Handball - 12/3/15

Most of us attempted to play handball about a year and a half ago.  We didn't feel as if we really got a chance to learn and play it, so we kept looking and eventually found Dallas Team Handball.  We stopped by to take part in one of their practices and get some first-hand knowledge of the game.

Handball is played on five continents by over 180 countries and 19 million people all ages, worldwide, but is most popular in European and Asian countries. First introduced as an outdoor sport during the 1939 Summer Olympics program, handball has since been an indoor sport in the Summer Olympics program since 1972.  USA men have competed 6 times, most recently in 1996.  USA women have competed 4 times, also most recently in 1996.  Neither team qualified for Rio 2016.

 

It's a fast paced game with emphasis on passing and scoring.  There are elements of soccer, water polo, hockey and basketball.  Play involves 7 players per side, including goalies.  It is more physical than basketball, as contact is allowed, but no tackling.  There are 2 minute penalties and yellow/red cards.  Each player can only hold the ball for maximum of 3 seconds and must pass or dribble after 3 steps.  Typical scoring lines include around 50 points per game.  Shots on goal can go up to ~70mph.

 

“The Most Exciting Sport You’ve Probably Never Seen” according to Team USA website.  31 women are on the current roster – 20% are from foreign countries.

We first started by warming up our arms/shoulders with some passing.  Then we did a few different drills - inside a relatively small square (roughly 1/3 the size of a basketball court), we divided into two teams and essentially played "keep away", passing to our teammates using "handball rules" of 3 steps or 3 seconds between passes, while the other team tried to steal it.  Then we had to do a jump pass each time, then we had to do one dribble between passes.  That got us ready for a long scrimmage.

It was perfect - there were four of us and 10 DTH members, so just enough to play a proper 7 on 7 game.

L2 looking to pass while L1 guards

The game can be incredibly fast paced - though the coach of the team kept reminding some players to slow down.  The overall objective on offense is to pass quickly and efficiently until the defense makes a mistake and opens up a gap in which to shoot the ball.  There is also a "pivot" position that plays mostly with her back to the goal she's trying to score on - so she can pass or quickly turn and shoot.

R takes a shot on goal

Between watching the ball and the opponent, I found it very difficult to have time to keep an eye on my feet to make sure I wasn't crossing into the "circle" that is only for the goalie.  There is so much your brain has to keep track of even when you don't have the ball!

Finally, we closed practice taking penalty shots - a fun way to get an under control, no defenders shot at the goalkeeper.

J takes a penalty shot

We had a great time playing team handball.  We're looking forward to watching in person in Rio!



Handball complete!

Javelin & Hammer - 11/6/15

The women’s javelin is a spear approximately 7 feet, 7 inches long, weighing 1.3 pounds and has a 5.9” wide grip made of cord, located at the center of gravity, approximately 3 feet from the tip. The thrower builds speed over a considerable distance before release. At release, the javelin can reach speeds around 70mph. Due to liability with the event, in 36 states, high schools do not compete in the event. It is also part of the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon events. It first began as an event at the Ancient Olympic Games in 708 BC, but has been part of the men’s Games since 1906 and women’s since 1932. The current women’s record throw is 72.28m (237 feet).

We definitely didn't come that close! We were lucky to get some coaching from a former NCAA track coach who specializes in throws - Pete Abbey of Cates Athletics. We started out with some warm-ups, then used medicine balls to stretch our shoulders and hips. The throwing motion for javelin seems simple enough, until you get into the details. The idea is to get all of your momentum going forward, with the javelin the very last thing to move. Normally, that means 7-11 running steps, followed by 3-5 "bounds" (turning your non-throwing hip forward and running sideways, crossing feet over one another), then release with a large follow-thru step. At the time your throwing side starts to come forward, the entire opposite side is rotating back - so that at some point, your chest is farthest forward, with both arms back. This forms a "C" shape in the body. Then the spear is thrust forward and released. It was difficult to get all the motions together, so we started completely stationary with no run-up or bounds.

L1 starts in the basic stance

L1 completes her first throw

Then we tried to add in a couple of bounds. This increased our distance, though we were throwing maybe 20-30 feet. L1 was the only one to get the javelin to "stick" in the ground on landing, though that is not necessary for a "good" throw - as long as the tip hits the ground first.

R's good positioning with a "backwards C" along her arm, side and leg

R follows through, attempting to pull the trailing leg forward

After one of our rounds of throws

Next, we moved on to the hammer. The women’s hammer consists of a solid metal ball weighing 8.82 pounds attached to a wire approximately 3 feet 11 inches long with a handle on one end that allows for grip. The sport dates back to the 15th century and was included in the 1900 Olympic Games, but the women didn’t compete until 2000. Although many assume this is a strength event, it has evolved into a focus on speed. The motion includes two swings from a stationary position, then 3-4 rotations with increasing speed where the ball is at its high point at the front of the circle and the low point at the back. It includes a complicated heel-toe movement, much like discus. The current women’s record throw is 81.08 meters (266 feet).

Again, we started with simple props (medicine balls and cones) to stretch and get the feel of the motion.  Much like discus, getting the motion of the turn is key.  It must be quick and feet must stay close to one another to eliminate any motion that might slow you down.  We didn't attempt turns in discus, but Coach Pete let us get one turn worked in on hammer to see what it feels like.  What I found was that you had to go "all in" and let the hammer do the work for you.  Once I really let my momentum build, all of the motion seemed to fall into place.  The actual release of the hammer is over your shoulder as you finish your turn after the throw.  Our throws were in the range of 40-60 feet.  I'd have loved to work on more turns to see how that impacted distance!

L2 in starting position

J rotating through the swing

L2 pulling the hammer through for the throw

Sizable divots left by the hammer

With javelin and hammer, we have officially completed all throwing events!

L2, J, R and L1 all smiles

Football (Soccer) - 10/8/15

Football, otherwise known in the US as soccer, has been part of the Olympics since the beginning - the men competing every year except for two and the women starting in 1996 in Atlanta.  The US Women's National Team has enjoyed 4 Gold medals and 1 Silver during the 5 games that it has been included.

Soccer is played by over 250 million people in over 200 countries and is widely considered the most popular game in the world.  Three of us had played soccer in our youth, though knew some rust would likely show!

The TCU Women's Club Soccer team was gracious enough to have us out to practice with them on a unseasonably hot October night.  We took part in a series of scrimmages that upped the pace and allowed us to jump right into the game.  We started off playing 6-on-6 on mini fields with mini goals.  Then we moved on to full 11-on-11 on a small intermural field.

L2 defends L1 while teammates look on

R and J, one-on-one

By the time our 90 minute practice was over, a couple of us had realized how much we missed the game.  J had found a new appreciation for the sport that she had never tried before.  We all had fun and were happy to have had such great hosts in the TCU Club team.

Soccer complete!

Nuptuals

We wanted to take a quick moment to congratulate one of our own - K has tied the knot!  She will also be moving 200 miles away, but still plans to join us for these events when she can.  We're very happy for you, K - enjoy this newest life adventure!!!

Triathlon - 7/31/15

Here's another scary one!  Although when some people think "triathlon", they think "Ironman" (I was one).  The Olympics triathlon is actually not quite as crazy.  It consists of a 1.5km (0.93mi) swim, followed by a 40km (25mi) bike, followed by a 10km (6.2mi) run.  It has only been an Olympic sport since 2000!  Although the distances did sound remotely doable to us, we again agreed that it would take too much build-up.  So we copied the format of a local gym who runs an "indoor tri".

On a Friday morning, we met at a local YMCA.  We first hit the pool and swam as many laps as we could for 10 minutes, then quickly rinsed off and changed, then rode a stationary bike for 30 minutes and then ran on the indoor track for 20 minutes.  We roughly averaged about 0.25 miles in the pool, 8 miles cycling, and 1.5-2 miles running.

This was a great alternative to a full triathlon, though I don't think we ruled out actually attempting to finish a real one at some point or another in the future!

(Mini) Triathlon complete!

Team Table Tennis - 7/25/15

We started this adventure almost a year and a half ago and now have around 80 events complete!  Not too much farther to go!!!

That first event back in February 2014 was Table Tennis.  We did a round robin style singles tournament.  So for the team event, we thought we'd see if we could get some actual coaching.  We were glad we did!

On a Saturday morning, we met with Donna Chen, founder of DFW Table Tennis.  There are a LOT of members and they meet a couple of times a week to play pick up games or do lessons.  Ages range from young children to elderly adults.  Donna had a couple of coaches work with us to learn the ropes of team play.  First, what does "team" table tennis mean?  Isn't it just doubles?

Well, in 1992, the Olympics actually awarded two bronze medals because of one country's dominance.  China had made a habit out of regularly sweeping the gold-silver-bronze in the singles AND doubles, both men and women.  In 2008, doubles was replaced by the team event.  In this format, three to five athletes would be on one team and during competition, could rotate into and out of play.  This was in an attempt to combine doubles pairings into a larger team.  This didn't completely work.  Finally, in 2012, it was decided countries could only enter two teams, thus  completely eliminating the possibility of a sweep.

All of that said, we were glad to get some help with the nuances of four people being at the table.  We got pointers on the proper way to serve (ball must be tossed straight up, at least 6 inches, from the flat palm of your hand) and the proper arm position and technique for hitting forearm and backhand shots.

J gives R room to properly serve.

As quickly as the game moves, it is important to stay relaxed and not be in a hurry.  Coach Chen kept correcting my swing because I was hitting it too soon, and thus sending it directly into the net instead of over.

L2 hits a backhand shot over the net

Eventually, we all kind of got into enough of a rhythm that we had a couple of good rallies, hitting the ball at least a few times each before a point was scored.

 

We all agreed that there is so much more than meets the eye with this sport.  We're glad we took the time to work with DFWTT to learn just a little bit more!

 

With Coach Chen - Team Table Tennis complete!

Marathon - 5/16/15

26.22 miles.



It is intimidating.  And we all agreed (even the runners in our group) that we weren't ready to have to really, REALLY train for an event like this.  So we took a little creative latitude. 

We met at a local middle school track on a cloudy morning to embark on a team marathon.  We set up a chart with check boxes for each lap we'd have to complete (works out to 105.5 laps), then started our run.  Everyone had music going in their ears and ran/jogged/walked, checking a box each time we passed the starting line.  Some did more than others, but we all agreed, it was a great way to accomplish this event as a group!

(Team) Marathon complete!

20km Race Walk - 5/8/15

The race walk.  It's an interesting thing.  It's one of the oldest sports in the Olympics and used to be wildly popular to watch and bet on.  It sounds simple enough - walking as fast as possible, but such that one foot is always in contact with the ground.  It is crazy hard to actually put into practice.  The human body just isn't made to move that way!  We all gathered with a couple of extra folks who thought it sounded like a fun way to spend a morning (no, really!).  We had plotted out an out-and-back course along a local trail way to equal the 20km (12.43 miles) and then parked our cars at strategic places along the course, as emergency and bail-out options.  No one really knew what to expect from this event.  We had comfortable walking shoes, snacks, sunscreen and first aid kits for the trek.

When we started off, we all made some attempt to try the actual motion.  The body actually begs to just jog.  Admittedly, most of us gave up very quickly and decided we'd just walk it as quick as we could instead.  At different intervals, some of us did try to throw in the motion, but it was futile.

We made it to our turnaround point in pretty good time.  A few people broke out the first aid kit to tend to blisters and change socks and/or shoes.  We took a few minutes to use the restroom and refill our water bottles, then headed back.  It was at about the 10 mile mark when our bodies started to ask what the heck we were doing.  J had to drop out but she encouraged us to go on - luckily her husband was able to come pick her up at one of our predetermined bail-out points.

We made it back in just under 4 1/2 hours (the Olympic record is just under 2 hours!) and were already feeling like we needed help just getting to our cars.  A few of us took a couple of days to recover, but we were all proud of actually completing this distance!

At the start/finish line after a long morning - 20km race walk complete!

5000m - 4/4/15

On a lovely spring morning, a few of us decided to run the 5000m in a charity 5k that is near and dear to my heart - The Blast.  So this post will be a little more personal!  I've been walking in this event the last few years on behalf of a good friend's son who is a survivor of Neuroblastoma.  It raises a lot of money for a local hospital that researches this horrible childhood cancer.  Many of the survivors and their families, as well as the "angels'" families participate every year.  I had never had any interest in actually running it, but figured this would be a good time to complete my Olympic 5000m.  J and L1 decided to be my support system and run it with me, although they've both done of number of 5k events over the years.

I'm not a runner.  Never have been.  Playing sports?  Sure.  But running just to run?  No thanks.  In fact, I not only dislike it, it kind of terrifies me.  Of all the events we have to complete during this adventure, the ones that still create the biggest stomach upset are any of our runs.  I am so very grateful that my friends know this and support me in trying my best.  I managed to finish the event, half jogging, half walking, but so happy to have done it.  Will I run it again?  Nope.

L1, J and L2 at the finish line

Discus & Shot Put - 3/16/15

After taking some time off for J to welcome baby L into the world, we got back to business this spring.  A local high school coach agreed to work with us on the discus and shot put events.  None of us had ever done either of these before, so we started off just learning the basic moves so as to not hurt ourselves.

Both the discus and the shot have varying weights - we stuck with the high school girls versions.  First, we practiced "putting the shot".  Just holding it correctly was a bit awkward - you only use your fingers and thumb, down to the first knuckle.  The hand should never touch the shot.  Then you tuck it just behind your ear.  The footwork for both of these events is the hard part and the coach had us practice in just the beginner's form - either no steps, or very minimal.  For the shot, we took one big lunging step and "punched the giant" - his way of saying that our hands should punch outward and upward for the right trajectory - jumping and swiveling our hips to land with the opposite foot forward.

K and R practicing the shot put

After some practice shots, we did start from the actual circle.  It's truly amazing how far the "real" athletes can put these heavy things!!!

After our introduction to the shot, we moved over to the discus ring.  At first, we practicing bowling the discs into a fence - to get the motion right of them coming off of our pointer finger last.  Then we tossed them straight up in the air - again, to get the spinning in the right direction.  A couple of us had issues with wanting to release them with the spin in the opposite direction.  A couple of the coach's throwers were there to demonstrate the full motion, including the spin.  We simply took one large step again, for fear of damaging the nearby school or cars if a disc when spinning wildly outside of the safety cage.

L2 releasing the discus

Again, knowing the distances these things can fly was amazing.  These are definitely simple looking events that can take years and years to perfect.  The slightest off-motion can make the difference!

Shot put and discus complete!

Gymnastics - 10/13-12/1/14

Gymnastics.  ?  !  Yes, we were all a little perplexed by just how we would complete these events.  M took it upon herself to search until she found a local gym that was willing to hold classes for adults.  Apparently they used to have open hours for adults to come use equipment, but haven't in some time.  So we filled out our waivers and undertook an 8 week adventure into these events.

We started out in October, arriving at Sokol Gymnastics to meet the owner as well as our coach for the next couple of months.  They had taken the time to actually put together routines for us to do for all the events, so each week, we would practice two events, then have a grand finale night where we'd each complete each routine.  The routines were comparable to what they would teach non-competitive Level 1 gymnasts (5-6 year olds!).

Week 1 started off with different mats on the floor to teach us basic tumbling - somersaults, cartwheels, back rolls and handstands.  These were all easy as kids, but we found our now more aged bodies fought some of these simple moves!  I will say that the springs under the floor made things sooooo much easier.

Working on the beginning of our floor routine - simple somersaults

Okay, so we were getting the hang of tumbling, but how on earth would we actually be able to do a vault?  Or bars?  Our coach did a great job helping us slowly build up to actually do something of value on these apparatus.  The first day we went to the uneven bars, he helped us all do a backward roll from standing up onto the lower bar.  Just doing that was amazing enough to me!

L1 starting her uneven bar routine

Next we tried out the balance beam.  Luckily, we started on beams that were almost on the ground.  Balance wasn't easy for all of us, and the concept of jumping and landing back on the 4" wide beam was a bit terrifying.  Some, like M, really got the hang of it.  Others, like me, figured getting just enough height to see light under the feet was good enough.

K running through the beam routine

Level 1 gymnasts do not actually use a vault for safety reasons - only a springboard and a large landing pad.  Still, it was hard to imagine doing what we ended up doing dozens of times.  Run as fast as possible down the runway, hit the board square, place hands down on edge of mat, then spring arms straight to land flat on our backs.  We started in the piked position, then our coach explained how we should be able to kick our legs out to a fully open position.  Try as we might, no one got there.  In the infinitesimal amount of time we were in the air, we just couldn't get that signal to our legs to KICK!  It still looked good doing it - and was so much fun.

L2 on the vault

Our second to last week, we worked with the owner of the gym to learn Rhythmic Gymnastics.  She had competed when she was young, for an Eastern European country.  Some of us were familiar with the implements - ribbon, ball, hoop, rope and club - but had never seen competition.  We learned that, for the most part, the moves are the same regardless of the implement, so our coach gave us the basic moves, then let us practice with each implement and pick our favorite.  We then put together our own routine made up of the minimum required leaps, balances, pirouettes and movements of the implement.

M balancing during her ribbon routine

R throwing the ball and leaping during her routine

It was a long 8 weeks, but rewarding to actually complete each event, at least in my eyes, to a much higher degree than anticipated going in.  The final week, Sokol had a mini medal ceremony for us, complete with a REAL torch from a past Olympics to carry, our own medals and a make-shift podium.  All the little girls who had enjoyed the entertainment of watching us over the weeks cheered and we wrapped up this part of our adventure.

K holding the torch after receiving her medal

Gymnastics complete!

 

Field Hockey - 11/20/14

Another brand new sport for all of us!  Although field hockey has been played since the 1909 Olympics, it didn't become a women's event until 1980.  We met with a coach and some of her players after their season ended at a local high school on a beautiful fall day.  The rules of this game are constantly being updated, according to the coach - safety is paramount as a hard, softball sized and relatively heavy ball goes flying around at ever faster and faster speeds.  The rules are similar to soccer, but there is no off-sides and in order to take a shot on goal, you must control the ball for at least 5 yards.  This can be done by dribbling, passing or a combination thereof.  In other words, no stealing it from your opponent and blasting it at the goal.  This gives the defensive team some time to set and know that the ball may come hurtling at them.

We first got the feel of the sticks and how to dribble and pass with them, plus how to "lift" the ball. 

Practice passing

Then we took to shots on goal and "strokes" (like a penalty shot in soccer or hockey).  Generally you do not pull the stick back away from the ball to shoot, rather shove it with force.

K getting ready to shoot

J practicing her strokes

Finally, we attempted to put all that together in a quick 6 on 6 scrimmage with the girls.  What we really ended up doing was doing a lot of chasing - either the ball or the other team.

K & M chase the ball as L1 looks on.

I have much more respect for this came and its intricacies now.  Looking forward to watching some when the 2016 Olympics roll around!

Field hockey complete!

Synchronized Swimming - 10/18/14

We found a great coach from the Pirouettes of Texas who let us join her girls for a long practice one Saturday in the fall.  The amount of time they put in to make themselves as perfect as possible is astonishing - we got there at 7am and left around Noon, but they had another couple of hours left.  And that's only on Saturdays - most meet at least two other days a week!

We first got in the water to get some instruction on just HOW you are supposed to suspend yourself in the water while sticking arms, feet or legs out - and make it look effortless.  We donned our new PTX swim caps and nose plugs and jumped in.  The motion you make with your legs was described like an old school egg beater - legs bent at the hips and knees, then rotating in small circles opposite directions.  Hands simply flat, with fingers together, elbows bent and making "parade wave" motions forward and back in unison.  Some of us got the hang of it quickly while others fought the very unnatural motion for most of the day.  We worked on the timing with the coach tapping on the edge of the pool so we could hear while under the water then the basic staggered formation the six of us would try to keep in the water.

Next we moved on to the basic movements we'd be making - "sail" arms while on our side that would start from parallel to our bodies to sticking straight out of the water perpendicular to our bodies; "sinking twists" with our arms straight over head while we turned like a screw down into the water; backward somersaults; "splashy kicks" on our backs with legs straight out; "pinwheels" on our backs, knees bent and turned such that one foot rested on the other knee, but all parallel to the surface of the water; "ballet legs" on our backs with knees first bent but sticking out of the water, then legs straight up out of the water; "clamshells" where we'd lay on our back, then fold at the waist, closing like a clam; and "barracudas" where we'd be upside down in the water and push our legs straight up and out of the water, to exposed knees.  We all began to wonder just what we'd gotten ourselves into - it had already been a couple of hours!

We took a quick break for our coach to show us the routine she had put together and diagrammed on paper.

Coach L showing us our formations

We jumped back in and went through the routine slowly a few times.  Then we took another break to get ready for our show.  We wanted to really get into the moment, so the coach and a couple of moms "knoxed" our hair for us.  Yes, "knox" as in Knox gelatin.  Since synchronization also includes everyone looking as exactly the same as possible, they use gelatin to slick their hair back into motionless helmets.  It's smelly, uses a million hair pins and nearly impossible to get out, plus we looked like rejects from a Robert Palmer video, but we all were glad we took the time for this step.

L2 getting some last touches

Back into the water to do our routine for REAL!  First we went as a group, then divided up to do doubles.  We worked out how to start since some of us were comfortable with diving in while others weren't.  I'm going to attempt to get an actual video uploaded, but for now, picture us being perfectly synchronized while perusing a few pictures!

All the PTX girls watched and cheered - here we're doing our "pinwheels"

Our "sail" arms

L1 & L2 diving in for doubles

K & M had the best "ballet legs"

R & J doing their "clamshell"

After a long morning, we climbed out of the water one last time to an ovation from the PTX girls and their parents.  They were all so kind and welcoming - and rather amazed at how much we had accomplished in a few short hours.  We were all so proud of ourselves!!!

Our starting pose - Synchro Swimming complete!

Although the pictures do it much better justice, here is the group routine video.  Enjoy!



Rowing - 10/11-12/14

There are five different rowing events for the women at the Olympics:  single sculls, double sculls, quad sculls, coxless pairs and eights.  Sculling is when the athlete uses two oars, whereas in the pairs and eights, each athlete only has one oar.  All races are over a 2000m course.

We met bright and early on a Saturday morning at the Trinity River boathouse to work with two coaches from the Fort Worth Rowing Club.  We had reviewed some paperwork and videos ahead of time to give us an idea of the motion used for sculling.  We all did some work on the ergs first - a rowing machine that allows you to practice the motion.  It's quite an exact science to get the hang of in order to optimize your stroke.  A huge amount of the stroke is all in the legs, with the waist and arms following.  It should actually be rather relaxing once you really get it.  You start with legs bent and seat slid all of the way forward, leaning forward with hands/oars near your feet.  First, you push strongly with legs, staying bent forward at the waist.  At the end of the leg push, you continue the motion by leaning back, then bending elbows and bringing your hands to your chest.  Then you do it all in reverse.  The lean, both forward and back, should only be about 20 degrees either way. 

We headed out with our solo boats to try it on the water.  Sitting up high, rather than in the boat is a bit disconcerting at first, but once we started rowing, we forgot about that part.  It takes a while to get in a rhythm, but once you do, you can take a moment to see how it really propels you.  The harder part for me was getting the hand motion right - to make sure the oars were in the water at the right angle.  More than once, I would pull but not go anywhere because I had the oars feathered and gliding through the water instead of square and pulling.


L2 heading out to do solo sculls

After solos, some of us were able to go out in the quad boat on Sunday.  A nice round trip down the river and back.

Some of us still have the quad to finish, and we all have the doubles and eights to do.  Our coaches explained that doubles is extremely difficult, so we should focus on the other events first.  Hopefully by the time we finish the other events, we'll be confident enough to get into the doubles boats!

Carrying the quad boat to the water with one of the coaches

L2, M and J with one of the coaches, heading out in the quad

After day 2