Earning Praise From the Doctor

I returned to Kamloops this week and Dr. Bondarchuk (my coach) thankfully does not think that I lost much in my month of training without him.  He told me I am in great shape and quite strong at the moment.  In fact, he told me that I look so powerful throwing overweight hammers in training that I am almost faster than I do throwing lightweight hammers.  The highlight of my first week back was when Dr. B described one of my throws was “double excellent.”  To put this in perspective, I need to explain how Dr. B evaluates our training throws.  Normally he can summarize his thoughts on a throw in four words or less.  Sometimes he is positive, and sometimes he is negative.  Here is the full spectrum of comments that he will give us, from worst to best:

1. “One-hundred percent zero.”
2. “No!” or “bad move.”
3. No comment, sometimes accompanied by some form of head nod or hand movement.
4. “Okay” accompanied by a shoulder shrug.
5. “Very nice.”
6. “Good move.”
7. “Fantastico!”
8. “Excellent.”
9. “Double excellent.”  Note: he has recently added “triple excellent” and “four times excellent” to his vernacular, but I have a feeling he has uses these phrases merely for the novelty effect.
10. “Perfect.”

Dr. B also normally adds a technical comment to his general evaluation.  For instance, he will say “no, too much up” or “no, this not high jump” if I am standing up during my throw.  He adds “early final” when I anticipate the release too much.  Another common comment to me is “too much drill” since I am frequently too active with my feet and legs throughout the throw.  In any event, I was very satisfied with his comments this week and feel like I am still on track to reach my goals for the season.

On an unrelated note, I recently published an article in De Novo, the official publication of the Washington State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.  The article is entitled “From Gavel to Hammer: Letting the Law Wait.”  It is an essay discussing my decision to put my legal career on hold and pursue the Olympics.  My friend and former classmate Jamila Johnson serves as associate editor of De Novo and encouraged me to write this piece.