Jan. 6, 2009

Day 8, January 5

Ryan Dafforn

HOLA from Florida!! As a student-athlete who speaks fluent English being in Miami (aka: Ft. Laudy, aka, the 305, aka, Dade County) is helping me become fluent in Spanish as well, since there are so many Spanish-speaking people and signs here in southern Florida.

Anywho, Ft. Laudy (and yes, that’s what some locals call this Tropicana (no not the orange juice)) is surely treating the Purdue Boilermakers well! First, let me tell the bad news: yesterday it rained for the first time for 30 minutes at 6 pm. No worries, this rain did not interrupt any sun bathing or ocean-swimming time, because by 6 it is about dark here (just like in West Lala (we’re in the same time zone)). Last night, a few of us ventured to a restaurant recommended by the chief food connoisseur himself, Mr. Daniel P. (I’m not sure what he real middle name is, but I’d put a bet on it being Purdue) Ross. It is known to locals as the Raw Bar and is apparently a local seafood favorite. Located near downtown Ft. L, to say the least, this place was splendid! Just ask Tim Watts, (who by the way is one of the most immaculate drivers probably on the face of this Earth) Wyatt Hodges, AJ Boeh, Sean Davis, or Travis Smith. They accompanied me on this maiden voyage and from it we took many memories such as; our waitress teaching AJ how to eat oysters and crab legs, and “446” minutes later, he learned and finished his meal!! You could also ask Sean, Travis, or Wyatt how awesome their dolphin (not the “Flipper” kind, the mahi mahi kind) sandwich tasted; ‘cause they will tell you it was…well, awesome! Or ask me about how the waitress thought I was in middle school I say she really had a secret crush on me. All-around, the Raw Bar was a fantastic time!

Today began just as any other: wake up at 9:30 head down to the beach (where it is already a beautiful 75 degrees) grab some breakfast, relax on the beach, and then wheels roll promptly at 11. I ride in the Dan Ross (our head coach) van. Our van consists of (assistant coach) Jeremy Agnew, (he doesn’t like being called Jeremy, so we refer to him as “J”) Andre Koop, Travis Smith, Chad Dillon, and Kyle House. We’re a fun bunch, and riding in the van with Dan is an adventure in itself. Dan is very good driver, and he cares about his passengers. For example, en route to the Pine Crest pool, we travel on a stretch of pavement that had “speed humps” on it. Right before he goes over each “hump” Dan prepares us by saying “bump.” Dan also tells us many stories from years past. It is neat to hear about all the Purdue Swimming history. The only negative about our trips with Dan is the music, he and J like some old tunes, I miss Britney, “Fiddy”, Dave, Kanye, Chris… you get the picture. I need an iPod.

We had a tough 30 minute workout of abs, coached by J, followed by a 2 hour swim. On a personal note, I currently am recovering from mononucleosis, so I am not able to practice as long and as intense as the rest of the team, but I am improving every day. When I am finished I help Chad or Greg or the coaches with practice, or I help the team getting times on sets they are doing, it depends on the day. Everyone has been working extremely hard, and I know this team is heading in the right direction. Today was especially fun because Sam decided to swim with us. Sam (named by Dan Ross) is our new team Iguana. He stands at about 3 to 4 inches tall, and is about 2 feet long. As part of his dryland workout he loves to climb fences, swim bags, and take long walks on the beach. He is an extremely fast swimmer, although swimming on the surface proved troublesome due to lane lines in his way, Sam is like a torpedo underwater, I took notes. Sam hung around with us for most the afternoon, but, like me, got out about 30 minutes early. I hope Sam can make it to practice tomorrow. This afternoon was a typical afternoon of relaxation, sun, ocean, and food. Tim Watts and I share a love for a place called Jamba Juice (sadly, not located in West Lafayette, or many places for that matter) currently has accepted 15 dollars and 75 cents from me, and I plan on giving them a lot more money in turn for their out-of-this-world smoothies (just ask Wyatt how magical they are).

Now, back at the Ocean Manor resort, I will rest and watch television in preparation for the day’s second practice, for which wheels roll at 7:30. So with that, as the traditional saying goes: all good things must come to an end, so does this blog.

Adios!!

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