Today is election day in Laos. Chanta is a party member so she will be going to vote today. I hope to have an indepth interview later. There is a good article on the elections take a read if you have some time.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2011/04/29/6559358-polls-in-communist-laos-promise-little-change
Luang Prabang
Friday, April 29, 2011
April Coming to a Close
Today is Tom's Birthday! Remember to wish him a Happy Birthday tomorrow.
Two nights ago while sitting at dinner a man walked by our restaurant. We were sitting parallel to the sidewalk. Tom getting to see his face and I his back as he walked away. We paused and thought to ourselves maybe we recognize this man. We were pretty sure we knew who it was so I got up and decided to chase him down. Sure enough there he was, Rich Peck. Rich Peck was an International Affairs Professor at Lewis and Clark. Tom and I both took international organizations from him and I also took my theories class with him. Shortly after having to deal with me in class he decided to retire. Not surprising in the least. This was after my junior year of college. He spent the next few years around portland and then this last year decided to take off and see the world. We caught him on month 9th of his year long adventure. He started in Europe and is making his way east until Portland. We caught up I am sure without him remembering tom or myself. This was just one of those occasions when the world seems like a really small place.
Most of you will want to skip this next section:
The National Games are in Luang Prabang in December. Currently I have no idea who is coaching, training and competing in the games. I am not sure if anyone does know for sure. I know that I would like to be involved and I have made that abundantly clear to those of you who read the blog. All of the talk of competing got me to self reflect on my career. I am very competitive as many could tell you although I like to think I am better at hiding it than I get credit for. This mean that my self reflection may be harsher than an on looker. I started running my freshman year of high school. My mom thought that I needed to do a sport and cross country could have been something I could be good at. The first year was rough although I did make varsity but then during track I started to come into my own. My sophomore year was really where I started to step things up. The results werent great yet but I was moving up in cross country I was top 100 at state. In track I was city champion at home in the 2 mile and I made state in the 2 mile where I placed last due to my worst race of the season. The next year I really stepped it up. I was second at city and region in cross country and top 50 at state. Track more decent results although state I didnt perform well in the 2 mile. Two weeks before my senior season of cross country I was doing some high altitude training at a running camp in glacier national park when my career changed forever. During my first run at the camp I got a really bad cramp. I did not know what this was I just thought it was a cramp. 4 days and 36 miles later. I was unable to lay flat on my back or walk and running was almost impossible. I went to a doctor who diagnosed me with a torn abdominal muscle. He had me do a sit up and you could actually see where I tore it. This was a huge shock and would end up being a seminal moment in my athletics life. I spent the next few weeks doing rehab and not getting to run/compete with the team. When I came back I had to take it slow and couldnt race to my full potential. I was forced to run races differently than I had before. I ended up coming back and winning city, regions, and placing 14th at state which was an all state label. At the end of the season my body felt worn out and if state had been just a few weeks later I am not sure how I would have done. Track was one of the worst seasons of my career where the only event I made state in was the 4x800. We got 7th and I ran the best 800 of my life but there was something pathetic about not making it in an event I had gone in the last few years. Summer training was difficult and a lot of work which was personally difficult for me to put in so I spent most of that summer on my bike which hurt my ab less than my running. I came to college and spent the first few weeks rehabbing and not racing. When I did race the beginning of the season was terrible but by the end I had worked with the coaches on a new racing plan. In high school I was a front runner meaning I would try to be in the top group the whole way. Now I had to start my races from the back and work my way up. Mentally much harder for me to do. Just a few weeks before conference I got a cortisone shot into my chest between my ribs. This was very sore at the time but helped out for the big meets. At Conference I was third for Lewis and Clark and one of the top freshman in the field. At Regional's I was second for LC. We never qualified for nationals when I went to LC. Track was similar with the beginning of the season rough. I ran the 400 hurdles to train for steeple chase and qualified for conference in the 400m hurdles and 4x400 not the steeple chase or 1500 which I had been focused on. I ran the lead leg of the 4x400 the three years I compete in track in college. My sophomore year was similar to the freshman year where the beginning was terrible and after the cortisone shots I was second for the team at conference and region. Conference was be best race of my career. I started in last place and ended up running my best time ever. Track I didnt run the 400 hurdles instead I focused on the 1500 and even ran a 5k which went poorly. The only event I ran at conference was the 4x400. Junior year followed the formula with another 2nd for the team at conference then first for LC at regionals which resulted in an all west region designation. I studied abroad shortly there after and didnt run enough in Vietnam. My senior season as one of my professor would say "started off on the wrong foot and never recovered". My best finish was at conference were I was 6th on the team and I decided to give up my spot at regionals because I thought the team would be better without me running. After cross country I sat down with the coaches and discussed track. I was unable to deal with the fact that I couldnt finish most workouts and I wasnt performing in a way that I found respectable and in my eyes didnt help the team. I was not accustomed to not being in the top group and it ate at me. I voiced my concerns and I was changed into a sprinter for that final season. I ran the 400m hurdles at conference and just missed finals. I was the lead leg of the 4x400m and I ran 3rd on the 4x100m team. After the 4x400m race finished (the final event of most meets) I cooled down and then retired. I ran about 10 time in almost 2 years before running an open race for LC...I got last. I have moved behind the whistle and although I miss the glory days almost everyday I love the sport. Is there a reason I told you all this? Not really I just wanted to give those of you who read the blog some insight into my career and what weighs on me every time I see a pair of running shoes. Wishing I was able to do what came so easily early on. I spent atleast 15 minutes everyday after running for four years sitting chest deep in the ice bath. I wore heat patches on my chest during my race warm up. I got 4 sets of cortisone shots in between my ribs. I spent hours in the pool water jogging. I had hours of physical therapy and all I got were...memories.
Hopefully more substantive updates will come soon.
Two nights ago while sitting at dinner a man walked by our restaurant. We were sitting parallel to the sidewalk. Tom getting to see his face and I his back as he walked away. We paused and thought to ourselves maybe we recognize this man. We were pretty sure we knew who it was so I got up and decided to chase him down. Sure enough there he was, Rich Peck. Rich Peck was an International Affairs Professor at Lewis and Clark. Tom and I both took international organizations from him and I also took my theories class with him. Shortly after having to deal with me in class he decided to retire. Not surprising in the least. This was after my junior year of college. He spent the next few years around portland and then this last year decided to take off and see the world. We caught him on month 9th of his year long adventure. He started in Europe and is making his way east until Portland. We caught up I am sure without him remembering tom or myself. This was just one of those occasions when the world seems like a really small place.
Most of you will want to skip this next section:
The National Games are in Luang Prabang in December. Currently I have no idea who is coaching, training and competing in the games. I am not sure if anyone does know for sure. I know that I would like to be involved and I have made that abundantly clear to those of you who read the blog. All of the talk of competing got me to self reflect on my career. I am very competitive as many could tell you although I like to think I am better at hiding it than I get credit for. This mean that my self reflection may be harsher than an on looker. I started running my freshman year of high school. My mom thought that I needed to do a sport and cross country could have been something I could be good at. The first year was rough although I did make varsity but then during track I started to come into my own. My sophomore year was really where I started to step things up. The results werent great yet but I was moving up in cross country I was top 100 at state. In track I was city champion at home in the 2 mile and I made state in the 2 mile where I placed last due to my worst race of the season. The next year I really stepped it up. I was second at city and region in cross country and top 50 at state. Track more decent results although state I didnt perform well in the 2 mile. Two weeks before my senior season of cross country I was doing some high altitude training at a running camp in glacier national park when my career changed forever. During my first run at the camp I got a really bad cramp. I did not know what this was I just thought it was a cramp. 4 days and 36 miles later. I was unable to lay flat on my back or walk and running was almost impossible. I went to a doctor who diagnosed me with a torn abdominal muscle. He had me do a sit up and you could actually see where I tore it. This was a huge shock and would end up being a seminal moment in my athletics life. I spent the next few weeks doing rehab and not getting to run/compete with the team. When I came back I had to take it slow and couldnt race to my full potential. I was forced to run races differently than I had before. I ended up coming back and winning city, regions, and placing 14th at state which was an all state label. At the end of the season my body felt worn out and if state had been just a few weeks later I am not sure how I would have done. Track was one of the worst seasons of my career where the only event I made state in was the 4x800. We got 7th and I ran the best 800 of my life but there was something pathetic about not making it in an event I had gone in the last few years. Summer training was difficult and a lot of work which was personally difficult for me to put in so I spent most of that summer on my bike which hurt my ab less than my running. I came to college and spent the first few weeks rehabbing and not racing. When I did race the beginning of the season was terrible but by the end I had worked with the coaches on a new racing plan. In high school I was a front runner meaning I would try to be in the top group the whole way. Now I had to start my races from the back and work my way up. Mentally much harder for me to do. Just a few weeks before conference I got a cortisone shot into my chest between my ribs. This was very sore at the time but helped out for the big meets. At Conference I was third for Lewis and Clark and one of the top freshman in the field. At Regional's I was second for LC. We never qualified for nationals when I went to LC. Track was similar with the beginning of the season rough. I ran the 400 hurdles to train for steeple chase and qualified for conference in the 400m hurdles and 4x400 not the steeple chase or 1500 which I had been focused on. I ran the lead leg of the 4x400 the three years I compete in track in college. My sophomore year was similar to the freshman year where the beginning was terrible and after the cortisone shots I was second for the team at conference and region. Conference was be best race of my career. I started in last place and ended up running my best time ever. Track I didnt run the 400 hurdles instead I focused on the 1500 and even ran a 5k which went poorly. The only event I ran at conference was the 4x400. Junior year followed the formula with another 2nd for the team at conference then first for LC at regionals which resulted in an all west region designation. I studied abroad shortly there after and didnt run enough in Vietnam. My senior season as one of my professor would say "started off on the wrong foot and never recovered". My best finish was at conference were I was 6th on the team and I decided to give up my spot at regionals because I thought the team would be better without me running. After cross country I sat down with the coaches and discussed track. I was unable to deal with the fact that I couldnt finish most workouts and I wasnt performing in a way that I found respectable and in my eyes didnt help the team. I was not accustomed to not being in the top group and it ate at me. I voiced my concerns and I was changed into a sprinter for that final season. I ran the 400m hurdles at conference and just missed finals. I was the lead leg of the 4x400m and I ran 3rd on the 4x100m team. After the 4x400m race finished (the final event of most meets) I cooled down and then retired. I ran about 10 time in almost 2 years before running an open race for LC...I got last. I have moved behind the whistle and although I miss the glory days almost everyday I love the sport. Is there a reason I told you all this? Not really I just wanted to give those of you who read the blog some insight into my career and what weighs on me every time I see a pair of running shoes. Wishing I was able to do what came so easily early on. I spent atleast 15 minutes everyday after running for four years sitting chest deep in the ice bath. I wore heat patches on my chest during my race warm up. I got 4 sets of cortisone shots in between my ribs. I spent hours in the pool water jogging. I had hours of physical therapy and all I got were...memories.
Hopefully more substantive updates will come soon.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Assorted Photos
Since I know that it is your favorite part about the blog. I am putting up more photos. Sorry about the lower quality.
LingLing playing video games.
Chanta, SongNoi and her sister at the Wat.
Buddha Statue inside a temple where I got my wristband from a monk.
LingLing holding flowers and a bowl which they poor the water from onto the Buddha.
LingLing and SongNoi posing for a photo.
SongNoi escaping the ceremony. The people pray and light candles in front of the Buddha which gets water poured onto it.
The balloon popping game.
Another view from behind the Buddha. You can see the monks collecting the water which then gets redistributed.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Just Another Day
Today was a day that I didnt do very much. The day was simplistic but showed what this city can do for visitors and why people are drawn here. It started out simply enough waking up rather late checking my email and sports scores from America. Blazers finally got their first win of the playoffs!! Then like many days I got on my bike and meander into town in search of food. Nothing happened on this drive it was just one step in an calming day. I got my sandwich from one of the many vendors although today they seemed less rabid than normal. I made my way to the library a normal stop to see if any falang need info about CLI of which I am little help or if Chanta needs help which she rarely sees use for me. Yesterday I had helped hang a swinging chair outside which was an endeavor and I wanted to check how it looked today. Sadly some naughty neighborhood kids one boy and one girl who must have been around 5 had caused such a ruckus today that they took the chair inside until they left. This could be a big pull for visitors to relax in a swinging chair and read a book while watching the people pass by. Chanta was busy but I talked with some falang friends who were also helping out at the library and then I headed home. I ate my sandwich while watching Inception for the 100th time. The sandwich was good as always(so was Inception). A mid afternoon thunderstorm hit for about 15 minutes it was a real downpour. Things settled and 10 minutes after it was as though it never happened. The day was warm yet humid but not enough to be uncomfortable. It was just hot enough to make reading on the couch a difficult task with the urge for a nap trying to break through. LingLing came over just as it was about to take hold and gave me a sock of mine which had missed the laundry basket. I hadn't put much thought into the missing sock but I was glad this mystery was solved without any real effort on my part. She bugged me for a while so I decided to show her how to play a video game on my computer. She eventually caught on how to do it. I studied some Lao and looked on giving her pointers. More often than not these pointers were turning the car around after she drove it into a wall. I didn't get much studying done. I paused my video game coaching to drop something off with Chanta who had gotten home by this point. She quickly invited me to go to the temple with her, her sister and some friends. I went home changed told LingLing to get ready and then we were off. We drove around the peninsula which had a relaxed feeling with some people walking around but it wasn't busy. The town felt very at ease which was a complete 180 from Pi Mai. We arrived at the steps of the temple and walked up to see a golden Buddha which was about 4 feet tall with two monks on either side. People were lighting candle praying and then stepping up a ladder to poor water down a shoot that would then cover the Buddha. This water would then be collected by the monks and redistributed to the visitors. After going through the ceremony we got some water poured into your hand then you took that hand and patted it dry on your head. Next I went inside the temple knelt, gave some money and got a wristband tied by a monk which should symbolize good luck for 1 year. So I got that going for me, which is nice*. Around the temple were stands set up with games. The most popular of which involves a wall of balloons and 3 darts. For 1000 kip or roughly 15 cents you need to break a balloon with every dart. I tried and failed. Twice. From 6 feet out. Its much harder than it looks. We piled back into the tuk tuk and finished our drive around downtown. There were no crowds, just some people leisurely walking around taking in the relaxation that LP has to offer. We got home and Chantas sister made fish. Which is literally the entire fish. I found out that Song Noi (Chantas son) really likes the eyes. It was great as most meals are and then I headed back to write this post. I guess the reason I wrote this post is to try to get you all to visit. In all seriousness this is a very special place that I would hope you all get a chance to enjoy for yourselves. Nothing is perfect but in a place like LP many days can be highly enjoyable.
I haven't heard back from any of you with questions. The offer stands and I would to read them.
*Caddyshack Reference I am sure some of you got it.
I haven't heard back from any of you with questions. The offer stands and I would to read them.
*Caddyshack Reference I am sure some of you got it.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Student Athlete Bio Form
In Savannakhet I gave the team a questionnaire to fill out so I could create a database of athletes. I put some questions such as name, sex, age, hometown, grade, and career goals. Only 15 of the athletes filled out forms but here is some breakdown for your viewing pleasure.
Of respondants:
4 males, 11 female
Ages ranged from 1 fifteen year old to 9 nineteen year old
Graduation years were 2011-2014
Only 3 people came from the same village
Nurses and Teachers were the most popular career goal with 3 a piece then policeman, coach, national runner all had 2 with doctor and employee rounding out the goals
For me this was an interesting looking and probably one of the few times they had to think about what they wanted to do. It would be very interesting to do a random sample of high school student athletes in the states. I would assume that it would actually be pretty similar with more doctors and lawyers thrown in the mix. You will notice that a majority of the kids were over 17 and for the few who were 15, and 16 they might have the chance to compete again at the next high school games 3 years from now. The older students now have a chance to be selected for the South East Asia games team which will travel to Indonesia. This is a great honor and I would love to find my way onto that team as an assistant coach. Many of the high school coaches will be training themselves to make the team. Its hard to coach yourself so maybe an opportunity will present itself. If that does not pan out a large portion of the athletes who dont make the team will be training for the National Games held here in Luang Prabang. Coach No will be competing in the half marathon. I would hope to be a coach for those games. Since it is in LP they may bring in someone they feel is more qualified.
Just to recap we won roughly 12% of the total medals available. Which considering they were stuck with my rumblings as a coach I would say we did all right. I am not sure if that will be enough to sway the government officials but I will keep you all updated.
Luang Prabang feels like a sleep ghost town now that Pi Mai is over. It is a weird feeling not seeing the hoards of people hang around. I would love to answer any questions any of you might have. If you are having commenting problems or would like to see more of something or less let me know. My email is david.m.berman02@gmail.com. I would love to have a weekly mailbag post where I respond to questions or get to post all of your musings. I hope to hear from you. I really appreciate that you all find time to read the blog.
Of respondants:
4 males, 11 female
Ages ranged from 1 fifteen year old to 9 nineteen year old
Graduation years were 2011-2014
Only 3 people came from the same village
Nurses and Teachers were the most popular career goal with 3 a piece then policeman, coach, national runner all had 2 with doctor and employee rounding out the goals
For me this was an interesting looking and probably one of the few times they had to think about what they wanted to do. It would be very interesting to do a random sample of high school student athletes in the states. I would assume that it would actually be pretty similar with more doctors and lawyers thrown in the mix. You will notice that a majority of the kids were over 17 and for the few who were 15, and 16 they might have the chance to compete again at the next high school games 3 years from now. The older students now have a chance to be selected for the South East Asia games team which will travel to Indonesia. This is a great honor and I would love to find my way onto that team as an assistant coach. Many of the high school coaches will be training themselves to make the team. Its hard to coach yourself so maybe an opportunity will present itself. If that does not pan out a large portion of the athletes who dont make the team will be training for the National Games held here in Luang Prabang. Coach No will be competing in the half marathon. I would hope to be a coach for those games. Since it is in LP they may bring in someone they feel is more qualified.
Just to recap we won roughly 12% of the total medals available. Which considering they were stuck with my rumblings as a coach I would say we did all right. I am not sure if that will be enough to sway the government officials but I will keep you all updated.
Luang Prabang feels like a sleep ghost town now that Pi Mai is over. It is a weird feeling not seeing the hoards of people hang around. I would love to answer any questions any of you might have. If you are having commenting problems or would like to see more of something or less let me know. My email is david.m.berman02@gmail.com. I would love to have a weekly mailbag post where I respond to questions or get to post all of your musings. I hope to hear from you. I really appreciate that you all find time to read the blog.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Pi Mai Day 4
Day 4 of Pi Mai was a day that we needed to complete the full Pi Mai experience. We walked into town to avoid car accidents and parking trouble much like the day before. We found a spot on the main drag and watched the whole parade(yesterday we only caught the back end) go the opposite direction of the day before. We decided to be more proactive in the water fighting arena and had a blast soaking people and eventually got into the back of a truck and joined one of the roving water gangs. We ran out of water in our tub about 4 times and had to fill up at different spots. One such spot was the Mekong river. We were attacked as we rode around and got covered with flour, food coloring and black soot. I think I still have some that I cant get out the next day. Some people even threw ice cold water which had melted from their coolers which really was not very pleasant. We made our rounds as the sun peeked behind the clouds but it was a lot of fun and we were some of the few foreigners in trucks. They dropped us off at the library which has become somewhat of a home base. When we had packed up the tuk tuk to head back home a rain hit the city and I was thinking how fitting it was that after this day of chaos a cleansing rain would wash everything away.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Pi Mai Continues
In a scene that can only be called pandemonium a Lao parade marched down the main drag of Luang Prabang. Lining the parade were hundreds of people packed tightly together with a mix of traditional Lao and what can only be described as Rave type music. Water being thrown everywhere even on the police lining the actual procession. The main attraction was Miss Lao who was sitting on a giant float which was in the shape of an elephant. She sat under an umbrella holding a wooden gun and a wooden pick. Surrounding her were many of the runners up in the Miss Lao contest all at the feet of the elephant laying down flower pedals as the parade marched on. She was at the end of a long parade which had participants of all ages and all types of floats. It was a sight to see and as soon as she had passed thats when the chaos started. The water wars got into full force with the roving gangs in trucks. Not only water gets thrown there is red, green, and orange Gatorade that gets thrown along with flour that may get rubbed on your face if you are not careful. This creates a scene where people are walking around covered in red, green, sometimes black dye and flour while shooting water guns or pooring buckets of water on their neighbor. everyone gets involved from the 20 something foreigners (obviously) to the 70 something grandmothers walking slowly with a bucket and a small cup pouring gracefully. The drinks flow and the music blasts, people eat, sing and dance and eventually pass out only to get things started for two more days. Something for everyone to experience once but hope that Pi Mai lands on a Friday so there are only three days of chaos not five.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Photos
Pi Mai the Laos New Year
Yesterday the 13th of April was Pi Mai or the Laos New Year. Everything shuts down and people celebrate together. On this day kids of all ages throw water at anyone and everyone they are next to or driving by. Some kids actually pack into truck beds and are driven around by their parents to throw water on people. Almost any other year the weather would be sweltering at this point. It would have been a refreshing blast of water but sadly it was overcast and cold with little chance of getting dry in a quick manner. The day started off with Tom and I attending a large meal celebrating the birth of a child at a neighbors house. We went with Chanta's sisters whom we had spent little time with without Chanta. Their English was much better than they had previously let on and it turned out to be a fun lunch. Most Lao women drink very rarely if at all. This group decided to drink and it snowballed from their. When the Lao drink they are bottoms up drinkers meaning that they drink the whole glass not a relaxing sip. Many cheers and bottles later we took a tuk tuk to the library to visit the heart of the action. We got hammered by water on the tuk tuk ride and came out completely soaked. We rode with a little Lao girl maybe 2 years old and she didn't not enjoy it at all. We got to the library where Chanta had set up a table where she was selling drinks and food. We tried to get dry and then met some Kiwi's living in china and shot the breeze while drinking some beers for the next few hours. The team had called me earlier so Tom and I met up with them at a dinner where a good portion of the LP athletes were getting awards. This was a blast to hang out with the team and we even got an award from the sports department. We had a lot of fun and danced a little. The Lao dance which everyone was doing is very simple. Everyone walks counter clockwise in the circle then turns to their partner all the while slowly rotating their hands. Its a dance anyone can do. A few hours later Tom and I headed home with our awards and having spent too much time celebrating all day. The celebration lasts for a week so we will have to see what happens next!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Day 5 and Back Home
Sorry about the slow post but the last few days have been a little fast. Day 5 was the best day we had as a team in the 6 races we won 4 medals and the team had great races. This day needed to happen for team LP because the moral skyrocketed. We split the medal count with 2 bronze and 2 silver. We did not hit our goal of all golds, we didnt leave with any, but most of the team tried hard. I think we were easily in the top 3rd of total team medals. The 110 hurdles didn’t go very well but that is to be expected. We didnt have nearly enough time to train on actual hurdles. The 10k on the other hand was run really well and almost had a gold medal he just lost the foot race in the end and settled with silver. The girls 5k we had 2 of the top 4 women and with 1 lap to go one girl dropped out and the other got beat out to take the bronze. The 4x400m was up next and this as always was a really fun race to watch. The guys team ran really strong and by the time the fourth leg came around he just had to sustain his pace for the silver which he did. There was no chance to catch first. The girls most of whom didn’t train with me doing handoffs ran good but the handoffs were terrible which did not help my mental state. They did gut out a 3rd place and that brought the tally up to 4 medals in 6 total races on the day. After that we headed home for the last time from the stadium. Later that night we went out to dinner with Sirivan and learned that we had a ride back with the team if we wanted. All of the team who didnt win medals (which was a much smaller group after the last day of racing) headed back the next day. Tom and I joined an over filled bus for the straight shot drive from 8 am till 4:30 am it was a long day with our longest break being 30 minutes. Luckily no one got sick but the whole ride to LP I kept thinking I didnt really get a chance to say goodbye. I really liked everyone on the team, although sometimes it might sound like I dont, and since most of them dont have email address I could never see them again. This has never happened to me luckily due to things like facebook and email. We made it home ok although groggy and the Lao new year celebration starts on wednesday. More updates will come and hopefully some info on whether or not I will help coach the team for the national games. Fingers Crossed.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Day 4 of Racing
Today had some similar features of yesterday. The mental weakness loomed large in some and others had great showings. The first event of the day was the 400m hurdles where one of my guys made the finals. He had psyched himself up a little to much before the race for my liking. To make matters worse there was a false start and the lane next to him was disqualified. On the restart he ran really well at the beginning but when he had two rough hurdles I could see from across the track he just gave up. He confirmed this by walking the 20m after the last hurdle to the finish line. He was not happy with himself and I thought it best not to talk to him right away. Most of the team let him deal with his own thoughts. At this point I was fuming inside because you are competing and to give up like that was disgraceful and he knew it. Eventually he calmed down although it took a majority of the meet. The 400m for women had three entrants which made me wish we would have just thrown someone out there. The 800m finals followed shortly thereafter and we had both a man and woman in the finals. The plan was along the party line make sure you run relaxed at the beginning. The guy ran the race perfectly and got 4th after being 8th after the first lap. The leader after the first lap got 7th. He was really close to having a medal but just didnt have enough in the tank plus he ran 4 seconds faster than prelims. The girl didn't run quite as well but still had a really good racing moving from seeded 8th to finishing 5th. Two good results and smart races. The crazy part about the womens 800m was that the winner had just gotten second in the 400m hurdles. That is an athlete I want to coach someone who busts their butt in back to back races (not to mention she is pretty darn talented). The 200m meter finals arrived and I had one guy in the finals. He was also ranked 8th and ran strong but barely finished on was seemed like a hamstring pull. It was a really tight race and I know if he was healthy he could have been top 3. We made sure he was ok and it looked like it isnt a tear which is good it just needed some stretching and should be runnable tomorrow. I was happy that he pushed through and finished. We had no women in the 200m finals and the last event of the day the 4x400m was canceled and moved straight to finals tomorrow. My team really needed this because they are all beat up and we need one more day of rest. The next 45 minutes or so was an awards ceremony where we picked up the medals we got yesterday. Half of the 4x100m team wasnt their so we had a couple 800m runners get their medals. Tomorrow is the final day and potentially the last day I ever see some of the athletes and coaching. In the states I could get everyone's email and we could stay connected. Over here some of the people cant even get regular mail.
Our 3k girl waiting inline to walk up to the podium.
She is receiving her medal and certificate.
The 4x100m team about to step up to the podium.
The 4x100m group photo.
Tom and I with the 4x100m.
Tomorrow is the last day so hopefully things end well only 6 races 110m hurdles for men, 100m hurdles for women, 10k for men, 5k for women and the 4x400m.
Tomorrow is the last day so hopefully things end well only 6 races 110m hurdles for men, 100m hurdles for women, 10k for men, 5k for women and the 4x400m.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Day 3 of Racing
I know the headers are getting old sorry. Today had some interesting story line which only sports can give, the tension and the drama with no knowledge of how it will all unfold. Much like a Lao meet schedule. Tom was feeling much better today so we made the journey to the stadium together. Everyone was very pleased to see him. The meet was supposed to begin with the prelims of the 110 and 100 meter hurdles. There were not enough competitors to need prelims so they canceled it. Nice because my guys make finals. The next scheduled event was the 400m which was not run second, instead a prelim of the men's 100m. The first of the two heats went out without a hitch the second was not so lucky. Sadly I had a guy in the second and due to a false start they called the race back after 20 meters 3 guys in the field must not have heard the second gun signaling the false start and ended up running about 70 meters hard. One such runner was mine. After the restart he had a terrible race and I just assumed it was all over from there. The judges convened and decided to put my guy through to the final a big relief but having run essentially two 100m already the expectations were low. Next up was the 400m finals one heat of each. We had no men in the field where the winner went 53 seconds. We had one woman in the finals and she was the last qualifier. She is the converted 800m runner and ran a decent race but I could tell her heart wasn't in it. The 100m finals were up next with the men first followed by the women race. My guy pulled up lame with 10 meters to go and I know if he would have ran hard all the way through he might have placed. The girl we had in the finals had a good race but rolled her ankle on her last step which made my heart drop. She is also the lead leg for the 4x100m so very important. We rushed over and helped her ice it which is normally frowned upon but we needed to stop any possibly swelling until after racing for the day was done. Following the womens hundred was the 5k mens. We had two guys and tried to convey the start slow and relaxed. I thought they did a good job at the beginning and with about 4 laps to go something very strange happened. Only in laos will an athlete stop at the finish line bow to the crowd then drop out of a race. Truly a shocking site one at which in America he would have been shot. Sadly this would not be the last time someone dropped out of the race. With 1 lap to go our top guy, the one who got third in the 1500m, who was in 4th place drops out. We try to get him to go back but he stops. This kills me inside!!!! There are a few things that the Lao do that drive me crazy and dropping out when you are tired, not hurt, really eats at me. Our second guy finished the race in 7th a good showing on a hot day and atleast he finished. The girls 3k had two of our runners. Tom was at the start and I was at the finish and pre-race we conveyed the start slow and relaxed plan. The girls executed this very well and with 2 laps to go they were half of the lead pack. With one lap to go the group of four leaders was well ahead of the field and then the unthinkable happens. One of the girls drops out (with one lap to go) in 3rd place. She is tired again. The other girl battles her way to a second place. A great result and we are ecstatic. She gets interviewed for Laos TV (I think) and is very happy. Shortly there after is the 4x100m. My guys had been riding high on their victory from yesterday but with my first leg having run multiple 100ms already and my anchor running on an injured ankle I was nervous. They got off well and the first exchange went well. We led into the 2nd exchange and although it went well you could see that this is where the power of the other teams was. The third leg battled but lost some ground and the anchor ran hard but was beat out to get 4th. The were inconsolable. I felt terrible for them not ashamed in the slightest. They tried hard and if everyone was healthy I think we could have pulled it out. The girls were up next and having seen the guys falter I was pretty much terrified about the girls. The anchor had not practices hand-offs before and the girls hadn't run a prelim to see how they did in a race situation. Add all that to the fact my first leg was running on a rolled ankle we would need something special to win. The first leg ran great the exchange on the other hand was basically terrible. The second runner left early then stopped and ran again. Even with that we still ran strong into the second exchange which was much better. The third girl ran strong but other teams had started to pull away. The 3rd exchange wasnt great but good enough and the anchor ran strong and got us third place an awesome result. I was really excited for the girls but also felt worse for the guys who I think put way more into the race to fall one place short. Celebrations all around as another day was finished. Today the girls racked up a few more medals and narrowly the guys got shut out. I was going to say that the theme of today was as my good friend Lindsay Whitford would say "Mental Midgetry". But looking back some of these athletes really put it out there. I just wanted them all to be rewarded.
Tom and an athlete texting probably.
The team watching a soccer match, not sure what No is doing with the shirt.
Pre 5k race massage.
The 3k silver medalist being showered with praise.
The 4x100m girls (2nd, 4th, 1st and 3rd legs left to right) faking actually not hating me.
P.S. if another athlete quits with one lap to go I will be arrested for murder.
P.S. if another athlete quits with one lap to go I will be arrested for murder.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 2 of Racing
Today a good day of racing. Tom still could not attend but he is on the up and up. I got there and found that the team had gotten there before I had which was a pleasant surprise. On the docket was the 400 hurdles prelims, 200m prelims, 800m prelims, 5k and 3k speedwalk finals, and the 4x100m prelims for men this is the only race the women went straight to finals. The 400m hurdles I had two men who started running over hurdles last week. I did my best to get them ready but the had not run over hurdles at that distance yet. We had been focusing on the 110m higher hurdles which is actually the same height as the 400m hurdles I ran in college. For those of you who don't know I ran the 400m hurdles(to train for steeplechase), 800m, 1500m, 4x400m my first 2 years of college, I didn't race my third year, I was in Vietnam and then my senior year I ran the 400m, 400m hurdles, 4x400m, and 4x100m. So I am a jack of all trades king of nothing. When I coached at the community college level in Arizona, I was the assistant cross country coach and assistant track coach for hurdling. I felt a certain need to make these guys good at the event I was attached to. For a first race ever they blew my mind. I was ecstatic. One guy didnt shuffle step (when a runners steps are off they shuffle to make sure the correct leg leads over the hurdle, usually a sign that they are lacking confidence and not attacking I did this alot) and the other only did a few times but overall it went great. That being said I dont think either one made it to finals. We did not have any women run and there were only three so it went straight to finals. Next up was the 200m my guys ran well but neither well enough to hit finals they were hard on themselves but lost to some guys who looked like they would have been out of place on some college teams (big dudes). The girls also had some good personal performances but nothing much to show in the overall results arena.
Out of nowhere the meet stopped and there was an award ceremony for yesterdays medalists. Luang Prabang had two bronze medalist both in the 1500m. I think I was wrong yesterday in saying that our guy got 4th. Pictures explain better than words, so I have some below, but it was an event. They stood out on a podium and got their medals from local officials escorted by pretty girls. Really cool for these kids to get to do this, I just wish they all could experience being up on the podium at any position. After the ceremony it was back to racing with the 800m.
I tried to stress to all of our distance runners stay relaxed and run the beginning easy. First guy did not listen and had a rough race because of an injury. Bpet our second guy did and got second in his heat and ran really well. I hope he gets to finals. On the girls side same advice. The first girl also wasnt feeling well so the strategy didnt matter. Our second girl ran the best race of her life and got 2nd in her heat but probably did not make it to finals it was a much slower heat. The 5k and 3k walk were combined and this is where the really got drama began. Speedwalking is defined by having one foot on the ground at all times. The top two girls were penalized for running which gave our girl second a great result. The top two girls were warned then a few laps later the main judge brought out a few sheets one red, one yellow, and one green. She waved the yellow flag at the two leaders and that was it. I had never seen it before. Our top guy in the 5k didnt feel very well so he had to drop out even though he was in 4th. The mens 4x100m was the last race of the day and it was 2 heats. The first heat team Savannakhet blew away the field with a time around 45 flat. My guys were in the second heat and I was very nervous. This race could sway moral in one of two ways. The guy we had running first didnt set up his blocks how I told him and was set up different then I taught him so now I was really nervous. The gun goes up and they were off. He gets out well considering the deficiencies. He runs his leg well making up a little of the stagger for the handoff. The handoff was nearly perfect and very smooth this got our number 2 guy out having made up a good portion of the stagger already. The second handoff was much like the first smooth and quick. By this point it was basically over my top two guys running 3 and 4 and they just keep growing the lead. The third handoff wasnt as good as the first two but they didnt lose any time. Coming down the homestretch the lead was over 10ms and it was ours. The were elated and we all were pumped. Best case scenario for LP. We ended up running around 46 which would have placed us second. I found out later that Savannakhet was disqualified for some reason. I hate to win it that way but it is one less team to take on at finals. We headed out excited and ready for racing to continue tomorrow.
The 4x100m second leg yawning getting pumped up after the 200m.
Awards ceremony.
Mens 1500m podium LP on the left.
Mens 1500m podium with the ladies and officials.
Ladies 1500m with LP on the left behind the official.
Me looking dumb with the two LP runners.
Tian after her great 800m run.
4x100m prelim champs. Let them enjoy it while it lasts. Medals would make it all better. (1st leg, 4th, 2nd, 3rd from left to right.)
Out of nowhere the meet stopped and there was an award ceremony for yesterdays medalists. Luang Prabang had two bronze medalist both in the 1500m. I think I was wrong yesterday in saying that our guy got 4th. Pictures explain better than words, so I have some below, but it was an event. They stood out on a podium and got their medals from local officials escorted by pretty girls. Really cool for these kids to get to do this, I just wish they all could experience being up on the podium at any position. After the ceremony it was back to racing with the 800m.
I tried to stress to all of our distance runners stay relaxed and run the beginning easy. First guy did not listen and had a rough race because of an injury. Bpet our second guy did and got second in his heat and ran really well. I hope he gets to finals. On the girls side same advice. The first girl also wasnt feeling well so the strategy didnt matter. Our second girl ran the best race of her life and got 2nd in her heat but probably did not make it to finals it was a much slower heat. The 5k and 3k walk were combined and this is where the really got drama began. Speedwalking is defined by having one foot on the ground at all times. The top two girls were penalized for running which gave our girl second a great result. The top two girls were warned then a few laps later the main judge brought out a few sheets one red, one yellow, and one green. She waved the yellow flag at the two leaders and that was it. I had never seen it before. Our top guy in the 5k didnt feel very well so he had to drop out even though he was in 4th. The mens 4x100m was the last race of the day and it was 2 heats. The first heat team Savannakhet blew away the field with a time around 45 flat. My guys were in the second heat and I was very nervous. This race could sway moral in one of two ways. The guy we had running first didnt set up his blocks how I told him and was set up different then I taught him so now I was really nervous. The gun goes up and they were off. He gets out well considering the deficiencies. He runs his leg well making up a little of the stagger for the handoff. The handoff was nearly perfect and very smooth this got our number 2 guy out having made up a good portion of the stagger already. The second handoff was much like the first smooth and quick. By this point it was basically over my top two guys running 3 and 4 and they just keep growing the lead. The third handoff wasnt as good as the first two but they didnt lose any time. Coming down the homestretch the lead was over 10ms and it was ours. The were elated and we all were pumped. Best case scenario for LP. We ended up running around 46 which would have placed us second. I found out later that Savannakhet was disqualified for some reason. I hate to win it that way but it is one less team to take on at finals. We headed out excited and ready for racing to continue tomorrow.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Day 1 of Racing
This morning I awoke to a frantic rush by Tom to the restroom. This had been an occurrence throughout the night. I felt really bad for him because as he put it "we have been here a week trying to just have practice then waste the day now the races start and I get sick". I really hope he gets better soon and I know you all do also. Almost every member of the team asked me separately about how Tom was and why he wasn't here. I think they really like that he speaks Lao well, that and the beard. Sirivan called me early on in the day and told me what the schedule was so at 12:45 I headed out to the stadium. Luckily right after I arrived I saw Sirivan and she gave me an updated schedule and we shot the breeze. I did not see my team and I was surprised when we got dangerously close to the prospective starting time for the track and field opening ceremonies. Sirivan called No and it turns out he forgot all about the opening cermony. The only team that was late was LP. This opening ceremony was a miniature version of the games opening ceremony. The teams all walked to a spot on the track and stood in groups behind their sign. LP was filled in with so kids from another district. Some speeches were given then Sitisai(head of Laos track and field a nice guys who I know) read off the schedule of events. The teams walked off and we were on our way. LP showed up in the middle and a few ran over to line up behind the LP sign. No one seemed to care. The first race was scheduled to start at 2:30 so when 2:45 came up we got rolling with heats of the 100m. By this time it was absolutely baking probably over 90 degrees and humid. My guys didn't perform how either I or they would have hoped. I might have one guy going to the finals though. The girls on the other hand surprised me with some really good performance and atleast one should be heading to finals. Next up was the 400m. Same case with my guys they ran well but I know they could do better. The case was the same with the girls they ran above my expectations. I should have 1 going to finals. Thu a converted 800, 1500 runner ran 70 and Bonnie one of my girls who is always injured ran a 71. I am not sure Bonnie ever finished a 400 in workouts so this blew my mind and hers. After I told her her time she gave me a big hug and pored water on me (inadvertently). The smile on her face made me forget all about the results because for this time in their lives they are celebrities, pro athletes and living the dream. They are spoiled the way every athlete dreams of. A few months all you have to do is train and we will give you free warm ups, shoes, spikes and you get introduced as a representative of your district. Just Awesome! While the 400m's were going one men's long jump was which I found out that we did have any good results. No worries. The 1500m finals followed and pre-race I tried to stress go out easy and then get faster. We had 2 men in a field of about 30 which is way to many for one heat but what can you do. The more talented of the two followed the plan and ran a really smart race finishing just out of the medals whereas the other didnt listen and got 8th not bad but I know he could do better. The girls got the same game plan from me as the guys. Same situation 2 runners in a big field although I think smaller than the guys. After 1 lap one of our girls had a 50m lead over the rest of the field.....not the game plan. One of the girls she was racing competed for Laos at the South East Asia games so I knew this would end poorly. After 3 laps she still maintained that large lead but it was starting to dwindle as her energy did. She did a few things that made me want to kill her most importantly she kept looking over her shoulder. She ended up getting 3 a great result and we were super proud of her(although she almost got passed at the line) while her teammate dropped out at the 1000m mark. Afterward we all hung around and played some cards while waiting for the bus back into town. Fun group that I am afraid I will never see again when this week is over.
Overall it was a good intro to racing for a lot of these people and I hope that they can run smart races and win some more medals.
Everyone in there lines as speeches are given from under the Pepsi umbrella.
The entering procession.
The team looking on from our camp at the of the long jump pit. Notice the bikes parked in the stadium.
The 100m girls always happy to have me around.
Bonnie after the race before that bottle ended up on me.
Straight pimp from one of the 400m guys at the end of the day waiting for the bus.
Overall it was a good intro to racing for a lot of these people and I hope that they can run smart races and win some more medals.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Let the Games Begin!!
With all of the pomp and circumstance of an Olympic Games the Opening ceremony was an event to be remembered. The stadium nearly full although as is the Lao culture a good portion were late. Tom and I got a ride from our guest house by the owner who is involved with boxing in Savannakhet. There is no boxing in the games he is involved with girls soccer. He drops us off to a packed parking lot a thousands of people meandering around the outside of the stadium. Police were there in full force and we saw some military guys with guns. Guns are a rarity in Laos because only the military is allowed to carry them. It was hot and since we arrived at 3:30 we had a few hours to wait until the ceremony got underway. We walked around the outside looking for our team. You would have thought that Tom and I were celebrities everyone hollered or said hello or just stared blankly. Mind you Tom and I were matching with tan shorts, white collared shirts (they say coach in Lao on the back) and white skin. I am thinking they only really noticed the third part though. Since we had badges I thought that we would be able to sit in the VIP section. We walked up and were promptly questioned and rejected. This of course took longer than just telling us to go away. They needed some other guy standing there to tell us to leave. As we walked away we saw our team (a sight I thought I would never see considering they havent come to practice in the last few days). We said our hellos then No escorted us to an entrance that was for the common folk. We got our seats in the sun as all other semi covered seats were taken. We were the talk of our section. Falang here? what? You could look around the stadium and people were congregating around the spots that were shaded and if they werent sitting in shade they brought umbrellas. Smart people, Tom and I were baking. We still had over an hour to sit and wait so we struck up a conversation with the women behind us. Meaning they asked us what we were doing here and how old we were. We found out that they had sons our age and we would use them as a resource for answers to dumb questions as the event went on.
Around 5pm the event finally kicked off. The ceremony started with a 8 students 3 girls and 5 boyssinging lip sinking a few songs with some very basic choreography. After a few songs a dance group, also made up of students, dressed in traditional garb danced behind the original 8 singers. Their moves were more elaborate and they brought props with them. The girls had baskets on their backs with rice in them along with two small sticks. The guys had one large stick. The dances finished so it was time for the introduction of a big name party official could have been the president (we couldn't hear his introduction and wouldn't recognize him anyways but I think it was him). After he took his seat the procession began. Leading the way was a woman dressing in white with a large baton. She lead the band of students around the track then settled on a position on the field. Some of these young girls were carrying giant drums. Next came the signs for the games, followed by the flags and then the officials. Following the officials were the teams each one led by a sign carrier, a flag barer, then the coaching staff/district officials, and finally the team in rows about 5 wide. I say about because they chose to break ranks and take photos with friends. As Luang Prabang came around number 14th or so coach No broke ranks and ran to the front ahead of the sign girl to take some photos of his group. He was the only person in the entire procession to do this. When our group came around I felt as though I was the proud parent sitting in the crowd cheering hoping as is they might notice us in the stands and wave to us. Being as we were the only two white people in the stadium (not confirmed but we were very confident that it was fact) when the team came around they noticed us quite quickly. We got some pointing, waving and some of the team took photos of us. The crowd looked shocked when we got some people directing attention to the stands and us in particular. After rounding the track and lining up there was a flag raising ceremony and the national anthem was sung. This may be the shortest anthem in the world which is nice for a quick ceremony. While standing on the field a few of the coaches jumped out to take photos with their respective sign carrying girl, again Coach No was one of the first to do this. I would have joined him if I was out there.
Some officials from the government came down to the field and gave speeches. Each one was escorted from their seat in the VIP section by a beautiful woman. During one speech a drummer girl collapsed which sent officials and medical staff flying. Then a second one dropped and they brought out the stretcher and carted them both off. This caused more medical staff to appear and tell the girls to put down the drums which was long overdue and then distribute some water to everyone standing on the field. There was no surprise someone went down they had been waiting in the sun for a few hours leading up to the event then had to hold drums while standing in the sun. To the best of my knowledge everyone was ok. The speech continued without any knowledge of the chaos behind.
When the speeches were finished a banner tied with balloons was brought out and more officials came down from the stands. The group went over to a giant gong and rang it a few times before stepping over a few feet and cutting a ceremonial ribbon. The sign was released followed by more balloons and thendoves pigeons were released. This caused a stir in the crowd and they were all excited. I joked to Tom that this was Laos way of proving they could litter in the sky just like anywhere else. The officials took their seats and then the olympic torch carrier by two runners entered the stadium. It was handed of three times before making its way up the stairs to a large caldron. The teams were then released from the stadium which gave us another chance to cheer on the team as they headed out.
Following the teams exit the dance numbers began with huge numbers of students. Running around the track were the two mascots, the deer headed people. We watched a few dance number but ran out of gas and left early to try to catch a ride with the team. We must have just missed them. We walked around the stadium searching for them again being a major point of focus for the other people around the stadium. As we were walking around we saw a few women who were dressed unlike any one else we had seen in Laos. They were scantily clad and when we walked by stared at us. We assumed they were Thai prostitutes and they saw dollar signs when they saw us. We walked on by searching for the team. The search was to no avail so we walked away from the stadium in search of a tuk tuk. The event was still going on I am sure with 4 more hours of dance numbers but I think we made the right call.
Over the next week there will be 5 days of track and field and many more stories. Here are some photos sorry about the quality my camera was losing battery. I will have some more from Tom in the coming weeks.
The singers in the green and the ethnically dressed dancers in the back. Notice the crowd only sitting as far as the shadow in the background.
Possibly El Presidente walking up to take his seat in the VIP section.
The band leading the way.
The sign following the band.
A view of the procession without zooming in from our seats.
The Flag carriers first Laos, then the games, then red, white, and blue.
The officials in their green track suits.
The flag carriers surrounded the field.
The smallest team at the games with maybe 3 athletes. Vientiane had about 400 it doesnt seem like a fair fight.
Luang Prabang finally comes around.
After each team enters the field they line up behind their sign this is team LP which we were lucky was close to us.
Another photo of the lineup.
The banner with balloons attached which was released.
The olympic torch made its way around the stadium.
The deer people ie mascots for the games.
Around 5pm the event finally kicked off. The ceremony started with a 8 students 3 girls and 5 boys
Some officials from the government came down to the field and gave speeches. Each one was escorted from their seat in the VIP section by a beautiful woman. During one speech a drummer girl collapsed which sent officials and medical staff flying. Then a second one dropped and they brought out the stretcher and carted them both off. This caused more medical staff to appear and tell the girls to put down the drums which was long overdue and then distribute some water to everyone standing on the field. There was no surprise someone went down they had been waiting in the sun for a few hours leading up to the event then had to hold drums while standing in the sun. To the best of my knowledge everyone was ok. The speech continued without any knowledge of the chaos behind.
When the speeches were finished a banner tied with balloons was brought out and more officials came down from the stands. The group went over to a giant gong and rang it a few times before stepping over a few feet and cutting a ceremonial ribbon. The sign was released followed by more balloons and then
Following the teams exit the dance numbers began with huge numbers of students. Running around the track were the two mascots, the deer headed people. We watched a few dance number but ran out of gas and left early to try to catch a ride with the team. We must have just missed them. We walked around the stadium searching for them again being a major point of focus for the other people around the stadium. As we were walking around we saw a few women who were dressed unlike any one else we had seen in Laos. They were scantily clad and when we walked by stared at us. We assumed they were Thai prostitutes and they saw dollar signs when they saw us. We walked on by searching for the team. The search was to no avail so we walked away from the stadium in search of a tuk tuk. The event was still going on I am sure with 4 more hours of dance numbers but I think we made the right call.
Over the next week there will be 5 days of track and field and many more stories. Here are some photos sorry about the quality my camera was losing battery. I will have some more from Tom in the coming weeks.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)