Bondi Blues | Bondi Rescue

Part 4

[A/N: Holy crap, I miss this country. Studying here for last year for four months was not enough time. I need to go back. The culture, the people, the atmosphere, the sights, the experiences... All things I will always be in love with and all reasons why Australia will always have part of my heart.]

It was 6am on a Monday morning, and for the past three days at this time in the morning, I had been opening up at Bondi Beach. Today I was at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, beginning my new training schedule to get ready for the FINA qualifiers being hosted here in Sydney at this very Centre. I was taking it up a notch from training twice a day, early in the morning and late at night before and after working at Bondi, to training three to four times a day.

With the qualifiers looming, I knew that I had to really turn it up a notch if I wanted a chance to make it to the World Championships. I was learning two new dives to add to my program for the qualifiers, which was a huge challenge. Mastering one new dive was enough, but two was going to be a monstrous task. My program for qualifiers included my old dives, the front 3.5 somersault tuck, the back 2.5 somersault in pike, and the reverse 3.5 somersault tuck. 

I would be learning two new dives, two of which I would be adding one more rotation than I had previously been performing. My new dives were the reverse 1.5 somersault and 2.5 twists in the free position, and the armstand back 2 somersaults and half twist in the pike position. I had a little over two months to learn the new dives, or take the twists out of my new dives, which to me, wasn't an option.

I had talked it over with Hoppo and was alternating days that I was training four times a day with the days that I was working. I had also talked it over with my coach, and on the days that I was working, I would be training at least twice a day at the Centre, three if I could make it, but if I couldn't do that third training session, my lunch break became my third training session at the beach.

After my first two training sessions, I decided to take a drive down to Bondi and see how things were getting on. Since we were out of season and it was winter in Australia, I figured that things would be rather slow at the beach. I had roughly four hours off to grab a bite and relax before my next training session back in Sydney, but it was roughly a 45 minute drive to Bondi, so I'd have some time to relax.

I finally arrived in Bondi after fighting the Sydney traffic. I grabbed a bite to eat at a local café, and I made my way down to the beach. It wasn't too crowded, and I knocked on the door to the Lifeguard Tower. It was answered by none other than Deano, who exclaimed, "Charlie! Don't you have training?" I ushered myself in to the Tower and replied, "Yeah, I had two sessions this morning and I have two sessions this afternoon." I heard Reidy say, "Jesus, Charlie... Isn't that a bit much?" I laughed and answered, "Not when you have to learn two new dives before the qualifiers."

I stayed and chatted with the guys a bit, and we shared some great stories and some laughs. I was thankful that I could relax and be myself around them, as training was so serious and regimented. It was a great break seeing them. As my time at Bondi wrapped up, I said good bye to the boys and headed back to training. After another 45 minute commute back through the city, I was back in the place that was basically my home... Well, besides Bondi.

*

Time had absolutely flown by. Lifeguarding at Bondi had its challenges, but we hadn't lost anyone on the beach since I'd been there. I was given three days off of training before I'd move in to the old Olympic Village in Sydney for two weeks to do nothing but train and get my body and mind ready for qualifiers. I'd be doing four sessions in the water, one lift, and one recovery session a day, all with having my nutrition monitored. It was insane to believe that the qualifiers were in Sydney in two weeks, and here I was, at Bondi.