Jan. 8, 2009
The South Carolina track and field team has been training in Orlando, Fla., since Monday, getting ready for the 2009 season with a week of strenuous workouts designed to make the team stronger mentally and physically. Saturday marks the end of the trip with the yearly exhibition against Denison followed by a “cooling down” at Disney World. Senior pole vaulter Liza Todd checked in with GamecocksOnline.com to give a little insight into what the team has experienced so far this week.
As I lie in my room at night with Sallie (Gurganus), my roommate for the training week in Orlando and most travel weekends, barely able to move after today’s workout, it occurs to me how much I’m going to miss all of this next year. Now a senior, I’m trying to take it all in as much as possible. Over the past four years, my teammates have become much more than mere teammates. During weeks like this in Orlando you get to know each other and realize how much everyone means to you. We see each other at the worst of times like yesterday after our workout when the pole vaulters could hardly move after an infamous abs workout with Coach Johnson, or after their practice with Coach Dee when the decathletes cramp up because of their strenuous sprint workout. At these times, we are broken, hurting, and want nothing more than to lie down and never move, but it is because of my teammates that I am able to make it through to the next day of training. Neither the great Florida weather nor the smiley face we see in the clouds help. It’s my teammates that help me make it through this intense but exciting week in Florida.
It is sitting in the hotel room with a group of friends watching Wall-E while giving massages, not the kind that make you fall asleep but the kind that often times lead to tears due to our extreme soreness, that help bond the team. Playing UNO has also become a nightly routine to take our minds off the pain in our body and simply enjoy a little friendly competition off the track.
Of course practicing is a top priority, but we have been able to squeeze in some fun. We were rewarded for our hard work with a trip to the outlet stores where Nike and Under Armour were on the top of most people’s go to list. On Saturday, the entire team, coaches included, will enjoy a trip to a Disney park to relax and enjoy the Florida weather.
My teammates know me on a level like no one else. They are there when I experience my lowest moments of being broken down and during the celebratory times of big wins and new PR’s. At the end of this week when we will first test our skills, hopefully our hard work will bring high marks, fast times, and long throws.
