University of Minnesota Athletics
China Blog #2 from Katy Etterman
1/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
We're on day number six here in Beijing and still going strong! We survived our first two-a-day on Friday where we trained with many of the Chinese divers. Our three hour morning session was all dry land training and our three hour afternoon session was completely in the water. We were very happy to know that the weekend was around the corner, meaning only a two hour practice on Saturday and then Sunday as our day off.
There was a women's volleyball game here at the training center on Saturday that we all went to with most of the Chinese divers, ages ranging from seven to 21. We had such a good time, joining in the cheers and swapping our American snacks with the Chinese snacks that the divers brought. It was nearly impossible to communicate with them but everyone can agree on sharing yummy snacks and cheering for their home team!
Since Sunday was our day off, Wenbo took us to Tian'anmen Square as well as the Olympic Village. Walking through the Forbidden City was an amazing experience, the architecture of all of the buildings was so intricate and the history so rich, definitely something that we will never forget. We then made our way to the Olympic Village where we walked around The Nest and then toured the Water Cube to see the Olympic pool turned into a water park and the diving well now a curtained room with a stage. After a wonderful day of sightseeing, we went to a Peking Duck restaurant for dinner where Wenbo ordered a variety of interesting foods, some good, some not so good, but everyone had fun trying everything.
Today we were back to practice, completing another six hour day of workouts and improving along the way. Training with the Chinese divers has given us the opportunity to witness flawless technique, new training methods, and an inspiring perspective of what dedication looks like.
Cheers,
Katy Etterman
Players Mentioned
