tennis, life and a few things in between

I did a mile in the pool last night:
40 laps free straight in 25 min
22 laps mixed back and breast
10 laps free in under 6 minutes
Feeling great !! It’s so cold out there..
Golfer was skating in the rink. The complex is new and nicely designed, except both lockers are way way too small, as if added on as second thought. The rink is a standard size, with seating and it is warm !! By 10pm a local recreational league began to play. The red team has 3 Asians: goalie wears 88 jersey, 72 Ju and 11 (or something) .. The black team is pretty good. We left after the red team failed to score on a penalty shot and black made a nice pass and score the night first goal.
Charles B. Wang 王嘉廉 Islanders is at the bottom of the league, his practice rink in Syosset is bit ran down. Most Islanders fans couldn’t wait for him to sell the team to the Russian Mikhail Prokhorov who just became the majority owner of NJ Nets. Wang doesn’t like to pay his players… the one he paid handsomely wasn’t a good player .. Wang might have acquired the team in tandem with LI real estate. The LI local governments and politicians have denied his propose over the years. Wang must feel unappreciated and unloved.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The New York Islanders have no plans to relocate to Quebec, or anywhere else, at this point. But if the team decides to pack up, fans of the former Nordiques would gladly welcome them north of the border.

Bus loads carrying about 1,100 hockey enthusiasts — who call themselves Nordiques Nation — trekked to Long Island to see the Islanders host the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday night. They want to prove to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that Quebec deserves a new team.
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Bus load of fans came from Quebec, where it doesn’t have a hockey team and wanted one.

Took place at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point on April 24 and 25, 1999. My first swimming race ever meet! I was thrilled. Roberta and kids came to cheer me on.

I participated in three heats, and the results were:   

• 50 Free sprint at 39:04
• 500 Free at 8:42
• 1,000 Free at 17:47

Yesterday I went to swim, with little disruptions here and there (wasn’t too crowded .. but there was this old man just won’t go away .. ), 40 laps came in at about 25 minutes! This timing seems to be my new record. It’s mere 11 years but ..
Couple of years ago, I could do 40 laps within 20 minutes frame and 50m under 50 seconds.

I’ve been critical about short course pool ever since I set food on this New World, but today is actually my first time seeing it in a real competition: the Big Ten of NCAA at Ohio State. The home team won, their first since 1956.
Tyler Clary Jr,
The swimmers would take their mark and dive into the little pool. They would have gone more than half way before they take their first breath. I just totally don’t get it: those little men are so big that most of them only needs 5 flys to get to the end .. I miss the the satisfaction seeing them work the course/lane, there isn’t time or space. They are too busy flipping – flip turning. Just simply inelegant and ungraceful.
Use the 50 meters, the real Olympics size please?

On another stolen moment, dropping off King to his jazzy club, I detoured to Parkwood pool, which is done now after the renovation or reconfiguration.
It’s very nice.
The main pool didn’t seem to be changed, might have been enhanced. There is a snake bar and area on the main pool deck next to the life guards office. The wading pool adds a triangle canopy, protecting babies from the rays.
The medium pool was relocated few yards from the old one: filling the old hole and digging a new one. Lots of work.
The water slide opens at certain time of the day.
The lazy river looks really delicious, so is the kiddie pool.
The locker/shower room is updated. An additional bathroom was built. The ground floor snake room adjacent to the rink is renovated – the home of the gold medal figure skater Sarah Hughes. A new flat screen TV was mounted on the wall high above the fireplace. The old skate shop was moved.
Over all, the flow is nice.
Lifeguards are mixed with college, college grads and high schoolers. The pool opens from Memorial Day (or June 1 or so) to Labor Day, first Monday in September. The membership is $285 for family, $185 individual and $120 for senior. 5-day multi pass $50 for adult and $45 for youth. Steve still runs his Masters Swim, $210, Mon/Wed/Fri from 6am – 7:30am.

My question is …. Does It Worth It?

Jarron Gilbert jumps out of pool without hands. How did he do that? I need to learn 🙂 since my arms and shoulders hurt .. ..

Ok, the largest swimming pool has finally opened for business in Chile – in Feb 2009. This post was written on 3/12/2009. What a beautiful monster !?!?!?!

The man-made saltwater lagoon has been attracting huge crowds to the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on Chile’s southern coast, since it opened last month.

DQ promised me that she’ll take me to the largest swimming pool in Central America, Nicaragua next month. How about I’ll warm up there and wait for the Chile one 🙂 .. can’t wait to swim !! hmmmmm .. wondering if the pool has the bottom lines .. and hope my ankle holds up.