Now onto the men. It was really hard to narrow the list down to 10 men who impressed me this season. There were so many across all five disciplines. I paid more attention to the men this year because the race for the overall Crystal Globe and most of the smaller Globes will come down to the finals, which start early next week. The women's Globes, except for giant slalom, were locked up early, which takes away a lot of the excitement of the season and finals. Anyway, on to the men. Again, they're in alphabetical order.
Max Blardone (Italy): Max has had two wins in giant slalom this season and has also been on the podium. He has always been one of the better men in GS, but this season he has really put it all together and is having a great year. Max also has one of the best victory celebrations. He forms his ski poles into a bow and arrow and shoots one of the poles into the crowd.
Didier Cuche (Switzerland): Like a fine wine, Didier gets better with age. At 37 he is still winning races. Didier is a great role model for what an older athlete can accomplish. He will retire at the end of the season and will be missed. Didier's post-run celebration is also entertaining. He loosens one ski, kicks it into the air so it flips over a couple of times, then catches it.
Beat Feuz (Switzerland): Beat is achieving the potential that he showed as a junior skier by leading the World Cup overall standings. He is a speed specialist, but was also good enough in the combined event (1 run downhill, 1 run slalom) to be on the podium in all 4 of those races. I also admire his sportsmanship. He always seems to be smiling and complimenting his teammates.
Max Franz (Austria): Before the season started, I didn't hold much hope for the young Austrians. But Max has been a real surprise and gem for the Austrian Power Team. He is young (22) and has had quite a few top-15 results this season. What is amazing is that early in the season he got good results with a high start number. Just last week he had his best finish, a 5th in Super-G. He is definitely one to watch in the speed events. The Austrian legacy of great men in the speed events continues.
Marcel Hirscher (Austria): Marcel has won 8 slalom and giant slalom races this season. At age 22, his career is just getting started. He and Beat Feuz are in a very exciting duel for the overall Crystal Globe that will come down to the finals. I really admire Marcel's nerves of steel. He was embroiled in a cheating scandal earlier this season but was cleared. A lesser skier would have let the pressure of it get to him. But Marcel just kept on winning. If he wins the Globes for both slalom and GS, he will become only the 7th man to accomplish that feat. I can only imagine how great Marcel will be once he hits his physical peak.
Kjetil Jansrud (Norway): On a word association test, the usual answer to, "Great Norwegian all-around skier" would be Kjetil's teammate Aksel Lund Svindal. But this season Kjetil is only one of four men to score points in all 5 disciplines. Kjetil has been known as a giant slalom specialist, but this season he has been on the podium in speed events and even won one. In the next couple of years he could be a real contender for the overall Globe.
Klaus Kroell (Austria): Klaus has been a very consistent performer for Austria in the speed events. He is the top contender for the downhill Globe. His performances this year have been a real inspiration to his younger teammates like Max Franz and Joachim Puchner. Klaus is also very friendly. I rode up to the ski area in the gondola with him. He happily chatted with all of us in the gondola.
Alexix Pinturault (France): Alexis is the latest addition to the strong French technical team. He is also very young (turning 21 later this month) but is already achieving the potential that he showed as a junior with two 2nd places (GS and combined) and a win at the Moscow City Event. Alexis is also very good in slalom and has some top-10 finishes this season. He tends to have a problem putting together two good runs, but he will become more consistent with experience. I see him being a real superstar in the technical events and a great challenger to Hirscher.
Ben Thomsen (Canada): Ben's most impressive finish was 5th place in the Chamonix downhill with start number 50. He follwed that up the next week with a second place finish in the Sochi downhill. Erik Guay, Jan Hudec, and now Ben give the Canadians a triple threat in downhill races. Ben is also young and looks to have a bright future.
Naoki Yuasa (Japan): Despite being from a two-man ski team, Naoki has been very impressive this season. He has broken into the top 10 and even into the top 5 in slalom races. Naoki also skis on Hart skis, which is a manufacturer of freestyle skis. But they obviously work very well for him. I personally think it's great when a skier from a small team does well against the "big boys."
Honorable Mentions: As I said above, it was hard to limit this list to ten men. Some of the other men who were exciting to watch this season were: Fritz Dopfer (Germany), Marcel Mathis (Austria), Bode Miller (USA), Joachim Puchner (Austria), and Benjamin Raich (Austria).
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Good Impressions Part 1
The 2011/12 World Cup skiing season is coming to a close. The finals start with downhill training on Monday. It has been a long season. This post and the next one will be about the skiers who impressed me this season. I'll start with the women and the next post will be the men. The order will be alphabetical rather than by how much I was impressed by them. For the most part, I was impressed by the skiers' performances. But in a couple of cases it was their sportsmanship that made them great this season. There were 9 women who made my list this season:
Stacey Cook (USA): Stacey has been very consistent in the downhill event. It's only a matter of time before she gets her first World Cup podium. My son met her at the races in Garmisch last month and said that she was one of the two friendliest women (the other was Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg).
Lena Duerr (Germany): She has had several good results in technical races this season. She tends to have one great run and one not-so-good run. When Lena gets more consistent and able to put two good runs together, she will be a contender for a Crystal Globe. Lena is part of the young German squad that will only get better with age and experience.
Anna Fenninger (Austria): Anna is primarily known as a speed specialist. But she was one of only five women who scored points in all 5 Alpine disciplines this season. She is still young and has a bright future ahead of her. She could be a real contender for the overall Crystal Globe.
Marie-Michele Gagnon (Canada): Mitch, as she is called, kept getting better and better as the season progressed. If she continues to ski so well, she will earn her first World Cup podium spot very soon. It's great to see a skier who's not from a large team do well in World Cup competition. Mitch is also very young and has a lot of star potential in the technical events.
Michaela Kirchgasser (Austria): Michaela had her best season this year, including a slalom win. Her win, like those of her teammate Marlies Schild, was very decisive. Michaela has really improved a lot and is a steady performer for the Austria Power Team.
Daniela Merighetti (Italy): Daniela showed that her victory in Cortina wasn't a fluke with her close 3rd place finish in Bansko. What really impressed me about Daniela though was her attitude toward her team. When she was asked how she would celebrate her win, she said that she wanted to celebrate with her team. It sounds like the Italian ladies are a very close-knit group.
Marlies Schild (Austria): Marlies is almost 32 and shows no signs of slowing down. Slalom is a discipline that is won by hundredths of a second. Marlies won several races this year by over a second. She is set to tie, or even break, Vreni Schneider's record for the most slalom wins this season. Marlies keeps on winning, yet she is a very humble champion. On the rare occasions when someone does beat her, she gives the winner sincere congratulations.
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA): Mikaela is only 16 and is a real prodigy on skis. When she's on, she's fantastic. She already has a 3rd place this year and a couple of top-10 finishes in slalom. That's amazing for someone in her first year on the World Cup. Like Lena Duerr, she often has problems putting together two good runs. But the consistency will come with experience. She has the potential to become a real superstar in slalom.
Tina Weirather (Liechtenstein): One wouldn't think that a petite skier like Tina would be a good downhiller. The best downhillers tend to be Amazons like Lindsey Vonn and Maria Hoefl-Riesch. But Tina seemed to have come out of nowhere to become one of the best downhillers this season. Tina also showed in Bansko that she is good in Super-G, placing second to Vonn by only 0.02 seconds. She certainly has the pedigree to be great because her mother is the legendary Hanni Wenzel and her father was also a ski racer. Tina trains with the Swiss team and should get her first victory very soon. She already has several podiums in downhill and Super-G this season.
The Bad Luck Club: The Swiss women have been really riddled with injuries this season. Six of their nine women have had to end the season prematurely because of injuries. I wish all of the Swiss ladies a speedy recovery and hope that they come back strong next season.
Stacey Cook (USA): Stacey has been very consistent in the downhill event. It's only a matter of time before she gets her first World Cup podium. My son met her at the races in Garmisch last month and said that she was one of the two friendliest women (the other was Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg).
Lena Duerr (Germany): She has had several good results in technical races this season. She tends to have one great run and one not-so-good run. When Lena gets more consistent and able to put two good runs together, she will be a contender for a Crystal Globe. Lena is part of the young German squad that will only get better with age and experience.
Anna Fenninger (Austria): Anna is primarily known as a speed specialist. But she was one of only five women who scored points in all 5 Alpine disciplines this season. She is still young and has a bright future ahead of her. She could be a real contender for the overall Crystal Globe.
Marie-Michele Gagnon (Canada): Mitch, as she is called, kept getting better and better as the season progressed. If she continues to ski so well, she will earn her first World Cup podium spot very soon. It's great to see a skier who's not from a large team do well in World Cup competition. Mitch is also very young and has a lot of star potential in the technical events.
Michaela Kirchgasser (Austria): Michaela had her best season this year, including a slalom win. Her win, like those of her teammate Marlies Schild, was very decisive. Michaela has really improved a lot and is a steady performer for the Austria Power Team.
Daniela Merighetti (Italy): Daniela showed that her victory in Cortina wasn't a fluke with her close 3rd place finish in Bansko. What really impressed me about Daniela though was her attitude toward her team. When she was asked how she would celebrate her win, she said that she wanted to celebrate with her team. It sounds like the Italian ladies are a very close-knit group.
Marlies Schild (Austria): Marlies is almost 32 and shows no signs of slowing down. Slalom is a discipline that is won by hundredths of a second. Marlies won several races this year by over a second. She is set to tie, or even break, Vreni Schneider's record for the most slalom wins this season. Marlies keeps on winning, yet she is a very humble champion. On the rare occasions when someone does beat her, she gives the winner sincere congratulations.
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA): Mikaela is only 16 and is a real prodigy on skis. When she's on, she's fantastic. She already has a 3rd place this year and a couple of top-10 finishes in slalom. That's amazing for someone in her first year on the World Cup. Like Lena Duerr, she often has problems putting together two good runs. But the consistency will come with experience. She has the potential to become a real superstar in slalom.
Tina Weirather (Liechtenstein): One wouldn't think that a petite skier like Tina would be a good downhiller. The best downhillers tend to be Amazons like Lindsey Vonn and Maria Hoefl-Riesch. But Tina seemed to have come out of nowhere to become one of the best downhillers this season. Tina also showed in Bansko that she is good in Super-G, placing second to Vonn by only 0.02 seconds. She certainly has the pedigree to be great because her mother is the legendary Hanni Wenzel and her father was also a ski racer. Tina trains with the Swiss team and should get her first victory very soon. She already has several podiums in downhill and Super-G this season.
The Bad Luck Club: The Swiss women have been really riddled with injuries this season. Six of their nine women have had to end the season prematurely because of injuries. I wish all of the Swiss ladies a speedy recovery and hope that they come back strong next season.
Friday, March 2, 2012
More Random Thoughts
Here are some more random thoughts while on the run or ski slope...
Frank Zappa Lives: There has been a lot of snow in Garmisch this winter, especially over the last month. People here take their dogs out for walks, even in the winter. When the dogs "answer the call of nature," they leave yellow spots in the snow. Whenever I see one of those yellow blots in the snow, the first thing that comes to mind is the classic line, "Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow" from Frank Zappa's "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow."
Murphy's Law of Late Winter/Early Spring Running: If there is a puddle or thin ice with water underneath, you will end up stepping in it and getting your feet soaked. This usually happens in the early part of a run. There's nothing like the feeling of wet, soggy socks when it's still fairly cold out. I do my best to put a positive spin on cold, wet feet by telling myself that it's good preparation for if it rains on race day. The whole idea of training is to prepare myself for anything that will come up on race day.
Looking Good for that Athletic Endeavor: I don't understand why women put on full makeup before doing something athletic. It's just going to be sweated off and will look worse than no makeup at all. Maybe I can understand having makeup on for skiing because some women are more into looking good than skiing well. They spend more time hanging out in the lodge than actually skiing. But why would anyone in their right mind put on full makeup before a running race? A runner is practically guaranteed to sweat. I can't imagine running with mascara dripping into my eyes. I run and ski with my face au naturel and leave the makeup for work or going out. I actually prefer the natural color that I get in my cheeks from the exercise, sun, and fresh air over the artificial color of makeup.
Fragrance and Exercise Don't Mix: Along with makeup, I don't get why people put on heavy perfume or cologne before exercising. It's not like the perfume/cologne will hide the sweat smell. In fact, there's almost nothing worse than a mixture of body odor and fragrance. The very worst thing is riding in a closed gondola with someone who bathed in fragrance just before heading up to the ski hill.
Eau de B.O.: For the record, I shower every day. But there are still many Europeans who don't believe in daily showers or bathing. Some of these folks seem to shower once a week or even monthly. They're the ones I usually end up nose-to-armpit with in the starting area of a race (one of the disadvantages of being short). I realize that I don't exactly smell like a bouquet of roses after running a long race, especially one in warm weather. But at least I don't stink beforehand. I can only imagine how the people with pre-race B.O. (body odor) smell after a race. I definitely wouldn't want to be in a closed space with them! A shower the night before race day would be a real kindness to the other runners.
Where's Miss Manners When You Need Her: There are certain unwritten rules about riding on a chair lift. One is to keep your hands and other body parts to yourself. For most people there is plenty of space. But I seem to end up sitting next to people who obviously don't understand these rules. Today I was on the 6-man chair at my local ski area. On my right was a British man who was into gesticulating wildly with his left hand. I lost count of the number of times I got poked with his elbow. He was totally oblivious to the fact that he was poking another person. Not only that, he was sitting partway in my seat. I was getting squished between him and my husband. At least he didn't have body odor or wear cologne.
Frank Zappa Lives: There has been a lot of snow in Garmisch this winter, especially over the last month. People here take their dogs out for walks, even in the winter. When the dogs "answer the call of nature," they leave yellow spots in the snow. Whenever I see one of those yellow blots in the snow, the first thing that comes to mind is the classic line, "Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow" from Frank Zappa's "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow."
Murphy's Law of Late Winter/Early Spring Running: If there is a puddle or thin ice with water underneath, you will end up stepping in it and getting your feet soaked. This usually happens in the early part of a run. There's nothing like the feeling of wet, soggy socks when it's still fairly cold out. I do my best to put a positive spin on cold, wet feet by telling myself that it's good preparation for if it rains on race day. The whole idea of training is to prepare myself for anything that will come up on race day.
Looking Good for that Athletic Endeavor: I don't understand why women put on full makeup before doing something athletic. It's just going to be sweated off and will look worse than no makeup at all. Maybe I can understand having makeup on for skiing because some women are more into looking good than skiing well. They spend more time hanging out in the lodge than actually skiing. But why would anyone in their right mind put on full makeup before a running race? A runner is practically guaranteed to sweat. I can't imagine running with mascara dripping into my eyes. I run and ski with my face au naturel and leave the makeup for work or going out. I actually prefer the natural color that I get in my cheeks from the exercise, sun, and fresh air over the artificial color of makeup.
Fragrance and Exercise Don't Mix: Along with makeup, I don't get why people put on heavy perfume or cologne before exercising. It's not like the perfume/cologne will hide the sweat smell. In fact, there's almost nothing worse than a mixture of body odor and fragrance. The very worst thing is riding in a closed gondola with someone who bathed in fragrance just before heading up to the ski hill.
Eau de B.O.: For the record, I shower every day. But there are still many Europeans who don't believe in daily showers or bathing. Some of these folks seem to shower once a week or even monthly. They're the ones I usually end up nose-to-armpit with in the starting area of a race (one of the disadvantages of being short). I realize that I don't exactly smell like a bouquet of roses after running a long race, especially one in warm weather. But at least I don't stink beforehand. I can only imagine how the people with pre-race B.O. (body odor) smell after a race. I definitely wouldn't want to be in a closed space with them! A shower the night before race day would be a real kindness to the other runners.
Where's Miss Manners When You Need Her: There are certain unwritten rules about riding on a chair lift. One is to keep your hands and other body parts to yourself. For most people there is plenty of space. But I seem to end up sitting next to people who obviously don't understand these rules. Today I was on the 6-man chair at my local ski area. On my right was a British man who was into gesticulating wildly with his left hand. I lost count of the number of times I got poked with his elbow. He was totally oblivious to the fact that he was poking another person. Not only that, he was sitting partway in my seat. I was getting squished between him and my husband. At least he didn't have body odor or wear cologne.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Child Not Abducted---Film at 11
A story about a 7-year-old girl in Georgia named Brittney was on the Free Range Kids (FRK) site. Here is the link: http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/a-walmart-abduction-attempt-and-what-the-video-means/ Brittney was with her mother at Wal-Mart. While her mother was a few aisles over, Brittney was in the toy section by herself. A man came up to her and tried to carry her off. Brittney kicked, screamed, and ended up running away from her would-be abductor. The kidnapping attempt was captured on security cameras and the man was arrested within the hour.
My initial reaction to reading the post on FRK was that someone did a great job teaching Brittney what to do if someone tried to grab her or ask her to go away with him. Brittney's mother felt that her daughter was capable of being by herself in the toy aisle. Young Brittney was obviously well-prepared for what to do in the very rare situation of a stranger trying to abduct her and she did a beautiful job executing what she was taught. No harm came to Brittney because she did all the right things.
I have read many comments on various sites about this situation. Most people said that Brittney's mother was negligent for leaving her alone in the toy aisle. They use this incident as a lesson in why a mother should never take her eyes off of her child for even one second. Their logic is that there are predators and abductors lurking everywhere. One of them can snatch your child in the blink of an eye. Just look at what happened to Brittney, whose mother was not glued to her side.
By the way, abductions by a stranger are very rare. Most children who are kidnapped are taken by people that the child knows. Only about 100 kids a year are abducted by strangers in the States. These abductions are considered newsworthy because they're so rare. I'm sure that there are many other kids who thwarted kidnapping attempts by screaming or running away. But they happened out of view of security cameras, so they weren't reported on the evening news.
Other people have commented that this incident is a good reason why parents should never let their kids talk to strangers. "Stranger danger" is taught to kids without teaching the difference between a good stranger and a bad one. Young children may easily get the impression that a "stranger" is a man who looks and talks like Snideley Whiplash. But a stranger is really anyone that a child doesn't know. Instead of a blanket, "Don't talk to strangers," kids should be taught that they can talk to a stranger like a salesperson at a store, a policeman, or a cashier at the movies. But they should learn never to go off with someone that they don't know personally. Again, Brittney incorporated the lesson of not going off with a stranger. She made a big fuss and ran away.
Instead of vilifying Brittney's mother as a negligent parent, we should be praising her for teaching her child what to do if someone tried to grab her. Brittney's mother knew her daughter would not be "vulnerable" if she was a few aisles away in the store. She decided not to hover her daughter. Instead, she gave Brittney the skills to be on her own in a store or other public place.
I have a feeling that stores will soon start passing age restrictions for kids being unattended because of this incident (Brittney's Law of course). Instead of letting parents be the judge of when a child can be a few aisles away in a store, there will be legislation requiring kids under 13, 15, or 18 to be with an adult at all times in a store. This will only serve to infantilize kids and render them even more unprepared to handle life when it's time to leave home.
My initial reaction to reading the post on FRK was that someone did a great job teaching Brittney what to do if someone tried to grab her or ask her to go away with him. Brittney's mother felt that her daughter was capable of being by herself in the toy aisle. Young Brittney was obviously well-prepared for what to do in the very rare situation of a stranger trying to abduct her and she did a beautiful job executing what she was taught. No harm came to Brittney because she did all the right things.
I have read many comments on various sites about this situation. Most people said that Brittney's mother was negligent for leaving her alone in the toy aisle. They use this incident as a lesson in why a mother should never take her eyes off of her child for even one second. Their logic is that there are predators and abductors lurking everywhere. One of them can snatch your child in the blink of an eye. Just look at what happened to Brittney, whose mother was not glued to her side.
By the way, abductions by a stranger are very rare. Most children who are kidnapped are taken by people that the child knows. Only about 100 kids a year are abducted by strangers in the States. These abductions are considered newsworthy because they're so rare. I'm sure that there are many other kids who thwarted kidnapping attempts by screaming or running away. But they happened out of view of security cameras, so they weren't reported on the evening news.
Other people have commented that this incident is a good reason why parents should never let their kids talk to strangers. "Stranger danger" is taught to kids without teaching the difference between a good stranger and a bad one. Young children may easily get the impression that a "stranger" is a man who looks and talks like Snideley Whiplash. But a stranger is really anyone that a child doesn't know. Instead of a blanket, "Don't talk to strangers," kids should be taught that they can talk to a stranger like a salesperson at a store, a policeman, or a cashier at the movies. But they should learn never to go off with someone that they don't know personally. Again, Brittney incorporated the lesson of not going off with a stranger. She made a big fuss and ran away.
Instead of vilifying Brittney's mother as a negligent parent, we should be praising her for teaching her child what to do if someone tried to grab her. Brittney's mother knew her daughter would not be "vulnerable" if she was a few aisles away in the store. She decided not to hover her daughter. Instead, she gave Brittney the skills to be on her own in a store or other public place.
I have a feeling that stores will soon start passing age restrictions for kids being unattended because of this incident (Brittney's Law of course). Instead of letting parents be the judge of when a child can be a few aisles away in a store, there will be legislation requiring kids under 13, 15, or 18 to be with an adult at all times in a store. This will only serve to infantilize kids and render them even more unprepared to handle life when it's time to leave home.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Rejected!
To those who read my old Yahoo 360 blog, this is very similar to a post that I wrote on Yahoo 360 about being a "fitness program reject."
It's that time of year again. I'm not referring to it being ski season or time to bring out the ice spikes. Every February the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge takes place on base. But, alas, I won't be participating in it. The reason I'll be on the sidelines while others on base are collecting points and accolades for their participation in the program is because I'm a fitness program reject. Why am I a fitness program reject? I'm too fit.
The Healthy Lifestyle Challenge was not the first fitness program that turned me down. The US government has a civilian fitness program for its employees. If you're accepted into it, you can take off from work one hour early three days a week. At the time I applied to participate in the Hohenfels civilian fitness program (1997-98 time frame), one of my major goals was to run a 10K race in under 50 minutes. I had come tantalizingly close several times, but never seemed to be able to crack the 50-minute barrier. I finally did it in 2004, but that's another story. I heard about the civilian fitness program at the gym, got an application, and filled it out. There were several goals listed on the application: lose weight, quit smoking, quit drinking alcohol, lower blood pressure, improve aerobic fitness, improve diet, and other. I checked the "other" block, wrote, "Improve my 10K and marathon times," and gave it to my supervisor to sign. My supervisor signed it because he knew that I could get my work done even if I took off three hours a week to train. But his supervisor rejected my application and said that improving my 10K and marathon times was not printed on the form. Therefore, they were not valid reasons for participating in the program. He also said that this program is a short-term program for people who are unfit to get them started on what will hopefully become a permanent fitness routine. Being a long distance runner made me too fit for the program. If I was an obese alcoholic with high blood pressure who smoked, then I would have been readily accepted.
When I got the rejection from my supervisor's boss, I tried the "glory through sports" angle. Hey, it worked for the Soviet Union and the former East Bloc countries. It's a real unit pride thing in the military, and among civilian organizations working for the military, to do well in on-base and inter-base sporting events. Softball and volleyball tournaments as well as running races are great ways for units to get accolades. I told the big boss that improving my race times and placing high in on-base and local races would bring glory, or at least good publicity, to our division. But he didn't budge from his position. If it wasn't printed on the form, it was a no-go. He knew that I didn't smoke, didn't drink much, and didn't need to lose weight. My blood pressure was good, as was my aerobic fitness. I could have checked the block about improving my diet. But ice cream and chocolate really should be their own food groups. Fitness Program Rejection Number One.
During my first winter in Garmisch, I saw fliers at the gym for the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge. It sounded interesting, so I thought that I'd try to do it. When I talked to one of the gym employees about it, he told me, "You're not the kind of person we want for this program. You're too fit." He explained that the program, like the year-round civilian fitness program, was designed to help the unfit learn more about exercise and diet and to (hopefully) permanently incorporate what they learned. Fitness Program Rejection Number Two.
I think it's great that the government is encouraging unfit people to get into the gym and take those first steps toward a healthier lifestyle. But I think that those who are already fit should also be encouraged to participate in its programs. Even those of us who are physically fit still have goals like being able to lift more weight, becoming more flexible, or running faster. It would be nice if the existing fitness programs had goals that accomodate both fit and unfit people. But until that day comes, I will live with the honor of being a two-time fitness program reject.
It's that time of year again. I'm not referring to it being ski season or time to bring out the ice spikes. Every February the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge takes place on base. But, alas, I won't be participating in it. The reason I'll be on the sidelines while others on base are collecting points and accolades for their participation in the program is because I'm a fitness program reject. Why am I a fitness program reject? I'm too fit.
The Healthy Lifestyle Challenge was not the first fitness program that turned me down. The US government has a civilian fitness program for its employees. If you're accepted into it, you can take off from work one hour early three days a week. At the time I applied to participate in the Hohenfels civilian fitness program (1997-98 time frame), one of my major goals was to run a 10K race in under 50 minutes. I had come tantalizingly close several times, but never seemed to be able to crack the 50-minute barrier. I finally did it in 2004, but that's another story. I heard about the civilian fitness program at the gym, got an application, and filled it out. There were several goals listed on the application: lose weight, quit smoking, quit drinking alcohol, lower blood pressure, improve aerobic fitness, improve diet, and other. I checked the "other" block, wrote, "Improve my 10K and marathon times," and gave it to my supervisor to sign. My supervisor signed it because he knew that I could get my work done even if I took off three hours a week to train. But his supervisor rejected my application and said that improving my 10K and marathon times was not printed on the form. Therefore, they were not valid reasons for participating in the program. He also said that this program is a short-term program for people who are unfit to get them started on what will hopefully become a permanent fitness routine. Being a long distance runner made me too fit for the program. If I was an obese alcoholic with high blood pressure who smoked, then I would have been readily accepted.
When I got the rejection from my supervisor's boss, I tried the "glory through sports" angle. Hey, it worked for the Soviet Union and the former East Bloc countries. It's a real unit pride thing in the military, and among civilian organizations working for the military, to do well in on-base and inter-base sporting events. Softball and volleyball tournaments as well as running races are great ways for units to get accolades. I told the big boss that improving my race times and placing high in on-base and local races would bring glory, or at least good publicity, to our division. But he didn't budge from his position. If it wasn't printed on the form, it was a no-go. He knew that I didn't smoke, didn't drink much, and didn't need to lose weight. My blood pressure was good, as was my aerobic fitness. I could have checked the block about improving my diet. But ice cream and chocolate really should be their own food groups. Fitness Program Rejection Number One.
During my first winter in Garmisch, I saw fliers at the gym for the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge. It sounded interesting, so I thought that I'd try to do it. When I talked to one of the gym employees about it, he told me, "You're not the kind of person we want for this program. You're too fit." He explained that the program, like the year-round civilian fitness program, was designed to help the unfit learn more about exercise and diet and to (hopefully) permanently incorporate what they learned. Fitness Program Rejection Number Two.
I think it's great that the government is encouraging unfit people to get into the gym and take those first steps toward a healthier lifestyle. But I think that those who are already fit should also be encouraged to participate in its programs. Even those of us who are physically fit still have goals like being able to lift more weight, becoming more flexible, or running faster. It would be nice if the existing fitness programs had goals that accomodate both fit and unfit people. But until that day comes, I will live with the honor of being a two-time fitness program reject.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Murphy's Law and Other Random Thoughts
Here are some random things that I've been thinking about lately:
Murphy's Law of Rainy Day Workouts: You decide to do an indoor workout at the gym because it's raining hard. You change into workout clothes, stretch, then start working out. Within a few minutes of starting your workout, it stops raining.
Murphy's Law of Winter Running: Any day you decide to wear the shoes with the ice spikes the trails are clear. But just when you think the trails really are clear, and you wear the shoes without the spikes, they're covered in ice and hard-packed snow.
The View: I was wrong that The View is a show just for women. When I was at the gym a week ago Friday, there was a man on one of the machines next to me. He asked me if I was watching the TV in front of me, which was on a college basketball game. I told him that he could change the channel if he wished. He changed the program from college basketball to The View. Maybe his wife or girlfriend told him to get in touch with his feminine side. I can't think of any other reason why a man would voluntarily watch The View.
Weird Parents: My son tells me that I'm weird. I tell him that all kids his age (13 in March) think that their parents are weird. No matter what I do, I'll be weird in his eyes. I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing and one day he'll realize that I'm perfectly sane.
Bad Music: What was it about the '70s that made it the decade of bottom of the barrel music? Rick Dees' "Disco Duck, " The Captain and Tennille's "Muskrat Love," and Paul Anka's "Having My Baby" have to be among the very worst songs ever written. All three are from the '70s. What compelled these people to write songs that are comical because they're so bad? The video for "Disco Duck" is especially funny. Here are videos of those songs. If you can make it all the way through them, you're a stronger person than me.
Disco Duck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irgJPqkuakM
Muskrat Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKw8j7GLSdw
Having My Baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja4iuus8X4o
Even the Germans had bad songs in the '70s. A real classic is Dschingis Khan, by the group of the same name. It was Germany's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979. The group formed about 2 months before the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was was about Ghengis Khan's military, sexual, and drinking prowess. It placed 4th in Eurovision out of 19 entries. Yikes! -Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOsoNuKCEJY
Barry Manilow was a Man Ahead of His Time: While I was taking that trip to the Copacabana....OK, I was on YouTube and watched the video of Barry singing about what happened at the Copa. This particular concert was from 1981. Watch the people in the background starting at around 2:06. Pay attention to their arm movements. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU8TAkl7Tbg Now watch this clip from the German movie Traumschiff Surprise, which was made in 2004. Notice what the men are doing with their arms at 8-9 seconds into the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBhaXQ3UaDo Barry was not only 20 years ahead of his time, he was an international trendsetter.
Memory is Always Better: For the past month or so my son has been craving chicken nuggets from McDonald's. The last time I took him there was about 4 years ago. Imagine his excitement last weekend when he and two of his friends made plans to see a movie and have dinner at McDonald's afterward. When he came home, he said that he had chicken nuggets and fries for dinner. But he said that the chicken nuggets weren't as good as he remembered. I have the same experience when I go back to California and have Mexican food. I have memories of great Mexican food. But it never seems to be as good as the food in my memory.
Murphy's Law of Rainy Day Workouts: You decide to do an indoor workout at the gym because it's raining hard. You change into workout clothes, stretch, then start working out. Within a few minutes of starting your workout, it stops raining.
Murphy's Law of Winter Running: Any day you decide to wear the shoes with the ice spikes the trails are clear. But just when you think the trails really are clear, and you wear the shoes without the spikes, they're covered in ice and hard-packed snow.
The View: I was wrong that The View is a show just for women. When I was at the gym a week ago Friday, there was a man on one of the machines next to me. He asked me if I was watching the TV in front of me, which was on a college basketball game. I told him that he could change the channel if he wished. He changed the program from college basketball to The View. Maybe his wife or girlfriend told him to get in touch with his feminine side. I can't think of any other reason why a man would voluntarily watch The View.
Weird Parents: My son tells me that I'm weird. I tell him that all kids his age (13 in March) think that their parents are weird. No matter what I do, I'll be weird in his eyes. I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing and one day he'll realize that I'm perfectly sane.
Bad Music: What was it about the '70s that made it the decade of bottom of the barrel music? Rick Dees' "Disco Duck, " The Captain and Tennille's "Muskrat Love," and Paul Anka's "Having My Baby" have to be among the very worst songs ever written. All three are from the '70s. What compelled these people to write songs that are comical because they're so bad? The video for "Disco Duck" is especially funny. Here are videos of those songs. If you can make it all the way through them, you're a stronger person than me.
Disco Duck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irgJPqkuakM
Muskrat Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKw8j7GLSdw
Having My Baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja4iuus8X4o
Even the Germans had bad songs in the '70s. A real classic is Dschingis Khan, by the group of the same name. It was Germany's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979. The group formed about 2 months before the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was was about Ghengis Khan's military, sexual, and drinking prowess. It placed 4th in Eurovision out of 19 entries. Yikes! -Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOsoNuKCEJY
Barry Manilow was a Man Ahead of His Time: While I was taking that trip to the Copacabana....OK, I was on YouTube and watched the video of Barry singing about what happened at the Copa. This particular concert was from 1981. Watch the people in the background starting at around 2:06. Pay attention to their arm movements. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU8TAkl7Tbg Now watch this clip from the German movie Traumschiff Surprise, which was made in 2004. Notice what the men are doing with their arms at 8-9 seconds into the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBhaXQ3UaDo Barry was not only 20 years ahead of his time, he was an international trendsetter.
Memory is Always Better: For the past month or so my son has been craving chicken nuggets from McDonald's. The last time I took him there was about 4 years ago. Imagine his excitement last weekend when he and two of his friends made plans to see a movie and have dinner at McDonald's afterward. When he came home, he said that he had chicken nuggets and fries for dinner. But he said that the chicken nuggets weren't as good as he remembered. I have the same experience when I go back to California and have Mexican food. I have memories of great Mexican food. But it never seems to be as good as the food in my memory.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Happy iBirthday!
My silver iPod Nano will be 5 years old this month. I don't remember the exact date that I got it. My husband bought it for me when he was in San Diego for his father's angioplasty in January 2007. It was a very nice surprise gift. An even bigger surprise is how long it has lasted. It must be because it has a flash drive inside instead of a hard drive. My husband, who's a software engineer, seemed to trust flash drives more than hard drives. At least he did when he bought my iPod. Before I got the iPod, I had an old Rio MP3 player that held a whopping 120 megabytes of music. I still have that MP3 player, which still works.
Even though my Nano was probably obsolete within a week of getting it, I love it. A couple of years ago one of my friends teased me about having such an old iPod (it was 2.5 years old at the time). It is still going strong after all this time, which is amazing for an electronic device with built-in obsolescence. The battery shows no signs of wearing out after five years. Between listening to music while running, working out in the gym, and skiing, plus listening to Russian language podcasts at work, it gets used just about every day.
My Nano has been my faithful workout companion on two continents and four countries. It has been to the USA, Germany, Austria, and Italy. My little iPod is also very hardy because it has been subjected to extreme temperatures. It has been with me while skiing when it was -15 C (4 F) and in the California desert when it was 40 C (104 F). It has been in all kinds of weather conditions from bright sunshine, rain, snow, sleet, and fog. Just last Friday it came with me while I ran in a snowstorm, tucked safely away in my fleece overshirt pocket. When the weather is wet, I put it into a Ziploc bag to keep it dry. The Nano has been to the top of Germany's highest mountain and at sea level in San Diego.
What I really like about my ancient Nano is its size. It fits nicely in one of the side pouches on my water bottle carrier. The drink carrier is also a relic, but that's another story. It also fits perfectly in the inside pocket of my ski jacket, running jacket, and fleece overshirts. The new Nanos hold 8 and 16 gigabytes and can do more things than mine. Mine "only" holds 2 gigabytes of information. The new Nano models look like they're the same size as my husband's Shuffle, which is a little too small for my taste. They also have a touch screen instead of a click wheel. I like being able to navigate with the click wheel instead of touching the little screen to get to my music playlists or podcasts. The only feature that I don't like about my iPod is that the screen is small and I need reading glasses to see it clearly. But I can live with that. I don't need to see the screen while I'm running or skiing.
I'm sure that my Nano won't last another 5 years. But if it somehow does, it will be considered a classic instead of a relic. I intend for the Nano to be my workout partner until the day it dies. When I replace my iPod with whatever the latest model will be, I hope that it will last as long as my little Nano.
Even though my Nano was probably obsolete within a week of getting it, I love it. A couple of years ago one of my friends teased me about having such an old iPod (it was 2.5 years old at the time). It is still going strong after all this time, which is amazing for an electronic device with built-in obsolescence. The battery shows no signs of wearing out after five years. Between listening to music while running, working out in the gym, and skiing, plus listening to Russian language podcasts at work, it gets used just about every day.
My Nano has been my faithful workout companion on two continents and four countries. It has been to the USA, Germany, Austria, and Italy. My little iPod is also very hardy because it has been subjected to extreme temperatures. It has been with me while skiing when it was -15 C (4 F) and in the California desert when it was 40 C (104 F). It has been in all kinds of weather conditions from bright sunshine, rain, snow, sleet, and fog. Just last Friday it came with me while I ran in a snowstorm, tucked safely away in my fleece overshirt pocket. When the weather is wet, I put it into a Ziploc bag to keep it dry. The Nano has been to the top of Germany's highest mountain and at sea level in San Diego.
What I really like about my ancient Nano is its size. It fits nicely in one of the side pouches on my water bottle carrier. The drink carrier is also a relic, but that's another story. It also fits perfectly in the inside pocket of my ski jacket, running jacket, and fleece overshirts. The new Nanos hold 8 and 16 gigabytes and can do more things than mine. Mine "only" holds 2 gigabytes of information. The new Nano models look like they're the same size as my husband's Shuffle, which is a little too small for my taste. They also have a touch screen instead of a click wheel. I like being able to navigate with the click wheel instead of touching the little screen to get to my music playlists or podcasts. The only feature that I don't like about my iPod is that the screen is small and I need reading glasses to see it clearly. But I can live with that. I don't need to see the screen while I'm running or skiing.
I'm sure that my Nano won't last another 5 years. But if it somehow does, it will be considered a classic instead of a relic. I intend for the Nano to be my workout partner until the day it dies. When I replace my iPod with whatever the latest model will be, I hope that it will last as long as my little Nano.
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