Building Teams, Building Memories

Yesterday was frigidly cold again, so I gave the athletes the option to cross train indoors or run outdoors.  I was more than happy to stay indoors (as I knew I had a 10 hour shift delivering that evening).  Thus most of us went into the cardio room.  Indoor stationary bikes are the second worst exercise endeavor (eclipsed only by the treadmill), but it ended up being pretty fun.  We got the TV on and were answering "Cash Cab" trivia, a couple athletes were studying Spanish.  We then had an impromptu "Endurance Battle of the Sexes".

Here were the ground rules:
1) Boys v. Girls - the sex of the last competitor earned his or her team a point
2) Three competitions - Wall Sits, Flexed Arm Hang, and Plank

First up was the Wall Sits - I've done these before and usually the girls dominate.  Oh man did they ever!  By three minutes, we were done to our last boy (I was competing too), but not a single girl had dropped.  The last boy made it to 4 minutes...  Still EVERY girl, beat EVERY boy!      Girls 1, Boys 0

Then came the flexed arm hang.  I thought the boys would do better at this...  Three rounds of two boys vs two girls, the team winning the most rounds won a point.  The boys were pretty dominate on this one winning 2 of the 3 rounds.  (The one they lost went 1:15, the two they won were both about 1:00 - just had a tough set of girls on one round)  Girls 1, Boys 1

Now the competition was on!  We planked up, boys facing girls about 18 inches apart.  Trash talking and mind games rampant.  1:15 in the first girl faltered.  Her older sister exclaiming, "Seriously???? WTF???"  More heckling from her gender.  About two minutes two boys and another girl fade - no heckling this time as everyone was starting to feel the burn.  Three minutes - one more boy and one female coach.  Down to two males (me and another boy) and 5 girls (4 State Qualifying girls in XC, and a coach).  I start to worry.  Usually I dread doing the plank - I feel it's the thing I'm worst at.  Yet here I am, somehow trying to represent my gender in a way it should be represented.  3:15 - Shoot - the last boy is out (and the female coach).  1 against 4.  At this point everyone starts cheering loudly, but it's getting tough.  Not so much in my core (abs, back, or even legs) but up in my arms, my head, and my ears.  They're just throbbing, trembling, no longer pumping blood and oxygen, just acid and rust.  It started feeling like the last lap of a mile. When time slows.  When training and talent mean little, as everything hurts.  The only thing that matters is courage.  Just getting to that line.  Yet here there was no line.  Just three solid planks (and one tired one).  Finally the tired plank dropped about 3:45.  I made it to 4:00 but knew resistance was futile and gave in.  Girls win!!!

These are the kind of days the athletes will remember, the days that bring them together.  A great day for all of us.  Oh and my head hurt the entire night from that plank effort.  But as Chuck Palahniuk wrote in "Fight Club" - Being tired isn't the same as being rich, but most times it's close enough.


Today I am a rich man.