Aug. 21, 2009

6:00 AM: BEEP, BEEP, BEEP......snooze.

6:05 AM: BEEP, BEEP, BEEP......snooze.

6:10 AM: Finally, I crawl out of bed and stumble/limp/sleepwalk in the darkness down to the Frericks Center. This morning's agenda, the beep test.

6:45 AM: Coach Currier gives us an introduction talk after the team warms up and we get mentally prepared to run against the dreadful beeping noises of the test.

7:00 AM: Fitness coach Mark Thobe arrives and sets up cones for the test, the wrong test...right? As tricky and deceiving as they come, Thobe informs us that we aren't going to be running the beep test (one of the easier tests), but instead the 55/50 test (the toughest test). As an added bonus, he also adds an extra 5 yards to the test. So in the span of an hour, I had a dream about a garbage truck backing up (the beeps were in my head) and had a nightmare of having to run the 55/55 test in the PAC. This test is brutal. It consists of 15 sprints, each taking 15 seconds to complete. With 45 seconds rest between the 110-yard sprint, it is easily the most difficult, demanding test we perform.

8:30 AM: After a bit of a break, the team splits into two groups, with one heading to the RecPlex pool and the other into the weight room. My group heads to the pool and completes 10 minutes of treading water and a three-team relay race. This aquatic training is a good escape from the soccer fields, as it seems we are out at NCR for an eternity every day of preseason.

9:30 AM: KU breakfast...for free. Awesome.

11:00 AM: Technical training session out at NCR. Coach Kiki Lara puts the team through some passing and receiving drills, focusing on control of the ball and passing skills. Towards the end of the session, we split into groups of four to complete a mini-juggling game for points towards the Red Jersey. The game intends for each group to juggle the ball to three different spots and then finish the ball away into the net with a volley. I'm not really sure who won, my group was still trying to get to the first point when the game ended.

12:30 PM: After a shower and a visit to the training room for some ice, we make the trek up campus to VWK for lunch. Another shower is needed once you reach the top of the hill.

3:00 PM: Final training session of the day. Coach Currier runs us through some defensive shaping and tactical training drills, seemingly to help sharpen our rusty performance against Butler on Wednesday. We finished the session with a 20 minute inter squad scrimmage.

5:30 PM: The team loads up the vans and we head to Athletes in Action for the night. By this point, most everyone is dragging and is in desperate need of some rest. This came in the form of a nice, relaxing team barbeque. Iron chef Coach Currier grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken for the team.

7:30 PM: Everyone gathers around the volleyball courts for our annual soccer volleyball points session. Had it not been for some unfortunate play from my teammates, I most certainly could have taken maximum points from the two competitions. However, Ryan Handbury continued his hot streak and stole the show, winning a total of 18 points for the day.

9:00 PM: Some of the boys gather in the dorm to play ping-pong and watch TV. I went immediately to my room and passed out. Day 6, done.