It’s 5:34 a.m., and senior swimmer Lindsay Barwegen’s alarm is going off. But instead of doing the easy thing and hitting the snooze button and rolling back over, she gets up, gets dressed and is at the pool by 5:45 to warm up for a 6:00 practice.

This is how Barwegen’s day begins nearly every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of what is supposed to be her summer vacation.

She is not alone, though. Several members of the swimming team regularly participate in these early-morning, voluntary practices, which is something Barwegen says makes it easier to get out of bed.

“It’s good — you feel obligated to be there,” Barwegen said. “You don’t want to let everyone else down.”

Sophomore Lucy Lindsey said the team governs itself a lot like a coach would.

“We all know it’s not as intense as it is during the season, but if someone’s not there you notice it,” Lindsey said. “And you might have to say something to them at the next practice.”

The 6:00 practice lasts for two hours, but it doesn’t end there. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they also practice for two more hours in the afternoon and find time to lift weights in between. They even have a two-hour swim on Saturdays.

But even with all the hours spent in the pool and in the weight room, Barwegen says swimming has become less demanding in college.

“It’s actually easier in college,” Barwegen said. “In high school I had practice from 5:30 in the morning until 7:30 every day and then again in the afternoon. So it’s really not as much time in college.”

Lindsey takes it one step further. On top of attending the practices, she works at a local pool, giving swimming lessons and lifeguarding for four to five hours a day.

Lindsey said not having a summer vacation is something swimmers are accustomed to.

“There’s not an off-season for us,” Lindsey said. “But we’re all used to it by the time we get to college.”

With the season still more than two months away, it would be easy for Barwegen and Lindsey to wonder if all the off-season training will have a positive impact on the team or if it will cause some of those practicing this summer to get burned out.

But according to Barwegen and Lindsey, the work is necessary to the team’s success, and they also said taking time off could have a negative impact.

“The work shows up in October and November,” Barwegen said. “If you don’t do it now, it hurts you late in the season.”

Lindsey said the performance of the swimmers during the season shows how hard they worked in the summer.

“We’re going to know who put in the work in the summer once the season starts,” Lindsey said. “Whether they did with us here in Raleigh or they did at home, it shows when the season starts.”