University of Minnesota Athletics
Kittilstad's Men's Swimming Training Trip Blog: Day 9
1/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Follow along with senior men's swimmer Jacob Kittilstad as he charts the Gophers' annual two-week training trip to Hawaii. The physically grueling trip also allows the Gophers to spend some time in the sun as they prepare for the stretch run of the 2009-10 season.
Saturday, January 9
This was truly a great day. It began as many other single days do…with a difficult morning practice. The sprint guys did Geronimo, a set comprised of interval paced 100s and fast 50s. This was more than enough to drain their energy level to that of a sloth’s for the remainder of the day. On the distance side, we did a VO2 max set made up of 200s and 100s followed by a wild kick set involving multiple equipment changes. After that we did weights and made plans to go to Makapoo (that beach with the offshore island some of the guys swam to).
We got back to the 444 and a troop of men led by Michael McBroom went off to get a hearty breakfast at Panda Express. Because the sun disappears early behind a mountain at Makapoo, our set departure time of 12:30 was a little late but we would not be dissuaded from going. Bill ended up ditching us to go do God knows what and Mike Natali took over as driver of our 15-passenger van.
The drive to Makapoo is beautiful. We take a oceanside road on a cliff almost all the way there. Looking out to the horizon we saw water spouted into the air by whales. I couldn’t tell you what kind, we were so far away, but it was still pretty awesome. I’d never seen whales in person before. We parked in a roadside space overlooking the beach and took a steep path down to the sand. Most of us quickly made our way to the water and jumped around in the waves, attempting to bodysurf. After realizing the waves were breaking far too dangerously for us to ride them effectively (and one jellyfish attack on Larold Formosa), we devised a new way to have fun in the water.
Picture this: 13 in-shape, college-aged men sitting together with linked arms facing the waves engaged in an epic battle of red rover with the sea. The game would start easy. A small wave would hit us and our butts might sink slightly into the eroding sand. Next, a larger wave might push all of us onto our back sending our feet into the air. Wave after wave will hit us until the line begins to bend and curl around. This is when the ocean begins making some real damage to our row of men. With biceps flexing against bicep to maintain the phalynx, large waves of foamy sand-filled water rushes over our heads and up our noses. “Hold!” Ray Betuzzi yells but it’s too late. The next wave hits sending us into backwards summersaults and collisions. We retreat. Rob Schaefer vomits from swallowing so much saltwater (like Bill did last year when he overturned his canoe during our ocean swim). The sea has won and always will…but it doesn’t stop us from playing the game many more times.
After each one of us removed a one pound brick of sand that had accumulated in our suits, we went cliff jumping. When you get to the edge of the rock, it’s always a little scary. The waves are churning beneath you and the cliff seems to jut out so far you almost start to believe you’ll hit it. That why I have to jump immediately. If I waited any longer, I might lose my nerve. Josh Hall, Mark Solfelt, Evan Lee-to and Rob Schaefer also survived the leap. Michael McBroom was physically unable to jump and could not be pressured into it even after standing at the edge for what felt like dozens of minutes. Two years ago Bill Tramel jumped…just sayin’.
We stopped for Shave Ice on the way back to the hotel and I truly believe it always tastes the best after going to Makapoo and cliff jumping. We got back to the 444 and I hung out with my roommate watching The Fugitive (which seems to the only movie AMC is capable of showing) and ate some dinner. Despite our fatigue from being at the beach all day, we stayed up a little later than normal because we wouldn’t have to wake up until 10am. This is because the next day we would be training/warming-up at the University of Hawaii for our early afternoon dual meet. I fell into a heavy sleep even though my arms ached from bruises created while linking arms with the guys while we played in the ocean.
Friday, January 8
Every year, the Gophers make a stop at the Dole Plantation after going to the North Shore for the captain’s activity. They have tours and hedge maze but we always seem to just hang out at the concession stand because we’re all so tuckered out from playing around in the sun. The only kind of ice cream the Dole Plantation sells is pineapple flavored…and it’s excellent. It’s soft serve and every so often a worker will pry open a giant can of Dole pineapple juice and pour it into the ice cream mixing machine. Other popular items with the team include the chocolate covered bananas and pineapple slices. These treats are probably some of the sweetest desserts I’ve ever tasted. After eating and standing around for a while waiting for everyone to get their snacks we start our long journey back to the 444.
The reason it takes so long for us to get home: the traffic. It seems like we’re always getting back from the North Shore during rush hour. We sit on the highway trying to amuse each other…and maybe after a little while we start to get on each others’ nerves a little (especially Bill’s). I always feel a little queasy during the ride. Maybe it’s because I’m tired from being out in the sun all day. Maybe it’s because the van is warm and feels cramped. But, most likely, it’s probably the pineapple ice cream waffle cone, chocolate covered banana and chocolate covered pineapple slice all sloshing around in my stomach. Thankfully, the only thing I would have to prepare myself for that night was bed because we didn’t have practice.
The next morning would be our first time during the trip when Punahou school was back in session following their winter break. The Punahou club team and gym classes now share the pool with us during morning practice but the reduction in pool space hasn’t negatively affected our training. In fact, I’ve really taken a liking to the club team after they gave our group a bunch of donuts they brought for a post-practice breakfast. So things haven’t really changed much at Punahou except now I’m always a bit concerned that B-Tram is going to squash an elementary schooler with the van when we pull up to the school to train.
After morning practice, I took some time to prepare my dinner for my meal circle. I had decided on making kabobs with beef, chicken and pineapple as the primary ingredients. I had to start getting the food ready immediately after practice so I could properly marinate the meat. It wasn’t too difficult to cut and place the meat into the specialty soy sauce I purchased but the real work would came later during kabob assembly. While I collected my food items at Safeway I may have went a little overboard in the amount of meat I put in my cart. Thus, five hours later when it came time to put everything together, it took far longer than I expected. Piece after piece of meat, fruit and veggie was stabbed onto endless skewers. I pricked my fingers with the needle-like points of the wooden sticks so many times I felt like my hands had been replaced with Mark Solfelt’s.
During the day, I decided to forgo a trip to the beach and instead hang out on the penthouse level of the 444. I met up with Nico Zebley there and we started talking about what’s going to happen to us after graduation. Job prospects, different opportunities, continuing education, being done with swimming…we talked about it all under the powerful mid-day sun intensified by the absence of a breeze. It was nice to realize I’m not the only one thinking about the drastic life changes that will happen over the next few months for me and the other graduating seniors.
During evening practice, the middle distance group did its annual 60x50s set at 200 pace (the distance group has a sister set of 60x100s to be completed later during the trip). Sean Nesheim, Ray Betuzzi, Alex Wold and Josh Hall all had performances worth noting. It left us dead tired and I was glad that for dinner all I would have to do is drop my kabobs on the grill and let them sizzle. Happily, there was plenty of food to go around and there was even a little extra for us to share with Mike Natali and Steve Miller. Yes, it’s important to keep the graduate assistant coaches happy. It works to our benefit as swimmers.
Thursday, January 7
We began morning practice in heavy rain pouring from the dark, pre-dawn sky. It was miserable. While waiting on the wall we’d be hit by cold rain that would freeze our shoulders and tense our muscles. Even when kicking, the time during practice when we can socialize a little, there was no joy. Worst of all was the knowledge that, later in the day, we’d all be stuck on the beach in the rain over on the North Shore of Hawaii for the Captain’s Activity.
As practice wore on the rain lightened. It would end and restart over and over. When the rain finally ceased the sky remained completely covered with dark clouds…clouds that let through neither the sun’s light nor heat. But our captains Ray Betuzzi, Mark Solfelt and Alex Wold had made plans earlier in the week to make the trip out to the North Shore and we were sticking with them despite the poor weather (and because the day had one of our rare single practices).
After returning to the hotel after practice the vans departed for the beach early around 10:15 a.m. Although the weather looked bad, all in B-Tram’s van were in high spirits. On the radio, to the delight of the swimmers, we heard Kei$sha’s Tik Tok and Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind no less than a dozen times. Bill couldn’t stand it. Every so often he’d furiously fiddle with the tuner, desperately trying to find a station playing Rod Stewart, Tom Jones or whatever he likes listening to. Fortunately, his efforts always ended in failure. Wold guided the radio back to our beloved, overplayed songs and it began to seem like every time Kei$sha sang to us about her never-ending party, the sky would clear a little. After many additional broadcasts of the top forty hit, Tik Tok had completely cleared the sky at the North Shore for the University of Minnesota’s captain’s activity.
We piled out of our van and met up with our teammates on the beach. All thirty-something of us stripped down to our speedos while watching the giant waves slam into the sand. The waves were huge and looked kind’ve dangerous. During an early attempt to enter the water by one of my teammates the lifeguard’s loudspeaker crackled across the beach, “Hey, I know it’s nice day and I know we have a lot of strong swimmers here today but if you’re looking to swim this isn’t the place. I don’t care how fast your fifty free time is or how small your speedos are…there’s a really strong riptide and no one’s going out far.”
The lifeguard directed anyone who wanted to swim over to the far side of the beach where the strong current was diffused by a river. The team played in the waves, rested on beach mats and buried freshmen in the sand…things that are pretty typical for a trip to the North Shore. In the early afternoon, the sprint side of the team decided to leave and go to a Shrimp Shack while the distance side (plus Jared Anderson who was put with our guys in Mike Natali’s van) frolicked on the beach for a little longer. Since all of the senior guys are in the mid-d/d group, we decided to have a photo shoot for all of the soon-to-be graduates. A middle-aged woman soon approached us and asked if she could get some pictures too. Sure, it was a little creepy but were we going to say no? Of course not. She was delighted and even took some pictures with our cameras. Besides, we had caught many beach goers taking our pictures without asking so at least she was being polite.
In my next entry I will talk about our voyage to the Dole Plantation and back to the 444…a trip comparable to Frodo’s in the Lord of the Rings.
Wednesday, January 6
Another day, another double practice. Again practice was 6-8/6-8 and we had that same 12 hours of downtime we had the day before. Unfortunately for us, this would be our first day on Oahu when the weather wasn’t beautiful. The sky stayed overcast for most of the day and the breeze that once cooled our sweaty skin on the beach now pricked up goosebumps when it blew past us. I stayed in for most of the day to nap and recharge myself.
So, since the daytime was pretty uneventful for me, what I the guys (who didn’t go to Makapoo) did yesterday. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect so Mark Solfelt, Michael Daup, Rob Schaefer and I left to go to Waikiki beach. In the lobby, we met up with Jared Anderson who all was ready with his mat to go lay out. At the beach we met up with Evan Lee-to, Josh Hall, Kevin Baseheart and Michael Richards. Colin Lee-To, who graduated last year, was also there. He caught a flight to Hawaii earlier in the week and is training with the sprint side of the pool as well as helping Dennis out on deck.
If you know Kevin Baseheart, you know he can dance…but did you know his skills extend to mimicry? During Kevin’s first Hawaii trip his popping and locking abilities showed new value while one day at the beach he invented the “shark attack”. To an onlooker, Kevin appears to be driven underwater and dragged back in forth by some underwater creature. He’ll finish his act by trying to swim forwards while being pulled back by the invisible shark. In reality, Kevin is running on the sandy bottom of the shallow water (adding to the effect by putting a frightened look on his face). I cannot understate the comedic value of this performance.
Earlier in the day while we walked to the beach, Freshman Jared Anderson told us he had yet to try Shave Ice. Daup and I decided he Jared would not be allowed to return to the 444 until he had one. A few years ago the tea discovered a little shop called Kokonut Café that probably has the best Shave Ice available on the island. A Shave Ice is not a Sno-Cone. It’s more snow-like, but softer. When vendors make these mountains of pleasure for your taste buds they usually bring out a block of ice and put it on a machine that spins the block round and round over a blade. Next they cover the fresh fluffy powder with tons of flavored syrups. I usually like to get mine with red, yellow and blue (the red being strawberry, the yellow being banana, and the blue obviously being vanilla).
After getting some experience ordering them you can further perfect your Shave Ice by adding extra toppings. First you might try asking for condensed milk to be put on top. The sweet and sugary substance makes the treat extra creamy and I think it might be the best part. The condensed milk, however, isn’t really condensed milk. Josh Griffey and my roommates (on my sophomore Hawaii trip) figured this out after buying a can of the real stuff to improve the “naked” Shave Ices sold closer to the hotel. The venture was a complete failure. Another common addition to Shave Ice is a scoop of vanilla ice cream added to the bottom of the bowl. It’s like two desserts in one and totally worth it. For me, I go with condensed milk and ice cream. All or nothing baby.
Although, when it comes to Shave Ice there’s a line I will never cross again. Two years ago Kevin Baseheart and I went to Kokonut Café with the goal of obtaining a Shave Ice with Azuki beans. We didn’t know what Azuki beans were but they were offered as a topping pretty much everywhere Shave Ice was sold so we figured they must be good. I imagined they were going to be like Cocoa Krispies or something in my stupid, naïve brain. Kevin ordered first, requested Azuki beans and the little Asian woman behind the counter promptly presented a can of baked beans. Straight up baked beans. As she began to sprinkle them over Kevin’s formerly faultless dessert he looked at me with a “I did this and you’d better not back out on our promise” look. I couldn’t abandon my buddy. I order the beans as well. It tasted exactly as you’d imagine…like baked beans over fruity flavored snow. Apparently the topping is really popular with Asians (Note to Greenberg: cover yourself with Azuki beans) but it certainly wasn’t for Kevin or me. And yes, of course we finished them. We couldn’t let them go to waste.
Fortunately, Jared didn’t order Azuki beans and he really liked his first encounter with Shave Ice. I’m pretty sure he’ll like it more and more over each of the three trips he has left with the team. It makes me kind’ve sad to realize I only have about half of this training trip, my last training trip, left. Thankfully, I’m having so much fun I’ve been distracted from this fact. It’s a good thing too or else I actually might be really bummed out.
Tuesday, January 5
Today marked the first early morning practice for us from 6-8 a.m. My roommate, Rob Schaefer, and I woke up at 5:20 a.m. to make our van’s departure time of 5:40. It was a struggle to say the least. With our bodies worn down from the T-3000 we limped our way out of the room and over to the elevators.
At the 444, there are only three elevators for 192 rooms. In addition, the elevators are only about two-thirds the size of normal ones. I swear, there are times where I’ve had to wait about fifteen minutes for an elevator. The doors open and it will be filled over capacity with my teammates…it’s happened more than once. You have two options: 1) try to cram in with the guys or 2) wait for the next one. Taking the stairs isn’t even an option because, first off, we have rooms on floors 10 through the penthouse. Second, although stairs exist, when you get down to the lower levels you have to start going through the parking structure and boiler rooms to get to the lobby. So we wait and it’s a little hassle but it could be worse. We could only have one working elevator or something (I hope I didn’t jinx us right there…).
It’s dark at 6 a.m. in Hawaii and it doesn’t really lighten up until 7:30 or so. Therefore, that first jump into the cold-looking water at Punahou pool is always a struggle. After a little bit of warm-up most of us realize it’s not really that bad. In fact, during some of the early afternoon workouts the water almost feels too hot. I’m making it seem like we’re really picky about water temperature but honestly, we’re not too finicky. We all have our stories about training in conditions far worse than that of Punahou.
During the 10 hours between practices, Mike Natali’s van made a trip to a beautiful beach named Makapoo. Many of us opted to go to Waikiki instead because the sun sets early behind the mountains there…but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not fun. Case and point: the journey to Bird Island swum by Nico Zebley, Michael McBroom, Richard Hills and Matt Benecki. Estimated by the men to be over 3 miles for the round trip, their goal was to reach the island and make it back to the beach without being carried away by the current. McBroom feared for his life at times believing every dark object was a shark and all four gophers expressed concern after spotting a fish that appeared to have a hypodermic needle for a tail. They made it to the island but their hopes of climbing onto the bird sanctuary were dashed by a giant wall of sharp coral. They returned to the beach satisfied with their trip but a little worn down for upcoming practice that night.
Because most of our evening practices have been moved to the later 6-8 p.m. time slot, it’s easy to understand how difficult it is for some team members to find the motivation to prepare a proper dinner. Thankfully, my meal circle decided to go out to eat that night. We went to “Fatty’s Chinese Kitchen”, this little hole-in-the-wall place really close to the 444. On the way there we saw Zach Weis (who also must have decided to forgo cooking that night) carrying some Subway back to the hotel. Hopefully his roommate, Rob Schnitzler, wasn’t too jealous of the purchase. It was nice eating out and not having to clean up our kitchen because after I had chowed down, the only thing I was in the mood for was going to bed and getting ready to wake up the next day to start the training cycle all over again.
Monday, January 4
Although sore from our practices the day before, it was hard for us to be unhappy when we woke up. We were going to do only one practice from 10 a.m.-noon and the rest of the day we’d have off. The coaches had originally planned for that afternoon to be used for a “Captain’s Activity” but because the practice was already pretty late in the day, they decided to delay it until next week.
But after practice the sprint and distance sides still came together under the instruction of our captains to review our team goals for the season. Big Tens are coming up so quickly for us and it was important for them to remind us going into the end of the season. In addition to this, every team member was asked to share with the group one thing he’s been trying to work on during practice. It was interesting to hear what weaknesses even the best swimmers on the team were trying to improve on. At the end of this season, all of this mental preparation will be considered just another thing that attributed to our final, successful results.
Now let’s talk donuts or, more specifically, Malasadas. Coming back from Punahou, upon request, B-Tram will take us to Leonard’s. This place is just about the best, family-owned, post-practice pastry shop any of us has ever been to. Let me just take a little time to explain what a Malasada is…
Alright, imagine you’re holding tennis ball. Now imagine instead of yellow fuzz covering the ball there’s sugar. Wait! Don’t bounce that tennis ball because now it’s made out of soft, melt-in-your-mouth fried dough. Are you with me so far? Good because that’s your standard Malasada (also available with cinnamon sugar coating). But that’s not all. They’re also available with different custard fillings. Coconut and chocolate are the year round choices but each year we’ve come there’s been a new, special flavor is available. This year it’s macadamia nut…not my favorite choice. In the past we’ve been able to get Pineapple and Lilikoi (Nico Zebley’s favorite). Great, now don’t bite it too fast…oh! You got the filling all over your shirt, shorts, hand and the pavement outside of Leonard’s! Don’t worry though. It happens to the best of us…
With our free time we went to (where else) Waikiki Beach. Although we began laying out later in the day, around 2 p.m. or so, I think it’s the most color the team has gotten during a single day so far. It’s probably because most of us sat out for so long under that Hawaiian sun turned cool by a refreshing wind rustling around Oahu. Darkest of all of us is Josh Hall. Next is probably Larry Formosa, followed by Bill Tramel. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him but B-Tram turns a beautiful caramel color when left out in the sun. Of course, that’s a lie. Bill has maintained his porcelain skin, a trait that would’ve been held in high regard by women of the Victorian era.
Looking to the future, I’ve heard gossip of a recovery day but I refuse to believe my ears. I’d hate to get my hopes up like that only to have them crushed like peanut casings in the Metrodome bleachers. But hey, if it’s true, then hooray for tomorrow!
Sunday, January 3
The rumors were true. Under the setting sun the middle-distance/distance side of the pool the men would be subjected to a timed 3000. The news of this event however, sparked not despair but excitement. I believe this year’s training trip has had the highest moral out of all the years I’ve trained at Punahou. The top time was posted at 28 minutes 23 seconds by Michael McBroom. The time placed him second on Minnesota’s all time best T-3000 finishes right behind Justin Mortimer. Coming is second was Michael Daup followed by the rest of us. We followed up the distance with a challenge set using our base hundred times for pacing. We all finished the practice happy, especially freshman Josh Hall who dropped a minute from the start of the season.
Over on the middle-sprint/super-sprint side an array of 50s split into two main sets was on the menu. The first set was a series of underwater sprint 50s with zoomers. Leading the charge was Nadav Kochavi, a considerable adversary to any who wished to challenge his underwater prowess. Yet Kevin Baseheart also put together a good show. Second, the sprint side did a bunch of fast 50s with pocketed drag suits. Jort sporting Michael Richards tossed together a nice performance and Curt Carlson was a beast as usual.
Although my van didn’t go there after the T-3000, it’s common for the swimmers to stop at 7-11 on our way back to the holtel after practice. I’m not sure if any of us ever explicitly ask to go there but B-Tram always suggests it. I honestly believe he just gets a hankering for a big ol’ Coke Slurpee at that time of the night. The majority of us decided Yum Berry was probably the best flavor but I don’t think you can really go wrong with Blue Rasberry either. Nico Zebly sampled but chose not to make a purchase. Unfortunately for the diabetic Mark Solfelt, he didn’t know how to cover for the syrupy beverage. Instead he opted for a Smoothie from the vendor under the “Fook Yuen” restaurant. Sadly, the restaurant does not sell t-shirts.
Last night the grilling area on the roof of our hotel was a popular place for the swimmers. My meal group was making some burgers along with a huge can of pork and beans. As we ate we were joined by Phil Greenberg who was looking for a grill for his flank steaks. I guess he was playing chef for Nadav that night. I don’t think he really minds cooking for others based on the pancake breakfasts he puts on back for all the guys back home. Also joining us were graduate assistant coaches Mike Natali and Steve Miller. Steve helped us finish off what was left of our can of baked beans. As any of us could tell you, no one would want to be around Steve later that night.
Most of us are getting used to being in Hawaii now. Our skin is getting tanned (or at least reddened) by the sun during outdoor practices and beach time. After days of neglecting shavers and razorblades our faces are growing shaggy and wolf-like. At night, sleep is coming easier to us even though we rest our bodies in unfamiliar beds (some of which containing bedbugs as you could discover if you asked Ray Betuzzi about last year’s trip). The more comfortable we become here, the better it is for our training…and we’re certainly getting comfortable. I know I am going to see great things from myself and my teammates in the coming week and I’m sure the others on this trip feel the same way.
Saturday, January 2
Yesterday the team had 10 a.m. to noon practice with the mid-distance/distance guys lifting afterwards. The mid-sprint/sprint guys lift on alternate days so there’s a little more space for all of us in Punahou’s weight room. When my group had finished lifting a frazzled looking man approached a bunch of us and asked, “Hey, has Obama been up here today? He usually comes around every so often to play basketball at the gym…”
“No…we haven’t seen him,” we replied as the guy staggered off to check the locks on the basketball court’s doors. I don’t doubt that Obama has been to Punahou during his visits to Hawaii (I mean, he did go to school there) but I think that weird old man was just trying to impress us or something.
Anyways, the weight room there is nice and it has pretty much all the equipment we need to complete are workout. And I’m not going to lie: it’s difficult to do the weight workout right after you’ve completed a two-hour practice. Our muscles are worn out and the weights are heavy…but all of us help to motivate each other so we can get the most out of the workout. Plus, in that excessively humid weight room we can talk and joke around a lot more than we ever would be able to in the pool. I’d consider it bonding time too.
The freshmen had a lot of bonding time that day because later that afternoon they took their trip to Diamond Head, a dormant volcano you can hike up and down in one to two hours (depending on how fast you’re walking/running). Of course, the frosh donned their speedos creating feelings of jealousy within the other the other tourists, I’m sure. Most of the upperclassmen (myself included) made our way to the beach. We’ve all paid our dues climbing Diamond Head before. Now we’ll save the legs.
We all went to familiar Waikiki Beach, the place most of us seem to gravitate to when we want to relax in the sun. It’s a really touristy area and usually it’s pretty crowded but we always find room for everyone in our group. We all wear our speedos but that should go without saying. Who would want to subject themselves to a tan line at the knee?
So we all bought our $1.59 mats at a local convenience store (except Curt Carlson who bought an inflatable raft…it soon became clear its design wasn’t meant for a person of his size or stature) and giant 2 liter bottles of water at one of the Hawaii’s infinite ABC stores. We then proceeded to lay out on the sand while the freshmen grunted their way up a mountain…knowing that made it all the more relaxing.
I had to get back to the hotel a little earlier than some of the guys. At 5:30 I had a massage to work some of the knots out of my back and shoulders. The team gets massages during the trip more often than back in Minnesota and that’s a great benefit. On the way back to the 444, I stopped at Starbucks where I found Alex Wold, the epitome of scholarly discipline, working on an IDL class. Seeing him doing homework made me appreciate being done with the fall semester and being able to fully focus on swimming for a little while…a feeling I believe many of us share who are on this training trip.
After my massage and dinner a few guys and I watched some TV, discovered who “The Next Food Network Star” and “The Next Iron Chef” would be, and went to bed around 10:30. There were whispers about a timed 3000 taking place the following day so I think most of us were concerned about getting some rest.
Friday, January 1
Happy New Year's from the Minnesota Gophers! I rang in 2010 by sleeping through the thunderous fireworks that had kept me awake in years passed. Maybe I was just lucky enough to get a comfier bed this year. But truthfully, I think it was the quick turnover from practice to practice the day before.
As I said in my last entry, the team had practice at 8 a.m. After the training most of Minnesota swimming’s van fleet made its way to Safeway, a store that’s analogous to the midwestern Rainbow or Piggly Wiggly food stores. The van I’m assigned to is helmed by none other than Bill ‘Kazaam’ Tramel. It’s a 15-passenger vehicle but there’s only ten of us to fill it (plus B-Tram). Normally, there’s plenty of room in the van but I can easily identify two times where there never seems to be enough room: 1) Leaving and returning to the airport with everyone’s luggage and 2) Going to the grocery store.
And that’s where we were heading. Apart from the pasta Zach Bolin smuggled to Hawaii in his suitcase, none of us had any food to gorge ourselves with after a hard workout. Therefore, during our first trip to the supermarket, we roamed the food like penny-pinching zombies, sleepwalking men trying to get the most food for what we could afford.
For me, shopping was simple. Last year, Rob Schaefer, Mark Solfelt, Michael Daup and I formed a team to make meal creation easier on all of us. We each plan to cook one dinner for all four of us on one night and we rotate. Every fifth day we congratulate ourselves for at least attempting to be the culinary types, splurge a little and eat out. It worked last year and so far it’s worked this year (awesome beef stroganoff, Daup).
So made our way to the cashier, saved a boatload of Michael McBroom’s cash by showing him the magic a Safeway card can do to a receipt for a cart’s worth of food, and we began the annual game of food Tetris at the van. It takes probably around 20 minutes to get everything to fit. I sat in a middle seat protecting my lettuce and tomato. I was trapped in by a giant take-and-bake pizza purchased by Alex Wold.
And when we finally made it back to the hotel everyone always plays the “I-am-not-going-to-make-two-trips-to-bring-all-this-stuff-up” game. So there we sat at the elevators, all of us hunched over like produce cavemen letting our grocery items rest on the floor while our arms regained some circulation. In the end, we all made it back to our rooms with things to fill our bellies plus the hope that our second trip to the store would be less stressful.
Shortly thereafter we had practice. Little to no downtime was in our schedules until after we got back to the 444. That’s when the whole team met up to have some food provided to us by the hotel staff. It was a little thank you for giving them some businesses I guess. Shrimp and sandwich wraps were on the menu along with four cheesecakes. McBroom must have been channeling Andrew Griffey because he was definitely the first guy to crack open those cake boxes.
Then, like every year, I walked the strip with my buddies to re-familiarize ourselves with the area and also to people watch. Nothing’s quite like the Waikiki strip on New Year's Eve. All the street performers are out. Hundreds of fancy dressed people walk around going presumably to their classy parties. Tourists spend thousands of dollars in Prada, Ferrari and other stores lining both sides of the street. And then there’s us. Our hair is unkempt and wild after inattention. We wear athletic t-shirts and durable sandals. Our heads drooping slightly with sleepiness and for us, maneuvering through the crowd feels dreamlike. We returned to the hotel ready for some shuteye.
So I’m not upset I missed out seeing the clock turnover to 2010. I just had different priorities in mind, those involving my bed and pillow. It’s doubtful I’ll become less tired over the course of this training trip but I guess I just wanted to start it out on the right foot: a well rested one.
As Alex Wold would say: Maholla! Another update coming soon.
Thursday, December 31
Mahalo! I’m Jacob Kittilstad and I’m a senior on the Minnesota Men’s Swimming Team. Every year our team makes a training diary for are training trip in Hawaii and, to be honest, in the past they’ve often fizzled out. The physical toll the training takes on our energy levels is the most likely culprit. Sleep becomes more important than anything else outside of the water and these journal entries eventually fall to the wayside.
But when I approached to write these entries this year I made it my personal goal to consistently churn out updates on our activities and training. This goal, however, already seems like it will be extremely difficult to achieve. Even motivating myself to start this series was difficult. However, my lack of energy may be attributed to the rough travel schedule the team had yesterday.
The team filled a bus yesterday morning at 5:45 a.m. and drove to the airport so we could make our flight. Minneapolis to San Francisco, San Francisco to LAX, and (after a two-hour delay) Los Angeles to Hawaii. After almost an entire day spent traveling, the team packed rental vans with luggage and we made our final trip to our hotel.
Our homes-away-from-home is pretty close to Waikiki Beach and has always been more than accommodating. Most of us are living with only two guys per room for the next two weeks and it almost seems like we’ve taken over the hotel. It’s like everyone who’s staying there knows we’re coming because every year people in the lobby/elevators always say things like, “Oh, you must be those swimmers from Minnesota.”
“Yeah,” I’ll respond most of the time, not really knowing what else to say due to fatigue clouding my brain. It took me a long time (as a freshman) to realize my apparel would usually be the main tip-off.
Because of our rigorous travels we were allowed to sleep in a little for the following mornings practice…it was moved all the way from 6 to 8 a.m. With tightened muscles from the cramped airplane seats, we loosened up and began our training trip. Our home pool for the next few weeks is found at Punahou High School. For me, having been on this trip three times already, it almost felt like I hadn’t left from the year before.
So, as we start our training trip, first and foremost, I’d like to wish my teammates good luck in finding success in their training and, secondly, I hope the sky is clear and the sun is hot for the next two weeks so Ray Betuzzi can get his killer tan.<-->
Players Mentioned
