Getting my gold medal and being recognized for my World Record in the 200 Meter Obstacle Swim!!

Watching the kite surfers at Geelong beach...one of many beautiful days in South Australia! Looks like fun, I should try it one day!

USA's women who won a bronze in the Rescue Medley event in the pool...Me, Micha, Renee, and Dana!

Maggie and I dragging Micha across the finish line in the Rescue Tube Rescue event...we got 5th place in the World!

Team USA at Rescue 2006 in Lorne, Australia!

Maggie, Micha, and I practicing for the Rescue Tube Rescue event on the beach.

USA's men who won the Rescue Medley and set a World Record...Blaine, Kicker, Andy, and Shane!

G-Day Mates, I'm on my way 'Down Under'!

I’m doing all the last minute running around; trying to make sure I’ve got everything packed! Not that it’s a big deal if I forget something, I’m pretty sure it won’t be too hard to find it in Australia! It’s not like I’m going to the middle of the desert or a country with a different language…it’ll be just like Colorado Springs, except it’ll be WARM and SUNNY, have a BEACH, WAVES, and it’s the middle of the SUMMER season!
All I’ve got left is a short run on the treadmill, grab a shower, stuff some last items into my bags, and then load up and drive to the airport (with a detour to Blockbuster to return movies)! The flights are not too bad…straight from Colorado Springs on United to Los Angles, a medium layover with time to get dinner and meet the rest of the team…and then a nonstop flight from LAX to Melbourne…I will arrive in MEL almost 2 days after I leave the States! But then on the return flight, I arrive in LAX BEFORE I left Australia…too confusing, I know! I just get on the plane and relax until landing…then I get into my ‘competition’ mode!
My next blog will come from Melbourne, Australia…later Gators:)!

SuperBowl Sunday

I barely even know what two teams are actually playing in the game tonight. I don’t care which one wins either! But, living at the OTC, surrounded by all kinds of athletes means that all conversation and activities tonight will revolve around a silly game of guys chasing after a weird shaped ball. The cafeteria is making the whole dinner menu into ‘football snacks’…all the TVs will be tuned into the game…there is a gambling grid for 25 cents a square…I can’t escape it!
But this morning I had a great escape from the OTC…I went on a 3h30min bike ride. It was a bit windy and cold this morning at 9am when I started so none of my girlfriends wanted to ride with me (they are down in the basement right now doing their ride inside in front of a TV…crazy) so I went by myself and had a great time! The sun was shinning, the winds were blowing, and the road was long and hilly! I rode south from Colorado Springs on SR115 for 1h35min and then turned around and came back. It’s a good thing I turned around at the time I did because the beautiful tail-wind I was enjoying on the first half became a menacing head-wind on the return and it took me a few more minutes to get home. I think I was down to 10mph at some points when I was riding up a hill with the wind blowing right in my face. Like they say: “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!” Total ride time was 3h25min and total miles were 56.
Later today I should start attacking the chore of packing for Australia. I’ve got some laundry in the washers downstairs as a start. But now that I think about it…it’s not that much of a start because most all the clothes I’m washing will NOT be going to Australia…there is a bit of difference between what I normally wear during the day in Colorado Springs in the middle of winter and what I will be wearing in Melbourne in the middle of summer!
Yesterday at morning swim practice we had a mini-swim meet just for the Triathletes…it was tons of fun…and extremely painful! Within a 1 hour time period I raced the following events: 400m free, 100m kick w/ board, 100m free, 50m fly, 200m IM, and anchored a 4x50m relay. That’s actually more events for me than the worst dual meet line up ever at Florida…although it doesn’t come close to the day that we swam Clemson in South Carolina and Coach Troy had me swim the 1000 free, 400 IM, 500 free, and part of a 4x100 free relay! But back to the present…I was pumped with my 400m free time: 4:24 (at 6,000 feet elevation and without any competition). Hey, that’s only (let’s emphasize the ‘only’) 13 seconds off my Trials time from 2004…and that pool was on the beach (sea level)!!
Now I’m thinking about doing some Statistics homework, going to the mall with my friends, and hanging out at the Superbowl party for the remainder of this lovely Sunday…I wish good things to you too!

I'm typing, just not for class work

Instead of working on my homework assignment…I’m doing this. I will admit that, for the moment, I’m a little sick of looking at graphs on Excel:)! Of course I will get it all finished in time, plenty of experience with procrastination…but for now Fundamentals of Business Statistics, and all that it entails, is on the back burner!
On the front burner is a recap of dinner at Ilvicinos! It is a rare and special occasion when a few friends and I actually go spend $money$ on food outside of the training center cafeteria. Tonight was one of those occasions…we chose Ilvicinos where they make pizzas in a wood fire oven! Delicious…my choice was #8: sweet marinara sauce, artichoke hearts, chicken…if you are ever in town, I will take you there for dinner. (Basically because someone visiting here would be under the heading of ‘special occasions’ that required eating outside of the OTC!!:)
I have finally found a solution to my desire to cook…but not having the ability: Jessica Jones is the newest member of the resident training team, but she lives in her new house and not on the training center! So that means she’s got a beautiful kitchen that I need to help her break in…by making some yummy treats. We’ll probably start with basic CCC’s (chocolate chip cookies) and get more advanced from there.
Tomorrow morning swim practice starts at 8am…immediately followed by a hard session on the bike (indoors on the Computrainers because the weather is being very ‘Colorado-ian’ at the moment…a.k.a.: COLD). Following the morning training session, I have a meeting with Cliff English…my new triathlon coach. He’s a great guy…from Canada…now in charge of training the USA Triathlon National Teams. He’s actually been at the training center for the past 4 months, but not as my personal coach…he knows what is going on and the transition should be pretty smooth!
Jessica and I took a quick trip to the mall for a hair cut…much needed on my part, I have a tendency to wait a bit too long between cuts…a benefit of having short & curly hair (thanks family:)! So far, I am happy with the result. Hopefully, I will be doing something soon that involves taking photos (like my trip to AUS) so I will be able to post some of myself and my friends!
This weekend is Senior day for the UF swim & dive teams. A lot of my friends and former teammates will be competing in their last meet at the O’Dome in Gainesville. I wish them the best of luck in swimming, school, and life. Of course the results of the meet will not be a factor (we always plan it that way at Florida:)! But it’s always fun to have a ‘senior’ relay or something like that at the end…in 2004 the coaches put up a Senior, Junior, Soph, and Freshman relay for the men and women. It was a highlight and happy moment that I will always cherish…swimming one last time with girls who meant so much to me after 4 years as Gators!