Burke Livin'

The past few days here at school have been pretty great. I’m really starting to get a handle on the schedule and as a result have settled into a good routine. Mondays, Wednesday and Friday, we have a workout at 6:30 and that usually consists of some kind of strength exercise, whether it be max, core, hops, or other activities. Breakfast is at 8 and classes start at 8:50. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we breakfast is at 7:30, so we have the am off (it’s kind of like sleeping in…) and classes start at 8:20. One of my favorite things about Burke is that on Mondays and Fridays, the first class of the day is reading period, where everybody (staff included) goes to a predetermined quiet spot around campus and reads anything they want, as long as it isn’t school related. It’s a really nice way to relax.

            I’m taking 4 classes this year, which is usually a bit much for a PG student (normal students here take 5), but I’m really enjoying them. Advanced Science is mostly a physics class, and the teacher decided to have us come back for an additional period to practice and go deeper into calc in order to be better prepared for college calc. The teacher is really great, and because the class is only 4 students, and we’re all PGs, it’s a neat environment. And I also love calc. So it’s just great all-around! I’m also really enjoying my American Foreign Policy class (we have really good discussions every class!) and art class, both of which have about 8 students. Coming from a huge school where my smallest class had probably 18 kids, I didn’t know what to expect, but I definitely having fun with everything.

            The training here is also awesome. As I mentioned, we have morning workouts most days and then have workouts every afternoon. Yesterday, we did a killer double pole strength workout (poling up a hill 25ish strikes at a time, 15 sets) and this afternoon, we hit up a great road a little north of Lake Willoughby for a 12.5 mile classic ski. It is really great to have a training group that consists of motivated teammates and supportive coaches. It makes training fun and the best part of a stacked day.  It is also great to have a group as small as we are (2 coaches, 3 boys, 4 girls) because as a skier, feedback is instant and you always have access to a coach. For example, one of my goals for the fall is to improve my upper body strength, so I arranged to meet our assistant coach in the gym during one of my free periods and she helped me build a circuit that will help me to reach my targets. The resources available to athletes here are second to none and I plan on taking advantage of them as much as I can this year!

            Although skiing and studying take up most of the day, there is still ample time to kick back, recover, relax and socialize. Last night some of the other PGs put together a great bonfire behind one of the dorms and we had a great time telling stories, making s’mores, stargazing and just horsing around. As quiet hours drew to a close around 9, more and more people trickled in and it made for a great evening.  Tomorrow night, it is off to the Caledonia County Fair for some greasy food (ugh probably not!) and rides (no thanks, I’d rather watch other people get nauseous!), and Saturday will be filled with orientation, which is different every year, but I hear that it is usually some sort of bike scavenger hunt all over the place.  Sounds good to me!

            And if any of you are wondering, I have already acquired a reputation for pun making…. At least 3 times a day, I walk by someone on campus and they demand a pun on the spot. Good thing I’ve been at this for a while because I have a few that I can just recycle to fit the situation ;) But don’t worry, I’m still tossing originals all over this campus.  I’ll leave you with a few pictures!

            The topic of a hurricane in NE is for another blog post, but try to stay dry!

            Emilie

Favorite Picture of Willoughby so far

My roommate and I...

actually get along really well!

Bonfire!