Training Trip 2009: Northfield and Puerto Rico

So we got back from our training trip last Friday. As I explained before, it was a new format with one week in Northfield, one week in Puerto Rico and then 4 days after in Northfield again.
I thought I'd share about what it was like because it was a pretty different trip from the past two I've been on.

While we were in Northfield, the women's team and men's team practiced separately. While this was really good for Men's team bonding, it meant that we saw very little of the women in the pool. ALSO, since our practices would be after their practices (or vice versa), we never saw them for meals either. By the way, having like a floor to share a small burton kitchen sucks when everyone eats at the same time...

The captains put together some whole/gendered team events in the evenings like movies (Inglorious Bastards = Amazing), bowling night (HOLLER), ice cream sundays, etc. We also went to the house of a freshman who lives in Farmington. His mom cooked a metric-ass-ton of good food and their house had a pool table, sauna, hot tub, etc. It was awesome.

But I think the highlight of the evening activity line up was The Men's Team Vs. Women's Team Trivia Showdown. We all gathered in the 2nd Burton Lounge and battled it out in a game of trivia pursuit. Long story short... both teams got REALLY COMPETITIVE. During the last few turns, 2nd Burton was erupting in clapping, screaming, and laughing. The Men's team obviously dominated. Some girls took it poorly. (EX: One Junior girl, "Just remember which team is a Conference Champion...")

Other nights we just chilled in people's rooms or lounges, watching tv, eating and chillin out.

On the last night of the First Week, the night before we left for Puerto Rico. Some shit went down in terms of a select few who decided to drink. They were drinking because we had finished the Mac Meet earlier and we were leaving at 2:30am for the airport, which meant no morning practice. Well long story short, ResLife/ Security is a bitch and shut down a little gathering and took names of a few people. And that SHOULD have been the end of it. But it wasn't...

We get to Puerto Rico and are doing are thing down there, when in the middle of the week we get this email from Leon that he wrote to winter break athletes: (excerpt)

The party with the swimmers was broken up quickly and without incident. They weren’t so fortunate with the basketball party. Although the party itself was quickly disbursed, the building received considerable vandalism and damage (trash cans dumped all over the floors, broken window, a broken table, and food eaten out of the floor refrigerator). The RA on the floor and the resident who made the initial noise complaint also had harassing messages written on their doors.


The next morning at 5:30am, as we are meeting in the Lobby before heading to practice, Andy calls the people over and talks to them as everyone else heads to practice...

One way of looking at it: Andy wouldn't have known about it if we all hadn't gotten that email, and Leon wouldn't have sent the email if the BBallers didn't go crazy one night in Northfield.

Andy was pissed. We had a team meeting. Big talk about loss of trust and responsibility to each other. It was a damper on the day. There was some drama, because there were some people who were drinking, but somehow didn't get their names written down. Most eventually confessed to Andy. But afterwards, I was talking to Andy when everyone was clearly bummed and he goes "Aw common guys, I wasn't a perfect kid when I was in college either."

So there is still some fallout from that but for the majority of the team it's no big deal.

As for Puerto Rico, it was Puerto Rico. We stayed in a different area than from when the team was there 4 years ago. It was more touristy and there were no chickens anywhere. We didn't have kitchenettes, so we had to eat out everywhere which was expensive, but also fun. Eric Brenner and I (the thrifty bums we are) tried to not spend more than $100 dollars. But failed... BUT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GOD DAMN AIRPORTS! It was okay though because we got a Stipend from the athletic dept. for the days we were in Northfield, which I carried over in PR. Overall I think I broke even. Which is awesome.

We had a half day off. Some people went snorkling, other went up to the rainforest (check out my pics if ya want, it was friggin awesome at the top), some went to a really nice beach, others checked out the old fort and an ambitious group went to the bioluminecent swamp/forest thing.

Back in Northfield, everyone was tired and broken down. We only had one day out of the almost three weeks of no practice and it was the travel day when we were up for like 24 hours straight, so it wasn't exactly restful. On the last day, we did a Pentathlon for our last practice and we had another team dinner, but at Perkins (classy, I know).

Overall it was a blast. The set up was interesting and Andy wanted our feedback on it. I liked the training in Northfield, but not coming back to it after going somewhere warm and training there. And Puerto Rico is nice, but the set up and conveniences of Ft. L are pretty nice.

And I'll leave ya with this.

I Know What I Did Last Summer

Today is September 12th.  This date officially marks the end of my summer - it's time to get down to business.  I can't really remember when the last time I posted was.  I just know it was a while ago.  Thus, I give you an update on this most significant of days, explaining what I have done for the past six weeks, and more importantly, what I plan to do for the upcoming months.

Sometime around July 20 I boarded a bus in Portland, ME and drove to Boston, MA where I boarded a plane to fly to Baltimore, MD where I got off a plane and boarded another one where I flew to Dallas, TX where my aunt picked me up in the airport and I boarded a car and was driven to her house.  I spent a few days in Dallas, going to cool places like the Apple Store, the Nasher Museum, Primo's,  and a place that served a lot of obscure beers (I forgot the name, but if I remember this topic I will explain why this does not matter).  

Sometime around July 23 our fellow stadium-mate John Vigeland drove the Lexus From Texas™ across the vast expanse of Texas megalopolis from Fort Worth to Dallas, and retrieved me from my aunt's house.  We drove to a hare krisha temple where we were served vegetarian Indian cuisine and only requested to donate money.  The food was delicious and we were quite full at the end of lunch.  We spent the next few days in Fort Worth meeting John's friends, going to get ice cream at Braum's, and preparing for the Great American Adventure™.

On July 26, we awoke ourselves from our slumber at the early hour of 6am.  We packed the car, ate some food, and set out on our adventure by 7:30am, ready to conquer the Eastern Seaboard.  Our destination was Nashville, TN, as we had heard about an excellent blue grass jam session set to occur at 9pm that evening at the Station Inn (complete with blind banjo player!).  As we drove east from Fort Worth, we promptly got lost.  

We soon found our way back on track, set the cruise control to 75mph, and pointed the car towards Nashville.  We arrived approximately 12 hours later, enjoyed the blue grass jam sesh, local beer, and pizza, and then walked along Broadway for a bit.  Nashville is a sweet city.

Now, so as to not bore you all with a day by day description of our road trip and all that occurred, I will simply list out the next few stops because, frankly, typing out an extended description of each simply does not do the trip justice.  Check out the facebook pics if you want more.

1. Nashville, TN (already explained)

2. Marshall, NC (rafting the Pigeon, karaoke in Asheville, etc.)

3. Charlotte, NC (Halo 2 all day and laundry)

4. Richmond, VA (request further explanation)

5. Shenandoah National Park, VA (much needed respite from alcohol and civilization)

6. Washington D.C. (Elliot's pool)

7. New York City, NY (fuck the police... and the prices... and the tolls...)

8. Cherry Valley, NY (chilled in a debris hut)

9. Boston, MA (pretended to buy engagement rings, saw really cool ceramics)

10. Naples, ME (helped my parents move, rope swings, etc)

We stayed in Naples for like ten days and then went to Algonquin Park in Ontario, CA.  This drive took a long time, but the destination made the drive well worth it.  We stayed at my family's cabin for ten days and then we were off to Northfield!  We left quite early in the morning, and toyed with the idea of driving straight to Northfield (18 hours).  We would have accomplished this except for two things.  One, we got slightly lost and probably went about an hour out of our way, and two, we were detained at the U.S. border for about 45 minutes, suspected of carrying marijuana from Canada to the U.S.  I kid you not.  Let me explain:

Looking a bit scruffy, unkempt, and generally "progressive", John and I drove through Sault Ste. Marie, ON toward the American border.  We made our way onto the International Bridge, connecting Canada and the U.S. and were politely reminded by a road sign to "Smile!" because we were on camera.  We met the Border Patrol agent who politely asked for our passports.  We gave them to him, he took them into his little shack, and then told us to wait.  Another officer came out of a different building carrying a still-unidentified piece of metal equipment and strictly directed me to drive alongside him as he walked.  We were to pull into the garage bay that was open to our right.  As we pulled in, it became apparent to us that there were probably about nine other officers along with the previous two, all just chilling in this garage bay.  We were instructed to exit the car, walk to a table, and empty our pockets onto said table.

Having done so, the agent then rifled through our wallets, smelled my hat (wtf?), and the following exchange occurred:

Officer: Where are you coming from today?

Me: Algonquin Park in Ontario

Officer: Really.  Did you go to Hemp Fest?

Me: No, sir.

Officer: Were you anywhere near HempFest?

Me: No, sir.

Officer: How do you know each other?

Me: We went to school together.

Officer: What was your major?

Me: International Relations (should have said "horticulture")

John (interjects): I was studio art!

Officer: Who is the car registered to?

John: My father.

Officer: Well let's get this all straight.  This car is going to be searched completely.  If we find anything at all, you two will be headed to prison and the car will be seized.  I bet your father wouldn't be too happy about that.  So, let's make this easy.  If there's anything at all that we should know about or that you shouldn't have, tell us now.  Or else, this could get real messy.

Me:  I can't think of anything (nervous breathing, heart pumping out of body)

They search the car, and two funny instances occurred.  One, the dog freaked out at one point, clearly smelling something.  All the officers got a little excited, and it turned out that they found a box of Kashi Go Lean that we had sitting in the trunk.  Two, an officer was going through our stuff in the back seat and came across a plastic baggy full of tea leaves.  He held it up, examined it, and proclaimed, "Guys! I've found the mother lode!"

After they found nothing (phew!), we were free to go.  This, combined with taking a wrong turn later in the drive, forced us to stay at an AmericInn in Wausau, WI and drive the remaining four hours of the drive the next morning.  We arrived in Northfield on August 31, having completed 4789 miles of driving between July 26 and August 31.  Our road trip was effectively finished.

In Northfield, I helped John move in, chilled with Viveka a bunch, and just generally relaxed.  I avoided real life for twelve days, and awkwardly pretended I was in college again.  I ate at Tiny's, went to the Cow, went to the Reub, went to Ho Bro's, went to the Hideaway, ate Basil's gyro pizza (twice!), napped in Memorial while watching baseball, and tried to avoid walking around campus and being that guy.  I guess napping in Memorial sorta messed up that plan though.  Oh, I also got the new phone numbers for the yellow security phones for Memorial and Cassat.  Word.

But, all good things must come to an end and so too did my time in Northfield and my summer.  No longer can I avoid supporting myself and getting a job.  Right now, it looks as if I'll be moving to Minneapolis and working for a start-up I got involved with this summer.  Things will become a lot more clear in the coming week, and I will keep you all updated as to what is occurring.  In an ideal world, I will have solid plans at the end of this week and hopefully be moved out there by the end of the month.  Be optimistic.  

Coincidentally, the end of the month is homecoming.  I am doing my very best to make sure that I am back for that, as I would like to avoid being tarred and feathered, being banned from the blog, or having a penis drawn on my face with Sharpie.  I really want to be able to jump on Mark and Alfredo and BK while they sleep so soundly.

Reflections on the term

I've yet to post anything meaningful to this blog (unless you count semi-political gossip meaningful) so I figured that I would try to add something that was at least more than two lines. Quantity = quality in my book, so I think an epic post comprised of reflections on the past term would be, at the very least, not boring.

BK and Marky Mark agree with me - winter term usually sucks. Ted didn't respond because of Call of Duty, but we'll just go ahead and say that he agrees with me as well. Winter term is pretty much guaranteed to suck. But, for some reason, or for a few different reasons maybe, this winter term did NOT suck. In fact, it was great. Furthermore, I think everyone in the Ocho would agree with me on this sentiment. Maybe it was even better than fall term (but certainly not better than this coming spring).

So why does winter term always suck? In no particular order:

1. It's cold out.
2. The days are shorter.
3. Everyone always seems to have more work (i.e. comps)
   
4. Nobody wants to go anywhere (see #1). This affects the social vibe on campus, and you get sick of people.
   
5. It's sort of like sophomore year - you're not close to being done, and you're not even excited about the novelty of being at school. You're stuck in the middle. It's like a Tuesday, but ten weeks long.
6. It's pretty damn chilly.

Why did this term not suck? Corresponding with the previous list:

1. It was really only cold one week this term. Granted, it got to about -40 with the windchill, and we couldn't really afford to go outside for any length of time. The rest of the time, it seemed like winter didn't really happen. We had some snow and that wasn't the best, but for the most part we just kinda chilled with 20 degree weather, played some hockey, badminton, etc and enjoyed ourselves. By we, I mean me. Everyone else here just swam all the time (but they don't think the term sucked either, so I think there's something to this).
2. The days were still shorter. That didn't change. But, maybe, just maybe, the beauty of the UV lights that were installed in Stadium 110 actually illuminated the dark days and made them feel longer, warmer, and brighter.
   
3. While a lot of people had work, it didn't seem to get in the way. Or if it did, we all seemed to have a different perspective on it. We did our work, then came back and chilled. Nobody got too stressed. Except maybe Ted. But Ted had a lot of work, so that's excused. And I guess Toto didn't really come back sometimes. And now he's sitting here playing Call of Duty so he's not stressed anymore.
4. While not wanting to go anywhere usually causes a problem, this wasn't an issue for The Ocho. The reasoning is simple: we lived with the people with whom we wanted to chill. Instead of having to trek across campus to go sip a brew, we stayed in Stadium and enjoyed the company of friends (and UV lights, bitches!).
5. While this winter term was like every other winter term in that it was in the middle of fall and spring, it felt different. Maybe it's that it's senior year and our time here is fleeting. Or maybe this term just didn't suck.
6. It wasn't that chilly, as established in #1.

Nonberg disagrees with my sentiments: "Winter term doesn't suck. It's what you make of it!" So, I guess maybe we just made good of winter term. Circumstances help.

Other highlights of winter term:

• First Mate Charlie
• Reinstallation of Tetris Attack
• Swimming
• Mark says UV lights again
• Conference Party
• Almost dying
• Midwinter Ball
• Black Lights, White T's, BK, Caribou Lou
• Starting the blog
• Prospect of Stadium seating
• Finishing comps
• TASTE THE RAINBOW ("this is the most fun I've ever had at Carleton!")

The Era Has Begun

Yes. Stadium 110 has entered the blogosphere. Our opinions on life, politics, parties, music, and poop will now be emanated across the world. And this will truly be an international blog, covering happenings in both Northfield and Moscow. Prepare your minds and your souls for the ultimate deflowering that is Stadium 110.