September 17, 2008

The Class of '09 has arrived!!!!!

After many, many months of anticipation, all 16 swiggles (including our 5 dynamic freshman) finally arrived on campus on the 11th to start training and forming a team that will surely dominate in the 2009 season. We started off our first practice with a grueling fitness test that set the tone for the work ethic and enthusiasm that will carry us through the season. Then the very next day (Saturday) we packed up our sleeping bags and tents for a team retreat down in Costanoa (about an hour South near Half Moon Bay). We had fun "ruffing it" (with exception to the nice showers, washrooms, and gift shop). However, we did pitch our own tents (which surprisingly got set up quickly and didn't deflate or blow away afterwards) and we slept on the hard ground! We had fun taking hikes to the beach and taking in the incredible views of the shoreline, cliffs and mountains (yes, California is simply awesome!). But like every retreat that SWG goes on, it wasn't all lying on the beach. The coaches put together an awesome obstacle course on the beach on Sunday which included sprints, v-ups, weight runs, Frisbee golf, and launching water balloons. Through all the challenges we could definitely see the competitive spirit and will to win that resides in each person. Just one example of this was when freshman Allie Skoly beat me on a sprint across the beach blind folded, while I was fully capable of seeing!

After a demanding yet fun day at the beach, we did several other challenges that focused on teamwork and leadership. In one of the challenges we were given a stack of newspapers, a roll of masking tape and 30 minutes to see which team could build the highest structure. One catch was that the structure had to hold an egg on the top of it for over 2 minutes. There were several, shall we say, interesting models (we learned which people would be architectures and which ones should steer clear of building) and the winning team made a building that was about 8 or 9 feet tall!

While we weren't running across the beach and playing team challenges it was fun getting to know our freshman and forming new bonds. It didn't take long to figure out that the chemistry on this team was awesome! The freshmen are already saying that they feel like they have been on SWG for years now.

We returned back to campus (a little dirtier than before) and started moving into our residences for the year. Tomorrow we start an intense week of workouts, but we are stoked and excited that we will be stronger and faster than before! Thanks SWG fans for reading and tune in for next week's entry from Kelly (FEE)!

CJ (Carly Janiga)