Monday, August 29, 2011

Week 2

Getting ready to start week 2 of PT school. Had a good weekend and was fairly productive so I'm feeling a whole lot better about this PT school thing. Coming to realize that there is going to be little time for fun though as most of my weekend was devoted to completing homework and studying the human body until I wanted to rip my eyes right out of my skull.

Looking forward to this weekend and heading up to Lansing, Michigan to go to my cousin Drew's wedding. Haven't seen all my cousins for a while so it will be nice to see everyone for sure. Also hoping there's an open bar because I have I feeling I'm going to be ready for a drink, or a dozen of them after week 2...

Friday, August 26, 2011

Worn Out

    As most of you probably know I started my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree quest at Andrews University this week. I knew going into the program the high expectations, excellence within the program, etc. etc. and boy did they really hammer it home this week to our class! Taking 18 credit hours at any institutional level is impressive in my mind but the degree of difficulty has definitely stepped it up a notch. The sheer volume of material that I learned, or should I say was suppose to learn this week is appalling. Honestly having class from 8-530 everyday is tiresome. Then on top of that you have anywhere from 5-10 chapters to read for various classes per week. Included in that is studying for pop quizes, trying to keep yourself sane by doing something you enjoy, but other than that absolutely nothing. The dean of the school said on the first day of class, "Kiss your social life goodbye." Sadly he was right. When I leave class at the end of the day I'm just mentally drained and need to unwind so i joined a gym in south bend and finally got back in the water. Ideally I'd rather be outside riding but let's face it 2 hour rides everyday are not going to bode with with my schedule so at the gym this week I've just been swimming and a little work on the concept 2 rowing machine. Next week I'll throw in some interval work on a bike just to give me an excuse to keep shaving my legs. Also piggybacking that is the fact that the hilly hundred is looming in the distance a little more than a month away. Have to train appropriately to hit my peak heading into that weekend.
     Well that's about all that anyone is going to read on this thing for the next 3 years: me bitching about school and possibly the 40 minute one-way commute up there. Feel free to send me any cool Cd's they'd be appreciated. Not only are my week trashed but now my weekends will be devoted to digesting all the material and sifting through it distinguishing what's worth studying for practical exams. Yay.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

US Pro Criterium Championships

Ever since word got around that Eric would be racing for Bissell this summer there was controversy. Now 6 months later the kid is stirring the pot up in the higher ranks as well! It may sound stupid and you can think what you want but ever since Eric and I went to race in the Gateway Cup races last year in St. Louis I knew he had what it took to compete at the next level. Fresh off his 2010 US Pro Criterium Championship "Hollywood" Hollaway got his ass handed to him by Eric in heads up sprints two days in a row and I thought I was going to have a heart attack because the god damn announcer wouldn't give Eric the credit he deserved in those sprints. Now I don't think there will be any arguments after today's impressive showing as Eric brought home the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey.

Eric edging out Brad Huff at the line to take the win. Me cheering in the background like a mad man! I knew it before the announcers! Photo taken by Jonathan Devich


When I woke up this morning I had a weird feeling. I literally woke up 1 minute before my alarm went off, went upstairs to get some coffee and it was gone, checked the weather and looked like rain; nothing was going right. Said goodbye to my sister as she headed off to college and jumped in the car for the lonely 2.5 hour drive to Grand Rapids to watch the race. Once I got there I ran into Eric's parents at a coffee shop and while we were enjoying our less than spectacular java drinks I told his mom, "I've got a good feeling about today." She quickly responded, "I like good feelings!"

The race started and Kelley Benefit Strategies and Bissell seemed to be battling the whole time sending guys up the road with no real luck. About half way through the race the clouds started to roll in and I immediately felt the temperature drop about 10 degrees. The official cut the race by 20 laps or so and informed the riders there would only be 10 laps to go but needless to say once it hit 3 to go Mother Nature had other plans as wind gusts ripped over barriers and the stage. They postponed the race and when it finally restarted there was to be 30 laps to the finish. Now at this point everyone should be thinking, "I wonder if I should bet the farm on this Eric Young fella because from past experience he doesn't get beat much after a rainy restart?"

If you placed the wager you were right! Of course that's a very vague recap from a spectator point of view but that was a race that I will never forget as Eric charged toward the line dead even with Huff with the most intense look of desire I've ever seen. Mind you I've been riding with Eric a while so I've seen him at both his worst and his best. When he nudged in front of Huff right before the line I started jumping, screaming, crying, bleeding (I just got my wisdom teeth pulled and my sockets where the teeth used to be exploded and bled  everywhere!), hugging complete strangers, texting friends/teammates and I'm sure many other noteworthy things in celebration. It seemed as though someone just handed me a million dollars.

So here's to you Eric to a job well done today and this summer thus far. I wish you nothing but the best and I know deep down this is just the beginning. Glad to say you're part of the Cutters family and I know you ride with passion for all of us and many others. Keep it rollin Hazelbear


PS: I bet Ryan Kiel sleeps like a baby tonight

Friday, August 19, 2011

It's Been A While

For all three of you who have read this sad excuse for a blog I apologize for not writing in a very long time. In my defense though I find this blogging site somewhat ridiculous because you are not allowed to have a GMail email account associated with your blog. What happens when that's your primary email source? Anyone know any loopholes around this?

Ever since I stopped writing on this there really hasn't been much to write home about other than a giant party. Needless to say I had a great summer. Never went grocery shopping and ate out damn near every meal and partied like a rock star. Loved every minute of it but I'm definitely ready to get back to a little regularity and schedule. Starting class on Monday up at Andrews. Looking forward to making this progression into professional school.

Helped move Elliot down to Bloomington and it was bittersweet knowing that i can't go back to bloomington unfortunately. Grace is also leaving tomorrow for  Valpo so I will be the king of the castle rightfully so!

Had a great trip out to Colorado to visit mom and had a tremendous time. Went to the Royal Gorge Bridge, took the train down the Arkansas River, hiked Pike's Peak, conquered the Incline, 7 Falls, Cripple Creek, and rode a bit and most importantly had a giant bear digging through the trash.

Heading up to Grand Rapids tomorrow to watch Hazel compete in the US Pro Criterium Championship. Wishing him a safe race and hopefully he will be able to bring home a stars and bars jersey!