High school swimming doesn't get a whole lot of pub on the HSSTM blog, so I feel it necessary to let you know just how crazy it can be.

Last evening, I went up to Hamilton Southeastern where the Royals, the No. 1 boys and No. 2 girls, were hosting a four-way meet with Carmel (No. 1 girls and No. 4 boys), Fishers and West Lafayette.

It was a relatively innocent trip, just to drop off some copies of our new January issue, and certainly wasn't the first high school swim meet that I've attended. It was probably the 50th, so none of what you are about to read came as a surprise to me.

I got there about 5:15 with the meet scheduled to start at 6. The stands were already half full and would later fill to hold about 300 spectators. I stood on the deck just having come-and-go conversation with Royals coach Andy Pedersen, HSE co-athletic director Greg Habegger and Fishers co-athletic director Jon Miles.

The start time quickly approached, and that's when the fun began. I looked at my watch and it read 5:53, which was the punctual time that the HSE boys team began its pre-meet chant.

When I say chant, I mean chant. If you've been to a swim meet, you know what I'm talking about. The Royals were in their home pool and wanted to let everybody know that they were there defending their turf.

Of course you can't understand a word of the chant, but that's not the point. And soon after the HSE boys were through with their display, the girls team took their turn and began an intricate calling of their own.

The girls are a little bit more creative, I have to say, including several hand gestures and mini dances along with their message. But once the HSE teams were done, were any of the visiting teams going to respond?

Have no doubt. Up next was Carmel, as their boys team got together for their own yell fest. Keep in mind, all of this overshadows the beat-box of several top-40 radio hits blaring loudly over the PA system.

The vaunted Carmel girls team next took their turn, clapping along with the beat as they let everybody know that they're in attendance. Fishers was next, but I never officially heard anything from West Lafayette.

The highlight of the pre-meet festivites had to come from one of the Carmel boys, as "Souldja Boy" played for everyone to hear. This guy, a taller fellow with curly hair and probably a senior, stepped onto the narrow deck that splits the competition pool from the diving pool. He went ahead and completed the "Souldja Boy" dance for everyone to see, much to the approval of his teammates.

This isn't the only place that this atmosphere shows up, but it's certainly one of the better places to attend a swim meet. Both Hamilton SE and Carmel have built high school and club programs that most could only dream of. It's intense and they have helped make it that way. At HSE, they made a move to put a set of bleachers on the deck right next to the action. Why? So that the Southeastern Swim Club youngsters can sit close and get an idea of what they aspire to be in 3-6 years.

It's events like this that make my job fun. I recently had a parent ask me what my favorite sport is to cover, and the first thought in my mind was football...because I've been a football junkie forever. But then I thought about it a little more, and it's really things like this swim meet that make you realize what high school athletics is all about. Especially with swimming, you've got such a tight-knit community and support system that just makes things a little more memorable and unique.

Just another Thursday evening on the high school circuit. By the way, the Carmel girls and HSE boys won the meet.