University of Richmond Athletics
Jessie Krebs' Training Trip Blog: Day 1
12/30/2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Editor's Note: Sophomore Jessie Krebs will chronicle her time with Spider Swim & Dive on the team's winter training trip to Sarasota, Fla., this December and January. Below is her first blog entry of the trip.
Dec. 29, 2011: Greetings from Sarasota
Greetings from Sarasota, Florida - the retiree oasis and home of Spider Swimming & Diving for the next nine days! This training trip is not only a golden opportunity for training, but more importantly this time together allows us to bond in a way that's simply not possible in a dorm room or even on a pool deck. For example, today I learned that Travis Stensby is really good at parking the van and that Meredith Gouger travels in true celebrity style (see photo album).
On our annual training trip, we traditionally stay in condos with three other roommates. We work together to cook, clean and of course laugh. On my first training trip last year, I came away with stronger relationships with each of my condo mates. I was most excited to get to know rookie diver Carinne Mettus, who I really didn't know before this trip. After a week of many laughs and an awkward experience that led to Carinne's new nickname, Wallace, we became great friends.
This year, though, I will be living with nine condo mates. Four of these condo mates are people - Allison Titley, Alaina Brown, Jill Smaniotto and I. Four are the alter egos we have developed - Allison has Callison, Alaina has Bernadette, Jill has Lucretia and I have Dougie. We have found that these alter egos shine through mainly at the end of the day when we are tired, hungry or feeling especially silly. The ninth condo mate is a team favorite, Allison's Asian baby doll Dingbang.
Yes, I'm sure this all sounds ludicrous, and I'm honestly not sure what Matt (Barany) was thinking when he put the four of us weirdos together. So, I can promise you I'll have some good stories to share.
Today was our unofficial first day of the trip. I say unofficial because we haven't started the training yet. We arrived at different times throughout the day, checked out the beach and went to the grocery store. Starting tomorrow through next Saturday, we will swim twice a day in addition to dry land workouts. We'll also have team meetings with bonding exercises that allow us to learn new things about one another.
Most importantly, we'll be looking to surprise ourselves-maybe to reach a level we never thought possible. I mean, hey, today I surprised myself by beating my all-time high Sudoku score. Will this translate into the pool? I hope so!
I collected my complimentary barf bags from the plane and have come equipped with extra inhalers, so bring it on! Training trip 2012... LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
Players Mentioned
