clark. “Just the sense of support and involvement from other teams – to me, just the level of care – has been incredible to witness.”

Though no one on his current roster had the chance to know Mullin, Clark says that both his team and the participating teams still swim hard in his honor:

It’s great to me to see these kids, certainly nowadays on our team since no one knew Ted, swim with the same compassion, effort and attitude that the first generation did. We see that come not just from our program but from all programs who are involved in this Hour of Power.

Clark emphasizes how thankful Carleton College is for all of the support given to this cause over the last decade:

I would like to express a big level of gratitude and thanks to all the different teams and programs who have been involved over the years. Carleton, and certainly the swimming team, is in debt to all these programs who are helping sustain and promote this great event that’s helped a lot of patients.

To learn more about Ted Mullin and the Hour of Power, or to donate to the foundation visit the site b clicking here.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

*An earlier version of this article referred to Carleton College’s head coach as Andy Wolf, but the coach’s name is Andy Clark.

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