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/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Hawaii Training Journal: Patricia Van Law
1/6/2020 10:05:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
The Minnesota swimming program started 2020 off on the right foot, as the team has been in Hawaii since Dec. 31 and will remain on the island until Jan. 15 when they depart for Southern California for a dual against USC.
As Gopher swimmers spend the first two weeks of the year training at the University of Hawaii, junior Patricia Van Law is chronicling the annual trip through a series of journal entries. It has now been just under one week since Minnesota landed on the island of Oahu, meaning it is time to check in with Van Law and the rest of the Maroon and Gold.
Dec. 31, Day One - Aloha Baby!
It was hard to sleep last night, constantly waking up worried about forgetting anything for packing or missing the alarm in the morning. Practice was smooth, and though it was early, there was sure a buzz of energy that was palpable due to the anticipation and excitement of the trip that lay ahead of us. Before we knew it, we were in the plane headed towards our destination. An eight hour flight ensued, which was full of movies, twitching ourselves awake from naps, novels and plenty of stretching in the narrow aisles as we watched the ground beneath us turn from an icy, snow-covered landscape to the endless true blue ocean, then to the tropical island destination. The rest of the night was a whirlwind of playing Tetris with luggage and bodies in the vans, grocery runs, unpacking and calling friends and family who are already asleep (darn time change) – all while trying to enjoy the last few moments of the decade and 2019. What a year!
Jan. 1, Day Two – Electric
After a full night's rest and our bodies trying to adjust to being four hours behind our normal, we woke up to the green, luscious landscape that screams anything but winter. It's hard to remember that it's already 2020. Practice is a flush from the full day of travel yesterday and we are all eager for our fellow Gophers as they play the Auburn Tigers in the Outback Bowl. Every second we have at the wall, we are tuning our ears to our coaches announcing any updates on the game's progress. Once we hopped out of the pool to a Gopher win (LETS GO BABY!!!), it was back to the condos for only a brief moment before we turned right back around for the first outing of the trip: Electric Beach. It's not hard to spot us on the beach: a group of pasty athletes sporting the 'M.' Some enjoyed relaxing on the sand with a good book, while others were in the ocean spotting coral and fish. I personally got crushed by a wave and ended up with a piece of sea urchin in one foot and some skin off the other. Worth it.
Jan. 2, Day Three - Rain Drop, Drop Top
A typical day in the tropics. Wake up and get ready for our lift, which takes a bit of an adjustment having so many people in the small dumbbell room, handing off different bands and weights compared to our usual Bierman Maroon and Gold home. Once we finish, we have ample time to apply sunscreen and change to get ready for the first swim practice of the day. Back at the condos, everyone is bustling around getting food, getting ready to nap or head to the beach. Although today, the rain is keeping most people in and back at the condos. I am enjoying my book and the view. The second swim practice of the day is under stadium lights and a black Hawaiian sky. It was pretty windy and still spitting rain, but nothing to complain about here.
Jan. 3, Day Four - Look How Far We've Come
Today is triple number two of three consecutive triples on the island. Knowing that we have come a long way, but still have some ways to go before a day of rest, Coach Kelly kept us uplifted (just as he always does) with a tweet from Allistair McCaw, reminding us to be appreciative of how far we have all come. This definitely helped jumpstart the day, composed of an aerobic morning swim and an afternoon dry land session, followed by a taxing power workout. Between practices, it's a mix of napping, snacking and sipping on our favorite Hawaiian Sun flavors. We are lucky to be able to do what we do with the people that we do it with.
Jan. 4, Day Five - Somewhere Over the Rainbow
The final triple of our "triple crown" of training. This entails a morning lift, a condensed pull practice and quality off the blocks tonight. We are all giddy with a light morning practice – cracking jokes, dancing and laughter… lots of laughter. Everyone is ready for a day off tomorrow with a planned trip to the North Shore, but before that, we know that we have to stay focused and give our all in these three practices. The raining is on and off, which disrupts the sun time that we cherish. However, through all of the precipitation, we have a plethora of rainbows. Everyone takes out their phones to capture the vivid array of colors that streak the sky. I believe that we are at the end of each rainbow, because I know that this team is my pot of gold. Yes, it is super cheesy, but it is all the more true. Each rainbow reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of this program.
Jan. 5, Day Six - The Other Side of the Island
The first day off follows a team tradition of a trip to the great North Shore, with a breakfast stop at Kono's on the way there and a treat stop at the Dole Plantation on the way back. Everyone has coffee in hand as we depart in the vans at 8 a.m. to enjoy slow cooked pulled pork burritos that melt in your mouth. From there, we head to Waimea Bay where the waves can get more than 20 feet tall. This year, they are a miniscule 3-7 feet tall, about two to three times shorter than last year. With spike ball, Frisbee and body surfing, it's still a blast. From the shore, we make our way to the Dole Plantation, which has stood since July of 1900. We all enjoy the coveted Dole Whip, which is creamy but light as we browse through the countless trinkets and treats in their souvenir shop. The rest of day is ours.
As Gopher swimmers spend the first two weeks of the year training at the University of Hawaii, junior Patricia Van Law is chronicling the annual trip through a series of journal entries. It has now been just under one week since Minnesota landed on the island of Oahu, meaning it is time to check in with Van Law and the rest of the Maroon and Gold.
Dec. 31, Day One - Aloha Baby!
It was hard to sleep last night, constantly waking up worried about forgetting anything for packing or missing the alarm in the morning. Practice was smooth, and though it was early, there was sure a buzz of energy that was palpable due to the anticipation and excitement of the trip that lay ahead of us. Before we knew it, we were in the plane headed towards our destination. An eight hour flight ensued, which was full of movies, twitching ourselves awake from naps, novels and plenty of stretching in the narrow aisles as we watched the ground beneath us turn from an icy, snow-covered landscape to the endless true blue ocean, then to the tropical island destination. The rest of the night was a whirlwind of playing Tetris with luggage and bodies in the vans, grocery runs, unpacking and calling friends and family who are already asleep (darn time change) – all while trying to enjoy the last few moments of the decade and 2019. What a year!
Jan. 1, Day Two – Electric
After a full night's rest and our bodies trying to adjust to being four hours behind our normal, we woke up to the green, luscious landscape that screams anything but winter. It's hard to remember that it's already 2020. Practice is a flush from the full day of travel yesterday and we are all eager for our fellow Gophers as they play the Auburn Tigers in the Outback Bowl. Every second we have at the wall, we are tuning our ears to our coaches announcing any updates on the game's progress. Once we hopped out of the pool to a Gopher win (LETS GO BABY!!!), it was back to the condos for only a brief moment before we turned right back around for the first outing of the trip: Electric Beach. It's not hard to spot us on the beach: a group of pasty athletes sporting the 'M.' Some enjoyed relaxing on the sand with a good book, while others were in the ocean spotting coral and fish. I personally got crushed by a wave and ended up with a piece of sea urchin in one foot and some skin off the other. Worth it.
Jan. 2, Day Three - Rain Drop, Drop Top
A typical day in the tropics. Wake up and get ready for our lift, which takes a bit of an adjustment having so many people in the small dumbbell room, handing off different bands and weights compared to our usual Bierman Maroon and Gold home. Once we finish, we have ample time to apply sunscreen and change to get ready for the first swim practice of the day. Back at the condos, everyone is bustling around getting food, getting ready to nap or head to the beach. Although today, the rain is keeping most people in and back at the condos. I am enjoying my book and the view. The second swim practice of the day is under stadium lights and a black Hawaiian sky. It was pretty windy and still spitting rain, but nothing to complain about here.
Jan. 3, Day Four - Look How Far We've Come
Today is triple number two of three consecutive triples on the island. Knowing that we have come a long way, but still have some ways to go before a day of rest, Coach Kelly kept us uplifted (just as he always does) with a tweet from Allistair McCaw, reminding us to be appreciative of how far we have all come. This definitely helped jumpstart the day, composed of an aerobic morning swim and an afternoon dry land session, followed by a taxing power workout. Between practices, it's a mix of napping, snacking and sipping on our favorite Hawaiian Sun flavors. We are lucky to be able to do what we do with the people that we do it with.
Jan. 4, Day Five - Somewhere Over the Rainbow
The final triple of our "triple crown" of training. This entails a morning lift, a condensed pull practice and quality off the blocks tonight. We are all giddy with a light morning practice – cracking jokes, dancing and laughter… lots of laughter. Everyone is ready for a day off tomorrow with a planned trip to the North Shore, but before that, we know that we have to stay focused and give our all in these three practices. The raining is on and off, which disrupts the sun time that we cherish. However, through all of the precipitation, we have a plethora of rainbows. Everyone takes out their phones to capture the vivid array of colors that streak the sky. I believe that we are at the end of each rainbow, because I know that this team is my pot of gold. Yes, it is super cheesy, but it is all the more true. Each rainbow reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of this program.
Jan. 5, Day Six - The Other Side of the Island
The first day off follows a team tradition of a trip to the great North Shore, with a breakfast stop at Kono's on the way there and a treat stop at the Dole Plantation on the way back. Everyone has coffee in hand as we depart in the vans at 8 a.m. to enjoy slow cooked pulled pork burritos that melt in your mouth. From there, we head to Waimea Bay where the waves can get more than 20 feet tall. This year, they are a miniscule 3-7 feet tall, about two to three times shorter than last year. With spike ball, Frisbee and body surfing, it's still a blast. From the shore, we make our way to the Dole Plantation, which has stood since July of 1900. We all enjoy the coveted Dole Whip, which is creamy but light as we browse through the countless trinkets and treats in their souvenir shop. The rest of day is ours.
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