Post Olympic

Sauerkraut

let's get this going, am I right? 

I've written the whole thing already, and let's just say ........... hehe you're in for it.

-rabid

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I'm twenty minutes early for when the guys are supposed to meet me in the gym. I have pipes and sticks and pucks and ladders and blocks and anything anyone could possibly need for an agility course. My head is set on using the big playing field out behind the rink. I drop all the stuff into a couple of big gear bags and shlep my way outside onto the grass. It's chilly up in Canada in mid-September. I drop the bags on the grass once I make it down the back stairs and zip them open.

"Hey Nico, what are you doing?" It's Fenrir.

"Zip it," I grumble, separating out different types of obstacles.

"Huh?"

"I need to focus," I grumble. "Go back inside and collect them in the gym."

"Can I help?"

"Yeah, I just said how." I grab a large bundle of wood planks I found in a storage cabinet.

"Those, aren't for practice purposes..."

"They are what I say they are," I growl.

"I'm just saying..." I turn around.

"I do believe I told you to go back inside," I grumble. He messes with the facet on his watch, looking mildly stunned. "I need to focus on this, so if you could go, that would be great." Fenrir spins on his heel and starts to walk away.

"Okay, Coach." He grumbles.

Ah, finally, I can have some zen time while I plan this.

I drop the planks to create a shuffling zigzag, then lay out a ladder to work on quick feet. The next obstacle is a good ways away, they're going to sprint that. They have to jump up onto a block that meets my hips, and then down, then back up onto another, then down, and a third, a fourth, and a fifth. I wander over to a shed I see and manage to find traffic cones and oh brilliant, track hurdles. I stare out at the field, then drag as many hurdles as I can out onto it. They're going to go over then under these. I find the cones, great, they'll go around these as dogs do on those agility shows. And then they're going to run a lap and do it again.

I sit and wait for Von Albrecht to bring them back out again, and when they appear again, I stand up and lean on Ireland's stick, which I figure I should keep with me for most of the season as a threat or something.

"What's this," Ireland demands the second he gets out here.

"Obstacle course," I say, keeping my tone threatening. Then I lead them over to the center, where I stand tall on one of the box jumps. They gather around, laughing and talking and taking it too easy. I do my finger whistle and they stop to pay attention. Von Albrecht looks around like he's surprised. 

"You're starting over there." I point with Ireland's stick. "Zigzag slide those, staying as low as possible. Then, you're going to sprint to the ladders. Yes, there are five of them all lined up. Both feet in each, you know what to do. Then sprint to the box jumps." I slap the butt of the stick against the plastic boxes I'm standing on, it makes an echoing noise. "Both feet up on this, both feet down, do you hear me?" There's a murmur of response. "No talking," I growl. "Over and under the hurdles, go over the short ones and under the tall ones, I thought I'd specify since most of you only have one brain cell bouncing around in your empty heads." I glare at Ireland. 

"Between the traffic cones and then you're running a lap around this entire field. If I see you cutting corners I'm adding an extra rep to yours and yours only." I point over to where the starting line is. "Each of you has your name written by a ring over there. There's a massive pile of pucks near the end of the obstacle course. I've placed your rings in a line. Find yours, put the puck you grabbed at the end of the lap into the ring, and then go again." I articulate every word. "The first person to do it ten times wins, we're working on your competitiveness, your agility, your endurance, and your strength. Go orderly through the obstacle course, pass people during the lap."