Last night's workout was especially hard. And it was my night to get picked on by the Coach. Constantly yelling at me in between swims, and such.
This morning, we had our usual weight circuit. However, the weight trainer was ornery that morning, and if he catches anyone doing anything wrong, or not putting enough effort, we start that station over.
It was my turn to get picked on in weights today. "Everybody stop! Edge! You're not doing it right! This is how you're supposed to do it!" (And I'm mentally noting, 'Dang it! That's how everyone else was doing it...I didn't know!') And many girls send piercing glares in my direction. Later..."Everybody stop! Edge!...." He's always watching me. I see lots of girls slacking at other stations, being lazy...
And all I want to say to everyone glaring at me....
"baaaaaah!"
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Leapin Coaches!
Warning: I'm diverging "confidential" information. A captain told us all not to say anything about tonight's practice. But I thought it was a good experience and lesson learned.
Tonight's practice was...interesting and exciting. That's pretty much all I can say to sum it up.
We had to do the 20x25 underwater dolphin kick again. This time we just kept starting over, we didn't get kicked out this time! Many of the people who struggled last time did much better this time.
However, (here comes the exciting part) the coach loves to play mind games. If he noticed anyone who was struggling, he'd wait for them to get to the wall, then hold them down for a few extra seconds underwater. I'd look up, and he'd be at the opposite end of the pool, and he dunked all these people! I was very intimidated, and worried that I might find my head being dunked underwater when I need air...However, that intimidation was in vain. He never came to my lane. :)
While waiting at a wall, the next thing I know...I see the coach leaping, in midair, and land in the pool. He pulls off his jacket and looks determined.
He came to my lane too late, but when I was looking, he'd get in people's way, stop them, cause them to work even harder, forced them to focus and keep going...
My dad told me not to worry too much about this coach. He seems like he knows what he's doing, and apparently no one has died from his workouts. Well...I'm sort of worried now. A swimmer on our team, who struggled last time, ended up in the hospital. Coach never touched him, and the swimmer is fine (honestly, I think he's a mental case).
But our team did the whole set today! (We did about 40 total...)
Lesson learned: If you're not performing up to standard, the coach himself will jump in and make sure that you do.
Tonight's practice was...interesting and exciting. That's pretty much all I can say to sum it up.
We had to do the 20x25 underwater dolphin kick again. This time we just kept starting over, we didn't get kicked out this time! Many of the people who struggled last time did much better this time.
However, (here comes the exciting part) the coach loves to play mind games. If he noticed anyone who was struggling, he'd wait for them to get to the wall, then hold them down for a few extra seconds underwater. I'd look up, and he'd be at the opposite end of the pool, and he dunked all these people! I was very intimidated, and worried that I might find my head being dunked underwater when I need air...However, that intimidation was in vain. He never came to my lane. :)
While waiting at a wall, the next thing I know...I see the coach leaping, in midair, and land in the pool. He pulls off his jacket and looks determined.
He came to my lane too late, but when I was looking, he'd get in people's way, stop them, cause them to work even harder, forced them to focus and keep going...
My dad told me not to worry too much about this coach. He seems like he knows what he's doing, and apparently no one has died from his workouts. Well...I'm sort of worried now. A swimmer on our team, who struggled last time, ended up in the hospital. Coach never touched him, and the swimmer is fine (honestly, I think he's a mental case).
But our team did the whole set today! (We did about 40 total...)
Lesson learned: If you're not performing up to standard, the coach himself will jump in and make sure that you do.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Mind Games
The entire swim team got kicked out of practice today.
Yes, my coach loves playing mind games with us. And if we're not focused, we'll get kicked out.
Unfortunately, when I look at all this in retrospect, I can't help but smile.
I know I'm supposed to be serious, and I am, when I'm at the pool. But just reflecting back on how the whole team stresses out and gets irritable with each other....after getting kicked out, the girls get really shrill in the locker room, wanting their opinion to be heard. I'm just a little deaf freshman, so I hear nothing, really.
All I see is red faces and serious expressions.
Ba ha!
Yes, my coach loves playing mind games with us. And if we're not focused, we'll get kicked out.
Unfortunately, when I look at all this in retrospect, I can't help but smile.
I know I'm supposed to be serious, and I am, when I'm at the pool. But just reflecting back on how the whole team stresses out and gets irritable with each other....after getting kicked out, the girls get really shrill in the locker room, wanting their opinion to be heard. I'm just a little deaf freshman, so I hear nothing, really.
All I see is red faces and serious expressions.
Ba ha!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
English
My first "big" essay in English is due on Monday.
I found the story I wanted to write on, got it all organized, and made a fantastic claim.
Here's the problem: I've already written a smaller essay on this story. And for some strange reason, my Professor remembered my essay and some of the arguments I presented in it. And he felt inclined to bring it up during the lecture.
So.
He remembers my essay, I've already written on this story.
Maybe I will have to challenge myself, and look for something new in a new story.
I don't like to recycle when people are watching.
I found the story I wanted to write on, got it all organized, and made a fantastic claim.
Here's the problem: I've already written a smaller essay on this story. And for some strange reason, my Professor remembered my essay and some of the arguments I presented in it. And he felt inclined to bring it up during the lecture.
So.
He remembers my essay, I've already written on this story.
Maybe I will have to challenge myself, and look for something new in a new story.
I don't like to recycle when people are watching.
"Stress Stage"
Well, the Coach likes to do everything in stages of three weeks. Last week was the third week, so our first stage was over for swimming.
This second stage we're now in he likes to call the "stress stage." "Apart from practically drowning you in the pool, I will work you really hard in dryland."
Dryland ain't too bad. You are given a number, and there's about seven groups. You're randomly grouped together. The very first stage is with the Coach. It's a simple preschool game of "simon says." Only it's hard, since you do pushups, jumping, etc., and if you do anything out of line or wrong, you go back to the end of the line, to try again. Everyone in your group has to be perfect. If you pass that stage, you head over to Ron, who works mostly on legs, running, jumping, etc. After that stage, you work on core. Push-ups, bridges, mountain climbers galore! It is definitely the hardest stage of them all. If you successfully pass that stage, you work on abs. That's pretty hard too, but nothing is hard like push-ups or bridges. If you pass that, you are rewarded by starting all over again.
I've always ended up in the group that actually does well and goes the furthest. Some groups never pass the simon says stage. But both times, my group has to go through it three times! Sometimes I wish we weren't so great, because those other stages are MUCH HARDER than silly simon says.
Anyhow, on to the swimming. Today was our first really "stressful" set. In normal swim practices, you are given a set, you finish the set...wait around for coach to tell you another set to do.
Today, the workout was much different. No rest at all in between intervals, so you have to really listen when you're on the wall.
If you don't leave on time, or if you don't perform as well as they'd like, or if your technique is getting sloppy, you're kicked out from the rest of practice. You're not allowed to linger, get off the deck, and don't come back.
The first few people to get kicked out didn't swim fast enough for the 200 all out.
Later in the workout, we had to use snorkles. I've never used snorkles before. I swallowed so much water, and I started panicking, because I wasn't getting any air. I struggled through that, lasted a couple more sets, but I just could not breathe and was waterlogged.
So when we were told to do 4x25 on :30 all underwater dolphin kick, I died on the first one and got kicked out.
Sorry, but a body has to breathe!
Afterwards, in the locker room (I was one of the last girls to go in), the girls were all stressed and mad that they didn't get very far. "We should go and do dryland to punish ourselves!"
"We should do extra after practice tomorrow"
"STOP SMILING! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MAD AT OURSELVES!"
"Well, who's going to do dryland with me? We have to show Coach that we want to work hard."
"No, that's stupid!"
Angry glares and stares...
I didn't do the extra dryland. I don't believe that's the point of this stress stage. I know I did my best, I went far as I could, hard as I could. And I will give my best each and every day. Just because I didn't get far as I wanted today doesn't mean I'm going to punish myself. I see it as a foundation. I got this far today. Maybe I'll get a little further next time. I'll keep working at it, and learning, and growing. I gave it my best shot, and that's pretty much the most you can do.
Tomorrow I'm going to walk in there with no regrets, no anger, and work my heart out again. And since I'm supposedly doing this for fun, I am going to smile. Whether you like it or not. Not enough people smile around the pool these days.
This second stage we're now in he likes to call the "stress stage." "Apart from practically drowning you in the pool, I will work you really hard in dryland."
Dryland ain't too bad. You are given a number, and there's about seven groups. You're randomly grouped together. The very first stage is with the Coach. It's a simple preschool game of "simon says." Only it's hard, since you do pushups, jumping, etc., and if you do anything out of line or wrong, you go back to the end of the line, to try again. Everyone in your group has to be perfect. If you pass that stage, you head over to Ron, who works mostly on legs, running, jumping, etc. After that stage, you work on core. Push-ups, bridges, mountain climbers galore! It is definitely the hardest stage of them all. If you successfully pass that stage, you work on abs. That's pretty hard too, but nothing is hard like push-ups or bridges. If you pass that, you are rewarded by starting all over again.
I've always ended up in the group that actually does well and goes the furthest. Some groups never pass the simon says stage. But both times, my group has to go through it three times! Sometimes I wish we weren't so great, because those other stages are MUCH HARDER than silly simon says.
Anyhow, on to the swimming. Today was our first really "stressful" set. In normal swim practices, you are given a set, you finish the set...wait around for coach to tell you another set to do.
Today, the workout was much different. No rest at all in between intervals, so you have to really listen when you're on the wall.
If you don't leave on time, or if you don't perform as well as they'd like, or if your technique is getting sloppy, you're kicked out from the rest of practice. You're not allowed to linger, get off the deck, and don't come back.
The first few people to get kicked out didn't swim fast enough for the 200 all out.
Later in the workout, we had to use snorkles. I've never used snorkles before. I swallowed so much water, and I started panicking, because I wasn't getting any air. I struggled through that, lasted a couple more sets, but I just could not breathe and was waterlogged.
So when we were told to do 4x25 on :30 all underwater dolphin kick, I died on the first one and got kicked out.
Sorry, but a body has to breathe!
Afterwards, in the locker room (I was one of the last girls to go in), the girls were all stressed and mad that they didn't get very far. "We should go and do dryland to punish ourselves!"
"We should do extra after practice tomorrow"
"STOP SMILING! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MAD AT OURSELVES!"
"Well, who's going to do dryland with me? We have to show Coach that we want to work hard."
"No, that's stupid!"
Angry glares and stares...
I didn't do the extra dryland. I don't believe that's the point of this stress stage. I know I did my best, I went far as I could, hard as I could. And I will give my best each and every day. Just because I didn't get far as I wanted today doesn't mean I'm going to punish myself. I see it as a foundation. I got this far today. Maybe I'll get a little further next time. I'll keep working at it, and learning, and growing. I gave it my best shot, and that's pretty much the most you can do.
Tomorrow I'm going to walk in there with no regrets, no anger, and work my heart out again. And since I'm supposedly doing this for fun, I am going to smile. Whether you like it or not. Not enough people smile around the pool these days.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Blindly (and deafly) swimming.
This morning's workout was interesting. We did a moderately hard set, we had to count our strokes per length. Then the coach gave us all masking tape. We had to tape over our goggles, so we couldn't see a thing. We were told that we're going to do a 25 sprint, from a start, finish with a turn. We counted our strokes, and we're experienced enough that we should be able to make the turn perfectly. We line up behind the blocks, and he tells everyone to put on their goggles. So I try to remember that I'm the third person in line.
I hear two separate splashes of water, so I know that I must be up now. I get up on the block, (remember I'm blind and deaf). The next thing I know is I hear a splash, and the coach yelling "GO!!!" I throw myself into the water, and totally ran into the lane-line. Oh, and I missed the wall. Flipped about 5 yards out. But apparently, that was the story with everyone.
Second attempt: I actually swam straight, but still missed the wall exactly 5 yards out.
Third (and last) attempt: I throw caution to the wind, decide to go all ALL out. I won't count my strokes like coach told me to, and just flip when I feel like it's the right time. What's the worst that can happen? A bloody nose? A lane-line burn? Face-plant into the wall? Heels hit the wall? Not too bad....
I swam my hardest, and I felt like it was time to turn. I did, and lo, and behold! My feet hit the wall! I blast off, and I hear cheering from the other girls who finished before me. I looked up, and noticed Coach looking at me, nodding his head in approval, then turning to talk to the assistant coach.
Uh...but I didn't count my strokes...is that bad?
The rest of the time, we did lots of drills dealing with starts and jumping, all the stuff I always struggle with... The drills of the diving board were probably amusing to watch.
I hear two separate splashes of water, so I know that I must be up now. I get up on the block, (remember I'm blind and deaf). The next thing I know is I hear a splash, and the coach yelling "GO!!!" I throw myself into the water, and totally ran into the lane-line. Oh, and I missed the wall. Flipped about 5 yards out. But apparently, that was the story with everyone.
Second attempt: I actually swam straight, but still missed the wall exactly 5 yards out.
Third (and last) attempt: I throw caution to the wind, decide to go all ALL out. I won't count my strokes like coach told me to, and just flip when I feel like it's the right time. What's the worst that can happen? A bloody nose? A lane-line burn? Face-plant into the wall? Heels hit the wall? Not too bad....
I swam my hardest, and I felt like it was time to turn. I did, and lo, and behold! My feet hit the wall! I blast off, and I hear cheering from the other girls who finished before me. I looked up, and noticed Coach looking at me, nodding his head in approval, then turning to talk to the assistant coach.
Uh...but I didn't count my strokes...is that bad?
The rest of the time, we did lots of drills dealing with starts and jumping, all the stuff I always struggle with... The drills of the diving board were probably amusing to watch.
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