At 5:30 a.m., Athens is dark and quiet. Most everyone is asleep - except the Ohio swimming and diving team.
With a training schedule that can cause light-headedness just by reading it, the Bobcats practice for many hours, multiple times per day, and it all starts with that first early morning splash.
The hardest part is diving in the water
especially in the morning when it's cold senior Rachel Heim said. I guess there are a lot of emotions
but at some point you just lose yourself in it and just focus on the practice itself.
Some of the swimmers even look at the start of practice in a positive light.
You're mainly brain-dead
so it's actually sometimes easier because you're not thinking about how sore you are
senior Amanda Traylor said. Sometimes it feels nice; you get to go in early making your 8 a.m. classes not nearly as bad.
A standard training schedule of practice early in the morning, practice in the evening and weight lifting throughout the day, is a necessity for the team. Coach Greg Werner, in his 16th season, said he knows that a successful season starts and ends by the adjustments made in practice.
It gives us plenty of opportunities to work on the details
said Werner. It's all about the details and peaking at the championships
but it also duplicates what they will experience at the championships - whether it's a preliminary session in the morning or a final session in the afternoon
so training twice a day certainly helps prepare them for that.
The Bobcats are in the midst of a heavy dual meet schedule and are looking forward to the Mid-American Conference Championships, which will be held at home this season on Feb. 23-26.
While some might wonder why these girls go through the hassle of constant training, senior Stacey Huber said because it's just a part of life.
I've been doing it for 12 or 13 years
so it's more about the actual love for the sport
Huber said. It definitely takes a person willing to put all their energy into the sport and what you get out of it is more than what you put into it.
Many attributes go into having a successful practice. Werner explained that there is a dichotomy between what the athletes think is a good practice and what the coaches think is a good practice.
For a team member
