The Give and Take

The goals for Thursday afternoon's workout regiment were simple:
1) Recreate facets of races for Day I of Conferences
2) Dynamic execution during breakouts after all turns and takeoffs
3) Make the dryland regiment sizzle the core

We stretched the warm-up to cover three sets, concluding with butterfly kick work and butterfly tempo training.  That first 3400 yards of practice were very well done by the group - our most focused and precise work for the first half of practice while in the Sunshine State.

From there we split into three groups catering towards either the 500 free, 200 IM or 50 free.  The effects of training rigorously  for the fourth time in 30 hours were beginning to take its toll on the young Bison swimmers.  Certainly this was the highest quantity of distance and anaerobic we've done in a 2-day window.  There were a handful of team members that took control of their practice and set the tone for their teammates.

Dryland in full effect ... two appropriate messages on Janai's and Bri's backs

We tightened the screws a bit during dryland.  There were 5 physically demanding activities designed to strengthen the core and shoulders.  Just like yesterday, the encouragement and energy were extreme.  The exercises, though, demanded a longer amount of work for one individual while the partner recovered from his/her taxing routine.

1) Burpee Pullups...30 sec. on, switch, 30 sec. off - done 6 times
2) Sit-ups with Med Ball Extension, Throw - 3x25throws
3) Med Ball Jumps with Shuttle Runs - 3 times
4) Med Ball Pushups with Shuttle Runs - 3 times
5) Hanging Roman Chair - 3x5crunches

There were three Bison that were proficient from warm-up through each dryland exercise:
3) Briana Dillon - Bri's morning was very good, but her afternoon was marvelous.  Had some superb breakouts to jump start freestyle sprints.
2) E'lan Brewer - Really took to a leadership role during practice and justified her words with fantastic efforts with the sprinters.  Dryland execution was her best for the trip.
1) Ben Skelding - In a zone of utter focus and execution throughout the day...dominated the challenging intervals for IM and led the way during dryland. 

Determined to win "Best abs in the CCSA"

Our reward for such a great practice is a visit to our friendly Super Target.  It has been a whole 2 days since we last visited the grocery store and getting more food was essential.  Hopefully this sustenance will at least hold us over until our New Year's Eve dinner.