Tatras Training Camp

After I returned from Krakow, it was time to head up to the mountains for a weeklong training camp with my team. I didn’t really know what to expect since the last training camp consisted of us staying in a hotel, eating bad food, and driving to our gym for practice two times a day. Never really understood what the point was but since I didn’t have to pay for food for four days I figured there were worse way to spend my time.

I had higher expectations this time around however, since I knew we were going up to the mountains and skiing would be involved. So after Monday morning practice and weight lifting, we all loaded our bags into the van and spent the next hour driving up and through the beautiful High Tatras Mountains. The same huge, jagged, snow covered mountains I’ve been admiring from afar these past few months. It was an unforgettable week; sore muscles, fresh mountain air, meeting new people and eating too much food. All you could ever want in a ‘vacation.’

Monday:
We arrived at a ski resort white with snow and crawling with skiers, everyone with rosy cheeks and smiling faces. We made our way through the center of town, past all the cozy wooden lodges and vendors selling wool caps, past the hot wine stand, and to the base of the large ski lift.

Our hotel had a plaque boasting that it was built in 1970 and clearly hadn’t gotten so much as a coat of paint since then. It was totally old school, unpretentious, and charming. Our room was clearly built for skiers who spent most of their time on the slopes and the beer garden since every time Dita and I moved at the same time around the room it was followed by an ‘excuse me’. We practically had to sleep together. But the view was amazing.

There were Olympic sized ski jumps at the base of the mountain, of which we had a front row view. We came back from breakfast one day and spent the whole rest of the morning ‘oohhhing’ and ‘ahhing’ and pointing every time we caught a glimpse of the ski jumpers practicing. It was so much fun to watch them slide across the starting pole, let go, gather speed and then take flight. I had images of the jumpers being cut up, athletic men with an appetite for danger. At afternoon training that day we did sprints right next to the jumps and, much to my disappointment, the jumpers looked like they were about 17 years old. I was impressed though. After fumbling my way across flat snow all morning, I sat in awe of people actually jumping from great heights and not killing themselves. Let me just say, watching on television doesn’t come close to giving this sport justice. It was absolutely unbelievable to see in person.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. On Monday, after settling into our room designed for midgets, we headed out to our first training session, adequately bundled up and unsure of exactly what we were getting ourselves into. Sure enough, it was freezing outside with piles of snow everywhere. Our Coach declared that afternoon training was to consist of running to the lake, around it twice, and then doing sprints up a snow bank. So we take off, too cold to wait and stretch, and run our 6 kilometers around the lake.

The lake was completely breathtaking (which had nothing at all to do with basketball players suddenly being asked to be cross country runners at altitude). The frozen lake sat gleaming in the sun, with jagged mountains all around it, and white frozen trees and mountain lodges along the perimeter. People were skiing around the trail or over the lake, so we dodged people and tried not to sink too much in the snow during our laps. I learned snow running can be an awful lot like sand running, meaning one feels as if you should be moving forward more than you actually are. Surprisingly though, I didn’t feel the elevation or the distance too much since we’ve been practicing a lot. Dita and I took off, leaving our teammates in the dust and looking up every so often to look at the scenery around us. Afterwards we had to run up a hill, which consisted of a lot of awkward missteps into snow banks. On the way home we tackled each other in the snow constantly, big piles of tall women screaming and laughing and throwing snow in each other’s faces.

After our first successful workout, we made our way back to the lodge where hot tea awaited. Then it was time for my first lesson in Slovakian ski tradition; Slivovica. I was freezing cold by the time I returned, on a high from endorphins and felt totally cleansed from the mountains air. The perfect time to take a shot of the strongest alcohol I’ve ever tasted. So I downed a Slovakian plum brandy and proceeded to almost fall over when I stood up for dinner. I was warm and hungry and really drunk off one shot. I felt awesome.

Dinner was buffet style and hearty and after a long day of workouts, our whole team dominated the line. The highlight, however, was that a men’s water polo team was also training at our hotel for the week. There is a God.

The hotel facility was old and in dire need of updates but extremely comprehensive. I’ve never seen anything like it. In addition to the ski slopes, cross country courses, hiking trails, and downhill runs, the hotel contained a weight room, a pool, a basketball court, a sauna, a water regeneration facility, and a spa. It was a labyrinth of space, rooms leading to hallways, leading to workout rooms, to saunas. Everything an athlete could possibly need for a week of hard-core training.

After dinner the first night we headed to the eucalyptus sauna, sat next to naked men and then crawled into wool blankets on wooden cots and relaxed. It was amazing. It is such a great feeling to get really hot then curl up to keep in the heat, stretch out and watch the snow fall outside. Big fan of a sleeping room next to a sauna.

Afterwards I joined my trainer in the wood paneled, velvet-cushioned bar for a beer. The water polo team was at the next table over so I assigned Johnny the task of finding out when they practice. Next thing I know, we have a soccer game scheduled between our team and theirs later in the week. Score!!!!

Tuesday:
Tuesday morning we woke up early, hit up the breakfast buffet and went to get fitted for cross-country skis. Let me preface this by saying I’ve been on skis twice in my life before my parents decided that the money they were spending on AAU basketball was not going to be wasted on a ski injury. The first time I went was with my brother who got quickly bored with horizontal cross country skiing and decided that we were going to go up the ski lift and down the trail. This was still a time in my life that I thought my brothers ideas were the word of God so I trailed along side him like a dummy. Snow plowing was still a very elusive skill in my two hours of experience so I spent the entire time trying not to fall off the ski lift when we descended and rolling down the trail, swearing at my brother for taking me downhill skiing on cross country skis.

Also let me say that basketball talent does not necessarily transfer to skiing coordination so my team spent a lot of time laughing at each other while we tried to get up. The most talented basketball players often looked the most ridiculous balancing in the snow and our least coordinated player was passing us all on the ski sprints. All in all though it was extremely fun and a great workout. We spent two hours on skis, first doing organized laps then being set free to dabble along the trails. Most of us headed to the lake, made snow angels and tackled each other some more. I kept saying ‘I’m on a lake!”, overly excited for my first time on a frozen body of water. The sun was coming out and the ice-covered trees were glittering.

We made it back to the hotel for lunch, spent an hour in our room coaxing our groins and hip flexors to relax, and got ready for afternoon workouts. First we were in the weight room for an hour then bundled up again for an outdoor workout. This time we did sprints on skis, racing each other up and down slopes trying to score points and not fall.

After dinner we had practice again. I’m not kidding we worked out constantly. But it was so much fun. We finally hit up the gym, which was probably colder than it was outside and had a floor that moved like ocean waves every time someone moved. When you ran you literally could feel yourself sinking each time your foot hit. We played soccer for an hour then headed to water regeneration.

Water regeneration was a room filled with various odd contraptions containing water. We sat in huge blue and white tubs that someone said looked like time machines, soaking our muscles and trying to talk over the drone of the machines. One enormous machine had a hose for water massage so we took turns forcing water onto sore muscles before gathering in the hot tub and calling it a day.

Wednesday:
Wednesday morning we all woke up to new found muscles and gathered around the breakfast buffet, tired but with smiles on our faces, filled with the satisfaction that comes from complete physical exhaustion. Plus I found myself stopping and chatting at the water polo player’s table on my way out. At this point, language barriers mean nothing, if there is a man around, I’m talking to him. Plus one of them spoke Spanish so I could at least have a 1st grade level conversation.

We headed to the weight room for our first workout of the day where my coach first freaked out when I started dead lifting 30 kilos, then proceeded to have the littlest player on the team try to emulate me. I had to veto that idea, however, since the girl has never lifted a free weight in her life and weighs a little more than the bar itself.

After an indoor workout, it was time to get cold so we headed out into the snow for sprinting. In between groups, we watched the ski jumpers and looked longingly at the intertubbers screaming their way down the hill. Then we headed for a loop around the lake before lunch.

The afternoon consisted of only one workout but it was intense, short but sweet. We ran sprints in the gym for an hour; medicine ball and basketball line drills with every combination you can imagine, picking up, putting down, backwards, over head, dribbling one, rolling the other, etc. We finished up the day with one player hyperventilating and all of us feeling tired but great.

The evening was spent at the base of the mountains, watching a men’s basketball game. I’ve only gotten to see a few while in Slovakia since we don’t have a men’s team. This game just reminded me that I am not missing much. I’m pretty sure I would average twenty in the men’s league.

Wednesday night everyone was in the hotel lobby watching soccer, my teammates in the back playing cards and drinking hot cocoa, me and Dita in the front, drinking beer and talking to the water polo players. Did I mention we have an age gap on our team? I had zero interest in being a team player at that point and figured at some point in their lives they would realize that guys don’t have cooties but I wasn’t going to wait around for that to happen. The guys were nice, some spoke English and about half of them were older than me so it was a nice change from the dating scene in good old Ruza. We called it an early night though, still some big workouts ahead of us the next day and high hopes for our last night in the Tatras.

Thursday:
Thursday morning it was back to the skis. This time we followed our ski sprints with ski jumps in place. That’s right, we actually stood there, squatted on the ‘down’ call and jumped in the air, sometimes changing direction, other times jumping in and out of the ski tracks. Finally, my coach has lost it I’m thinking to myself. I was shocked when we finished without an injury. Afterwards it was free skiing time so we headed to the lake, through the trails, down hills, and over the frozen lake, taking pictures and completely enjoying our paid vacation. Skiing is so much fun and even better when its part of your job.

After another lunch of hearty sour cabbage and pork chops, salad and soup, with a side of flirting, it was time to rest and workout again. The afternoon was beautiful and sunny as we walked around the beer garden to the other side of the lodge. This time we did sprints without skis and once again lost our footing in the snow bank repeatedly. What was supposed to be a speed drill turned out to be more about balance and avoiding frostbite on one’s ankles. Afterwards we ran our 6k around the lake twice and finished at the hotel. I decided I had earned another shot of slivovic and since Dita joined me, I had someone else to laugh at when she couldn’t stand up for dinner.

Thursday night was our last night and it promised to be a fun one with our much anticipated soccer match with the water polo team. Coach declared the workout optional so there was some debate as to who was playing, or even if the game would be played. Sure enough though, the draw of the opposite sex brought every player from each team to the gym. My team kicked ass until a water polo player decided to flirt instead of play, passing to the other team right in front of our own goal. I had to sub him out.

All in all though it was super fun to play soccer with the guys. I’ve always enjoyed playing sports with guys and I realize how much I miss the camaraderie We were all exhausted though so after kicking the opposing team all over the court, we called it a match and went to water regeneration, but not before making plans to party in the water polo players cabin later in the evening.

I gathered the older players together and much to my surprise, they were all willing to go party with the boys that night. Why this should be surprising is beyond me but I was glad we were going to do something as a team, well half a team. Coach set the curfew for 11 o’clock with the understanding that the older players will ignore him. Sure enough, we were out till the wee hours, drinking in the bar, fumbling through the snow to cabins, and talking in five different languages. Since the bar closed early with had a eclectic mix of alcohol, bought and brought from different sources so people chased shots of fernet with champagne and sipped on chardonnay in between beers. I stuck with beer, remembering that the following day we would be sprinting through the snow again.

It was a really great night on a number of levels. I think it was good for us older girls to bond a bit and the distraction of having men around let us spend an evening together relaxing, not being a team, just being girls. I think both teams needed a break from training and a little flirting goes a long way.

Friday:
The next morning was hilarious as we all walked through the buffet line hung-over and laughing. Certain people had difficulty making eye contact with certain other people, and some walked around with guilty looks on their faces. It felt a bit like college; people trying to be adults but not quite ready to take things seriously.

In the end though, we really had a good time with the water polo team and it added a whole new dimension to our week in the mountains. Since that week, we’ve played in their town about four times and each game half their team shows up cheering. We have hot water polo groupies. Love it!

After feeding our hangovers, it was time for our final workout in the mountains. We lifted weights, sprinted in the snow and then packed up and headed back to Ruza. Finally that afternoon we had basketball practice. The final workout of a long but beautiful week.

The Buddhists say that when you come down from the mountain, your perspective is forever altered. I came back to Ruza refreshed. A week of feeding my soul on fresh mountain air and exercise; a week of watching the sun set over mountains and valleys, or sparkle against the icicles on trees; a week of being in awe at the shear magnitude of nature all around me. Beauty like that might make me believer in God.

So when I returned from the mountains, I saw my little town as a gateway to all the beauty around it. Sure its boring and there isn’t anything to do but the mountains are right there and just looking at them makes me smile. I felt rejuvenated by getting away, I appreciated the small restaurants and bars we go to, the places where we know everyone. I looked at my town in a whole new light and I have to say I loved what I saw.


PS. I think I'm in Love.....

As I am writing this in a café in Ruzomberok a 9-year-old boy came up trying to sell me a small Easter egg. I’ve seen him before, usually selling something small and unusable. A few weeks ago I saw him at the grocery store with a friend, the boys racing carts down the aisles and running around crazy. Nothing like being let loose, unsupervised in a grocery store! The boys kept running up to me and counting in English as fast as they could, ‘1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10” they would yell and run off. Then they started with ‘your name is Erik’ and I’d reply ‘no MY name is Erik” and they would ignore me and yell out ‘I love you baby’ before taking out their cell phones and taking pictures of me and my teammates. I’m pretty sure they weren’t basketball fans at all, just two bored kids in a grocery store with some cool graphics on their camera phones. I didn’t think much of it, we gave the kids some money, laughed about how cute they were and left.

But Erik came up to me again today, so I gave him some change and showed him my computer. He was excited when I showed him the built in camera and giggled at the distorted picture options. Mind you we can’t actually communicate but it was obvious he wanted to use the Internet. Unfortunately the hotel people wanted him to leave and he got noticeable uncomfortable. So I decided to take my business elsewhere, not really too high on a place that kicks out little kids. Erik and I headed to the next café, connected to wifi, got him some juice and spent the hour with him playing online video games with a smile on his face. He is SO cute. I just sat there and read my magazine, getting nothing done that I had intended to, happy to have a little kid to hang out with.

He kept using my cell phone and wanted to meet up tomorrow so I told him maybe and then tried to put his number in my phone. That’s when he yelled to the girls working behind the counter that he didn’t understand me. Great, I’m thinking, now I look like I’m trying to get the digits off a 9 year old.

P.P.S. Hit a Buzzer Beater a few weeks ago and our superfan put it on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjXLTr1JLS4