8.26.05
Just finished the first week of official classes. Pretty intense, deep, detailed, cynical, tedious, daunting, and inspiring all at the same time. I think the analogy of the marathon that I heard at orientation fits well, with emphasis on the process of learning how to think and apply the law. Been drawing on some experience of my own, and of that of my past and present co-workers as to what might come of all this. There is no doubt that I’m in the right field of study. It is an opportunity, no doubt at all.
All the pep talks by the admin and faculty combined with the sheer workload mindset made me recall my prior training for wrestling. Intesity I think is similar, although the marathon only works when it comes to the length of the season, usually in weathering the injuries and fatigue through the dual meet season and onto states. I remember talking to one my old teamates once, about peaking at different phases of the season. He pointed out that I was pretty good about steadily improving throughout the course of the season and peaking at the end for the division and state championships.
I recall typically season went like this: pre-season, out of shape, cagging through the tournaments and getting licked by average or so-so opponents, really just trying to get through the bracket and onto the starting lineup. Mid-season: The big weekend tourneys were more a time to feel out the future competition, duals to try and pull points for the team, get used to the screaming crowd, the high stakes matches to come. And of course set an example for the younger generation. Post Season: Division championships were meaningless outside of qualifing for the state tourney. I really brought my game to the division and state championships, and did pretty good, held my own pretty well. I don’t think I was ever seeded or even considered as a competitor, definitely a dark horse. And the next year it would repeat again.
Looking back I realize that the brackets drawn on the board were pretty intimidating, they were really bout sheets for two young punks to fight out in a display of controlled violence, like one match that I won in OT which was basically a headbutting match that had us both bleeding from the mouth, the crowd yelling and pounding the bleachers. Looking back I wonder why the ref let us go that far, from the spectators in the stands, it might as well been a bare fist fight.
Everyone was already amped out from the season, some buckled under the pressure and went home, others surpassed expectations and pulled off a few upsets. By the time I got there I was pretty battered physcially, to a certain degree I credit my sucessess in states to being able to adapt the situation, and apply the training and condition of the past year to make things work. One year I had to change my style almost entirely due to a shoulder injury, and another I fought through my match with a torn knee. Many of my opponents I had never faced them before, and they were darn good, every one of them. Outside of these factors, willpower, and fighting spirit, plain and simple.
Maybe the analogy works afterall, if you fit the arguement to reflect the facts. Then again maybe there’s another angle that I could apply this experience for. We’ll just have to see what happens.
Semi-random links that I came across this past week: Government gnomes, surveillence cameras in the wash dc area. Words from cindy sheehan, history and lessons learned, Names for the newborn giant panda