Hello again from Berkeley! Since my last blog post, us Bears have been busy swimming, studying and racking up our frequent flier miles.  After going home for the holidays, we made our way to Hawaii for one amazing training trip, and have returned to Berkeley to begin the Pac-12 racing portion of our season.

Last weekend, we traveled down to Arizona to compete against Arizona State University and the University of Arizona.  Only a week after returning from Hawaii and in our first week of the new semester, this is always a tight turnaround for us.  One of the most challenging things for me this time of year is rapidly readjusting from the training-mode, in which we find ourselves throughout winter break, and shaking off the “race rust.”  Although we've been training quite a bit since our last meet in December, getting into the mindset of racing can often be challenging.  This part of the season is all about competing and getting your hand to the wall first, and for me, it means tapping into the little kid in me who fell in love with swimming in the first place.  Playing in the warm Hawaiian waves reminded me how much I enjoy swimming – now to bring that joy into the upcoming races!

Coming up next is the most exciting part.  This weekend we have two home meets against USC and UCLA, and two weeks after that we swim Stanford at home, as well.  Some of my fondest memories while swimming at Cal have been meets in front of a home crowd.  Parents, friends, professors, fans, families, you name it and they're all there supporting us.  The environment is electrifying.  Nothing compares to the energy of home dual meets or the humbleness I feel when the crowd fills the stands.  These feelings are especially heightened when the number of meets I have left is steadily decreasing (cue the sappy section of my post …).

As I head into the last three dual meets of my Cal career, I am constantly being reminded of what little time I have left.  As a senior, the question of the hour is “what's happening after you graduate?” and it's starting to make me queasy.  All I want to focus on right now is saturating every moment and enjoying each day as it comes.  If I can do that and not get caught up in the whirlwind of all of my “lasts,” then I actually have tons of time left – valuable time to spend with my amazing teammates and coaches.    

For now, I'm getting energized for the upcoming meets and preparing for the weeks ahead! Come out this Friday and Saturday to cheer us on as we take on the Trojans and Bruins in what are sure to be nail-biting duals.  Thank you, and as always, GO BEARS!

Eva

Eva Greene is a senior from Falls Church, Va., while Maija Roses is a freshman from Durham, N.C. Eva and Maija will alternate producing blog entries each week during the 2014-15 season, with Eva writing her piece and Maija creating a video.

Miaja's Video Blogs
Nov. 12, 2014
Nov. 26, 2014
Jan. 22, 2015

Eva's Written Blogs
Nov. 3, 2014
Nov. 18, 2014