Reeling It In

There are going to be moments in every team's season that will contribute to it's ultimate success or demise.  Think of any team you have made an impact on.  Your perception of the team being "worth-while" or "fun" or "successful" ultimately depends on the approach the individual takes for the greater good of the squad.  I recently come across this video and thought it was one of the more interesting displays of camaraderie that I had seen in quite a while.  I hope you enjoy it; if nothing else, please admire the athletic ability of the human salmon.  Then ask yourself: "how much must this team enjoy each other's accomplishments or truly embrace the sport they play?"

It didn't feel any warmer than yesterday morning, no matter what some silly thermometer might indicate.  This morning, though, was a big step in becoming a stronger group.  Maybe it was just the mindset that we've already conquered our alarm clocks once so we didn't need any more mental preparation or rehearsal for this practice.  Knowing there are more physical demands in store, the Bison put together 130 minutes of great training.


The beautiful sunrise glistens over the Bison on Wednesday morning.

 The bright spot in the morning did not necessarily come in setting new records, saving a member of the ecological community that roam the campus, or getting to sleep in.  As far as performances go, this was our finest of the four we've had in the water so far.  There was a moment in practice when one could feel the group of swimmers make the collective decision that each would push the teammate next to them to the point of physical success.  We made the choice to take on more challenging intervals, shaving seconds of each 50 and operating in a more meticulous fashion that we had all season. 

There were, indeed, leaders of the group how earned their reward as our three stars of the morning, as well as our Prime Popcorn Practice Performer:
#3 - Chelsea Andrews - continues to get stronger after first 3000 yards.  Excellent work in main 2000 set that included fast 100 fly splits (7.)
#2 - Kelvin Goodman - having an outstanding few days, setting the bar higher in freestyle intervals to set himself up for great breaststroke sets (7.5.)
#1 - Damjan Strbac - under control and operating under fastest intervals out of entire team.  Looked stronger and more aggressive in final 1200 set (8.)

And as we become more like the Icelandic soccer team (if you didn't watch the video above, that won't make sense,) we will, undoubtedly, run into more obstacles that prevent us from gelling.  This practice served as a justification as to why it's so vital for a team, no matter how individual the sport may operate, to work together and enjoy the journey collectively as well as individually.  Without the team, we would just be floundering fish reeled-in one-by-one.

Paying Its Dividends



Some of the Bison exit at the scoreboard
end ready to dive back in to finish the 100

This afternoon had to be at least 25 degrees warmer on deck than when we departed the facility this morning around 9:15AM.  The sun was out in full bloom and looks to be making return visits throughout the week.

Our third practice session, and most challenging of the three thus far, really took a toll on the swimmers.  The various challenges that included climbing out of the pool in the middle of 14x100s as well as extending oneself in the final 50 of a handful of 300s, presented a number of new demands on our team that they may not have experienced at any given point this season.  By the team the practice in the water had concluded, the team's arms looked heavy and legs out of steam.

When we exited the water, we undertook a 20-minute dryland circuit that was aided by a partner.  We'll be spicing-up the dryland routines a bit in future afternoons, but today's exercises will be felt by the time the Bison tuck-in for this evening.

Here's a look at our three Prime Popcorn Practice Performances for this Tuesday afternoon:

#3 - Ashley Goins - give the senior credit for boldly requested to get some time on the boards when another NATIONAL team was practicing (and getting them to remove the flags.)  Goins went through a 100-minute practice with very little help, including a little peak at her skills(back 1.5 somersault w/half twist) in the video above (6.5.)

#2 - Monique Major - took every set seriously and paid careful attention to breaststroke pull-outs and closing speed in all 100s and 200s (7.)

#1 - Steven Lott - the junior finds his name on here for the second time today after leading the team in almost every one of the 14x100s and finding a way to make a challenging interval for the main 2800 meters (7.5.)

Tomorrow is a new day with new obstacles and opportunities to leave your imprint on the Florida Experience.  We'll get some rest and be ready for tomorrow morning.  Thanks for checking in with us...

Grade A Morning

It was a balmy 35 degrees outside the FGCU Aquatic Center.  The sun had yet to peak itself over the eastern shoreline, but the Howard Swimming and Diving team emerged from their peaceful slumber and arrived ready to go to work at 6:30AM.
We stretched and did some ab work, which will be the norm for most of our mornings at FGCU.  Despite the difficulty of the practice being elevated from yesterday afternoon, the Bison were quite eager to get into the water with the temperature on deck being about 40 degrees cooler than in the water.


As the sun begins to rise, the Bison plow forward with the glaring focus of their Midwestern namesake.

Throughout the week, we will be incorporating a grading scale for each swimmer based on their performance and commitment to achieving a higher standard of excellence.  Individually, everyone will receive a mark out of 10 points.  The top three performers will be posted on this blog site with the overall practice champion receiving a Practice Champion Popcorn Chalice (engraved in Sharpie with their name, date and accomplishment.) This durable, plastic, dishwasher safe goblet also comes with a microwave bag of premium buttered popcorn.

This morning's top three performers:

#3 - Steven Lott - great job w/free kick set, staying underwater the longest - nice effort in 4x125s to close the morning (score of 6.5)

#2 - Kelvin Goodman - got in a nice rhythm immediately after warm-up - terrific IM set including overtaking lead in lane (score of 7.)
#1 - Chelsea Andrews - very focused in pull set, gained strength throughout main IM set - took command of set in final 35 minutes of practice (score of 7.5.) CHELSEA IS OUR FIRST EVER CHALICE CHAMPION in HU HISTORY- Congratulations!

According to Al Roker, we've survived the coldest day of our trip, which most of us find to be super news.  We're back in the water at 2PM...dryland to follow...

We've Made It to Fort Myers!

After two weeks away from each other and a bus ride through most of the winds of the East Coast, at 3:25PM EST, we arrived in beautiful Ft. Myers, Florida.

Throughout this week, we hope to provide a sneak peak at some the sights and nuances of our rugged training, cohesive team-building and life and vigor that our squad brings to every opportunity.

Today, the wind was humming on the Florida Gulf Coast pool deck, but the water temperature was a very comfortable 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We were a bit late arriving to SW Florida, so we could only get about 3300 meters in, but it was a good start. After practice, we checked back into our hotels, ate, bought some groceries and are now ready and prepared for tomorrow morning's first practice.