The Third Annual



Miriam snapped one of the finest photos on this trip, an action shot of Round II of Hoover Ball.  Can you spot the medicine ball just above the net?

Happy 2012 everyone!

The turn of the calendar marks the conclusion of the most brutal stretch of practices for our young Bison swimmers.  Our short course yards workout featured a traditional set that we've done for all three Florida trips.  This year, though, a new wrinkle was incorporated.

16x50s...

25 Swim...

Climb out...

Odd 50s = run around the 25-yard pool (where we are swimming.)  These are on 1:30.

Even 50s = run around the 50-meter pool (next to the yards pool.)  These are on 1:45.

Dive on the side where you removed yourself...

25 Swim...

Repeat

The disciplines for each of the 50s varied, as well:

#1, 5, 9, 13 = Free Swim

#2, 6, 10, 14 = Lengthy Underwater Kick

#3, 7, 11, 15 = Non-Free Swim

#4, 8, 12, 16 = Free FAST 
The efforts were impressive and the strongest executed round of this ritualistic set we've ever done.  When the final 50 was over, we looked incredibly spent, yet only halfway through the practice.  We had a lot to be proud of for those 800 yards of swimming and close to 1000 yards of jogging, but it would take quite a bit of mental toughness to persevere through the remaining practice.


We survived the final 55 minutes, complete with 50 sprints for the 100 freestyle group and intense pace work for our 200 stroke group and 1650 quadrangle.  Our arms were heavy and our heart rate was doing overtime.  We swam right until our 3PM deadline before giving way to the Lady Wolverines of Michigan, who had a front row view of the great efforts from our Howard swimmers.

As a side note, I want to personally thank Mr. Jim Richardson, head coach of the Universiy of Michigan Women's Swimming and Diving. Michigan routinely followed our practices both in the morning and afternoon and Coach Richardson was especially complementary and genuinely impressed the workload and focus Howard Swimming showcased this week.  If you read Coach Richardson's feats, it's quite clear he has a wealth of knowledge and experience.  In the handful of conversations he and I had, he consistently mentioned the importance of bringing members of the team who have good character and good grades.  "Fast swimming is important, but it's closer to fourth on the list than first," he told me. 

Team Trent (in tropical stripes) gets ready to receive the toss from Team Kelvin (flexing, foreground)

Now it was time for HOOVERBALL!

If you've never heard of Hooverball, here is a quick explanation of the game.  We may have slightly modified a few of the rules, but the backbone of the game was well in-tact.  When played at its highest level, Hooverball is a gritty workout that moves at a rate as fast as competitive volleyball.  Naturally, out team did not disappoint with their efforts or willingness to show great strength for the good of the team.

If the medicine ball could talk, it probably would say, "Wow, these Bison throw me with such purpose."

We played first team to score 15 points in a match, win by 2 points to conquer the match. 

Our first match was a classic, an 18-16 roller coaster of athleticism by all participants.  Our second contest ended a little quicker, with the winning team from the first match taking the second match, as well, by the score of 15-8.

Here are the notable work-horses from this afternoon's regiment:
#3 - Camille Dykes - led the Lady Bison for close to all of the 16x50s, including the running portion around both pools.
#2 - Shaianne Johnson - during her main set of distance freestyle practice, Johnson blazed 8x200s - all sprint after having just done 4x300s of technique and drills.  We Hooverball heaves were very impressive, as well.
#1 - Lauren Anthony - Lauren came on this Florida trip last season, as well, and the strides of success she has made are incredible.  She posted some excellent times in her 50 sprints and showed superb self-discipline during our main 16x50s.

Soon it will be time to have some dinner and brace for the fireworks signifying the end of 2011.  The trip is coming to a close, but we still have one day to leave a lasting impression from the Ft. Myers experience.