Northwestern University Athletics
Peace, Love and NUSB: Entry 11
12/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Dec. 2, 2010
Welcome back `Cat fans! I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was filled with good food, good family and good relaxation. The `Cats celebrated turkey day across the country and it was a much needed break after the end of Phase II. It was a bittersweet moment finishing up last week as the seniors ran their last stadium, hopped their last ramp and sweated through their last set of Phase II squats. As for the rest of the hard working `Cats, they still have at least one more year of runs, hops and sweat to look forward to.
This first part of our year has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. We began in September as a group of very talented individuals and as we approach the beginning of our season it is safe to say we have become a team.
Phase II consists of our most challenging lifts and runs and the `Cats really got after it this year. From Monday morning sled pulls to Thursday afternoon stadium races everyone found it within themselves to work as hard as they could. In addition to our lightning speed, our work in the weight room was just as impressive. During max outs the `Cats awed each other with the amount of weight added to the bar. And after three years of work Michelle Batts finally broke a Northwestern Softball record for dumb bell bench (75lbs in each hand)! It became clear that Phase II was making us infinitely better; our numbers increased, everything from how fast we ran our 300's to how much weight we lifted during hang cleans. All of the `Cats showed how strong they were both mentally and physically and emerged from Phase II with more strength and determination than imagined.
However, it wouldn't quite be NUSB without a little bit of fun mixed in with those tough workouts. The softball house couch was never empty and the `Cats spent a ton of time off the field enjoying each other's company and growing as a team. Spending so much time together in the fall is a great way for us to prepare for the traveling we do during our season. The `Cats really took advantage of this time and have developed an unbreakable team chemistry. In addition to daily `Cat naps and movie nights, we celebrated Halloween together and will soon have our annual delicious holiday dinner with the team and entire staff.
This fall has been a time for the 2011 `Cats to show everyone who we are going to be come February. Our work and our play have made us united, dedicated, and incredibly determined to come out stronger and better than ever. As all the `Cats finish up finals and prepare for a long holiday break we are excited and anxious to see what the next phase has to offer.
So tune back in after the New Year to see the rest of the video interviews with the `Cats, then get ready for the 2011 NUSB season to commence!!
From all the `Cats, we wish everyone a very, very happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!
Until 2011,
Peace, Love, and NUSB
GO `CATS!!!
Wheels
