Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thursday August 25th 2011

Here in Salt Lake, its just as high up as ever...hasn't changed much in that regard - nope. We are still adjusting to the altitude and the faster ice. Its pretty discouraging so the challenge is to not let it get to your head. Its pretty sick training with J.R. Celski again (I saw him in Cali briefly). He's real cool and his technique is amazing. He's back from his time off and getting back into shape so he's not going THAt fast but he just looks soooo smooth. Skating behind him is positively educational - he wastes no energy and is fluid and carries his speed...well, like one of the best in the world!

  Salt Lake is so strange in its climate. Its a desert so its crazy dry, thus the 95degree and up weather doesn't seem that bad. Yesterday, there was this one little dark cloud that shimmied over our house and hung there. Everywhere around us was perfectly blue sky and it was pouring rain on us with whipping winds. It was pretty cool. Speaking of weather, its looking like its gonna be pretty tough to get home with Hurricane Irene coming up the east coast. Everyone please wish me luck!!! i'll need it.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sunday August 21st, 2011

You're never gonna believe it! We went to the Pirates game today and caught a Home Run ball!!!!!

  http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_08_21_cinmlb_pitmlb_1&highlight_content_id=18268641&c_id=pit

  You can see in the video above how it landed pretty close to us but then bounced over several hands including mine before Cole caught it in his mitt. That was in the first inning after a short rain delay. We left in the seventh inning when it started to pour again. Pretty great day! So happy I stuck with the hastle of getting the tickets online. The Pirates lost the game after the rain stopped and we were long gone on the highway but it wasn't about winning or losing. It was a nice day at the Ballpark - Mann, that feels weird to say being a Yankees Fan and having experienced the excitement in the crowd at (the old) Yankee Stadium. Its so funny. The Pirates havn't been over 500 (in winning percentage) in something like 15 seasons. It showed as the fans seemed completely unchanged when the Reds got a three-run homer in the sixth inning to go up by one. Its a super nice stadium. Because its so small, there isn't one bad seat in the house.

 We leave for Salt Lake City tomorrow evening getting in around 11pm. Any suggestions for adjusting to high altitude?

  

Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday August 5th, 2011

Yup yup, he's breathing. He's alive! Its a miracle ladies and gentlemen...

  This week was even harder than last. The last workout of the week this afternoon, the 7 lap cross country run culminated probably the hardest week of my life. I made it through without whining to K though and in the long run, I'm sure I will be happy. This week had lots of fireworks. Top skaters were kicked off the ice due to attitude problems, injuries (however fake or real), blade problems, lack of focus resulting in too much talking, and there were a plethora of crashes ( I was in one this morning). Everyone is obviously extremely taxed as the summer training takes its toll. Consistency is the name of the game. Ahhhhhh, the week is over and I have TWO full days to rest for Monday.

  Time to relax, do some school, practice the cello, stretch, hang out, maybe see a movie, and get ready for another week. I'm still standing tall, which is something to be proud of no matter how I do this season, but unless I am mistaken, I will be very proud of how I do this season as I am stronger, more durable, and technically better than ever.

  Enjoy Yourselves! Its Friday!!!


  

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tuesday August 2nd, 2011

This is the dead of summer, the "Dog Days" as they say. The whole summer's training is in my legs, in my head, in my psyche. Its hard not to get completely discouraged when every morning, I step on the ice and immediately know I won't be doing anything spectacular today. No,  will have to do the same monotonous, methodical, level-headed technique work because my legs are fried. They have no snap, no zing, and no endurance. Stiffness and fatigue rule. haha The only thing that keeps me going is seeing that Cole and Lexi are just as bad. John-Henry starts skating again tomorrow. He has been doing tons of one-legged cushions (where you go up and down to basic position, a ninety degree angle of the hamstrings and back of the calf).  All the other guys and girls that are here just for parts of the summer are dying as well but I don't compare myself to them since they are on such a different schedule. My goal now: To make it through the week without complaining to K about how tired I am and how whatever the drill he assigns, my first thought is usually negative and reluctant. This is it. This is the home stretch of Summer Training. This is what they were talking about when they said at the output "You're gonna be dying" or "You might not make it" or "You're definitely gonna snap at some point". My goal is to not get angry with K and remember that however much he pretends not to know, he does know how tired we are and he does take it into account. He just knows that it doesn't matter because in the end the same truth still holds:  the harder you push yourself, the better you'll be.

  Got two new grades back in school and they were both an A! One was for a lesson of American Government and the other was for my new course, Literature of the Future, for which I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I had to write six different 5 paragraph essays. Now I am reading The Andromeda Strain by Micheal Crichton. Its real nice to have some literature to keep my mind multi-dimensional ...if only occasionally. The cello is the real key to that.

  Bon appetite and Goodnight!