I'm still alive...

So swim season is over, as most of you know, but Ultimate season is just starting. The Summer League season ended with a loss in semifinals, but that's exactly when club season starts. Originally, our team was "The Recyclables," as most of the players on the team had been cut from higher level teams. Nonetheless, there is a huge amount of talent present. I don't understand how some of my teammates didn't make one of the elite co-ed or open teams.

We had a tournament last weekend, and frankly, I played like shit, and I, unfortunately, allowed my poor performance to get the best of me and I was not a happy person on the field or on the sideline. It was quite the lesson in having my priorities straight. I love playing pickup games, but in the week before the tournament, I played pickup on Wednesday. After laying out for a disc and landing on my hip, I had shooting pain down my leg for the rest of the week, which wasn't made any better by playing pickup again on Thursday and laying out on the same hip again. It was still quite sore on Saturday morning, and remained sore for the whole weekend. So note to self...don't play pickup before a tourney...or at least take it easy...although I know I'm not capable of taking it easy...so just no pickup before tourneys for me.

The Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing were amazing, and the competition hasn't disappointed so far. Watching swimming tonight, really, it took me back to four or five years ago, in the evening finals at High School Regionals. I was a member of Chapel Hill High's 4x100 freestyle relay, and we were seeded 5th going into finals. Bret, Lucas, and I think Keith were our other three legs. I swam one of the early legs, and Lucas, our All-American candidate, would be anchoring. We were right where we were seeded going into that anchor leg - 5th, a couple of body lengths behind first. My voice was totally shot by then, but I remember yelling my lungs out anyway, and Lucas busted out a 47.91 anchor leg, moving us all the way to 2nd, behind our conference rival, Jordan. If he had another 5 yards, he would have caught Jordan's relay. At the time, that was the most exciting race I had ever seen. Fast forward 11 months. Now a senior, I'm anchoring the 200 freestyle relay in a regular season meet at Riverside, who, while not necessarily a threat to win the state title, always has a strong 200 free relay. Behind by a body length entering my leg, I decided that we weren't going to lose that race, and I swam a 22.5 and caught their anchor. The first thing I saw when I popped up was my team yelling and cheering for me. A few weeks later, same situation, except it's a home meet. Same result. At the time, those were probably the best races I had seen.

But seriously...United States Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay. Enough said. Jason Lezak catching up by almost a body length on the last leg, and mah boy Cullen Jones is an Olympic Gold Medalist! Wolfpack in da house! It looked like silver was a foregone conclusion with about 30 meters left, then Lezak turned on the burners and caught (now former) world record holder Alain Bernard. Holy cow.

Season over

So my rookie season as a swim coach has ended. Umstead Pines finished the regular season 4-0, as previously stated. At champs, our 6-and-under boys and 15-18 boys both won their age groups, and overall, we finished 2nd in Division II, which, from what I understand, is our best finish in about 10 years. Most importantly, we had a lot of great swims from everyone at champs. We had some people drop over 10 seconds in a single event, and two of our last three swimmers in the 9-10 butterfly dropped 7 seconds each. Sarah won two out of three events, getting out-touched in the 100 freestyle but coming back to win both the butterfly and backstroke events. Joey had an amazing back half of the race in backstroke and raced ahead of everyone. Awards were quite a bit of fun, and the slide show put together by G was amazing.

So thanks to everyone for making this season happen...all of the other coaches, the swimmers, parents, parent-reps, and volunteers. I had a lot of fun, and I hope to be back next year for another exciting season.

Chuck Yu out.

Regular season over

So the regular season in Durham Summer Swim League is over, and Umstead Pines/Willowhaven is the Division II regular season champion! Woohoo! We finished the regular season at 4-0 last night with a nice win over Duke Faculty Club. Again, time drops all around. In fact, for the 11-and-up age groups (11-12, 13-14, and 15-18), we, the coaches, instituted a "Milkshake Challenge," where a significant time drop (determined by coaches Charles and Melissa) in an event (chosen by the swimmer) earns a milkshake from Cookout. We had quite a few people make it, but even those that didn't had some great time drops and near misses. I think the Milkshake Challenge is gonna stay around for awhile.

On another note, I also saw a few people that I hadn't seen in a few years...Roger and Emma were both swimming for DFC, and Lauren was lifeguarding. Fittingly enough, Lauren is the daughter of my first coach, Rusty, who is an amazing coach and pretty much my model for anything I do that is coaching-related. Except the Milkshake Challenge. Melissa and I started that.

Yeah, Asia.

Just a quick thought...

So I've decided that every team needs an Asian handler. This, of course, is why the Buzz Bullets from Japan are so good. Seattle Sockeye has one (Jimmy Chu), and the UPA College Champion in the Women's division has many Asians, and, while Open division champion Wisconsin did not have any Asian handlers, of their three opponents in the championship bracket, only one, Carleton, had any Asians on the roster.

Fortunately for me, no team I every play on will be lacking an Asian handler, as I *am* one :-)

Chuck Yu out.

Woohoo

So I have that feeling right now that you might get after running your little tail off for two and a half hours and getting the win to show for it. We won 17-9. Not much scoring for me...in fact, I don't think I scored a goal. I did get a layout-D followed by a sky and throw three goals, two on nice hucks, and one short continuation that the Atlantic Coast Women's Freshman of the Year was able to run down on the right side of the end zone. We didn't have that many subs, so I played most of the time, but we had very strong women and some fast guys (aside from the fast guys who weren't there). The cold beer, cherry limeade, and Sonic burger definitely hit the spot afterwards.

Chuck Yu out...literally.

Short update: 2-0

Sup, homies?

Umstead Pines at Willowhaven Country Club is now 2-0 after a close win against Croasdaile on Saturday. Great swims all around, as usual. Good to see legal strokes from some swimmers who didn't have them last week, but still some work to be done. I'm gonna work with the kids on their strokes this week and get them swimming butterfly legally within a couple of weeks. Easier said than done, I know, but they're quick learners.

Also, my Summer League Ultimate team (with whom I have played a total of once) is now 3-1 (the one loss coming when the captains were missing and appointed me as the replacement captain), and I can't wait to get back on the field.

I'm tired. Chuck Yu out.

This is an update

Gosh knows...kids can be crazy. Two out of four coaches were missing for the 10-and-under practice. Paige, the other coach present, is usually dedicated exclusively to the 6-and-under swimmers plus those who can't make it all the way down the pool (and I must say, she does an exceptional job with them, bless her heart). One of the parents graciously offered to help coach the 9-10's, and Corinne, Julie, and Alison from the older group helped out too, but the 7-8's were still pretty crazy. It's funny how they know how to do a tight streamline while standing on the pool deck, but once they hit the water, it all goes to hell. They also don't really know how to go five seconds apart during practice. They either go on top of each other, or not at all without me starting them. With three lanes of young kids, I couldn't stay too long in one lane, so I told them to go five seconds apart...slowly count to five and go. I started the first two kids and moved to the next lane to give them a set, and when I turned back around, the first two kids were almost done with the 50, and the other three were still on the wall, waiting for me to start them. Dammit.

We've got a home meet against Croasdaile this weekend. Both teams will be missing most of their year-rounders. Fortunately, we have quite a few non-year-round kids who can really move, so I'm expecting a win.

It's been over 100 degrees for the last few days (down to 91 today...woo hoo!). I played Ultimate on Sunday for the first time in a week, and I played pretty well. I'm just figuring out how to read a disc and then get to the right spot...apparently slowing down isn't always a bad thing. Can't wait to get back out to my Summer League team.

Chuck Yu out.

First win

Woohoo!

Willowhaven is 1-0, and that's my first win as a coach. I think the final score was 233-197 over Treyburn, and we were missing several good swimmers. Time drops all around, and I have a really good idea of what is working and what needs work. Technique is generally an issue, although we didn't have that many DQs.

I'm really tired and I need to get some work done.

Chuck Yu out.

Long time no see

So Kudzu was two weeks ago, but I don't have any pictures of my own (yeah...kind of hard to play and snap pictures at the same time).

CHUF went 3-4 (really, 3-3, but we lost at roshambo for the last game). I got to play on the same team with Josh Torell again, which hasn't happened since senior year of high school before I went to NCSU and he went to UNC. Our alumni also included Lucas, Zach, Aaron, Mike, and Ben on the guys side, and Robin, Janna (fresh off of College Nationals, where, apparently, she won the pulling contest), and Sarah on the women's side. The current players have a lot of potential. I think maybe they could use a handler or two because they're mostly pretty fast, but the best deeps are also some of the better throwers. At any rate, they're pretty damn good.

Willowhaven (now known as Umstead Pines) had our intrasquad meet last weekend and head coach Melissa and I sat down after practice tonight to figure out events for our first real meet this weekend. Overall, I'm really excited. The kids have already shown some great improvement early in the season, although there's quite a bit more to do. Not all of the kids can do all four strokes legally and some of them aren't diving off the blocks yet, but I'm going to have everyone diving off the blocks and swimming four strokes legally by the championship meet.

On a final note, the Chicago Cubs are hot. Keep it up. I believe.

Chuck Yu out for now.

Summer summer summer league

So of the 20-ish people on my Summer League team, about 5 of them showed up today (all of the ECU dudes were at some 5-on-5 tournament, and a couple of our women play for Wake Forest, and they're at UPA College Nationals. We should be a pretty solid team when it comes together. Apparently, the captains also got a major steal in the draft by picking Darryl with their last pick. He's super fast and athletic and, apparently, the best-kept secret around here.

We picked up a few mercenary players, and we ended up losing 17-14. Not a bad game overall, but I really need to work on my hucks. I threw away a couple of flick hucks today, and my backhand from the front corner of the end zone went about 69 yards (when I needed it to go about 70). Seems like a recurring theme for me...no matter where I am on the field, my hucks are always one or two yards short of the end zone. The handler cuts were working well in the first 3/4 of the game, but I probably should have taken a few more points off so that I could keep them fresh, but that shouldn't be a problem later.

Overall, I'm really excited about the season, and I really want to see what this team can put together.

Also...Kudzu. It's coming. One week.

Can't I be a victim for just a few minutes???

So the Spring 2008 semester is over, and the results are in. Laziness caught up with me and for the first time, I need to take a class again. It's online and over the summer, so it shouldn't throw any monkey wrenches into my schedule. Other than that, not bad grades...just ones that I can improve. It should be a pretty busy summer anyhow, where classes, ultimate, and coaching will be the predominant activities. Note that chess seems to be out of the picture. I'll find time for it, but it's generally not a huge priority for now, and I'm OK with that.

On the note of coaching, and jobs in general, Dad is pretty unhappy about my lack of a "real job." He's been dogging me about this since freshman year, after which I lifeguarded for a summer. My work history since then has been as follows:

Sophomore: TA with the CSC department (unemployed for summer)
Junior: Co-op with Sony Ericsson, TA with CSC dept., Community Assistant @ Lee Hall (unemployed for summer)
Senior: Co-op with Sony Ericsson (swim coach during summer)

I've wanted his approval for so long, and I haven't really gotten it at any point...at least not visibly. I didn't hear a word when I worked the "realest" job of the above, the one with Sony Ericsson. Not until my term was over, when he (almost) immediately started pressing me to get another job, with a different company just to get a feel for the field, and, to him, I was closed-minded for going back to Sony Ericsson to work a second term. Overall, I had a pretty good experience at Sony Ericsson, but something tells me that I'm going to hate working in a cubicle farm environment for a more extended period of time.

For awhile, I've aspired to be a teacher, but I put that on the back burner (probably for approval reasons) after Dad decided that it wasn't good enough (more on that later). Same reason why I majored in Aerospace Engineering and then in Computer Science (although I'm actually enjoying the CSC curriculum). I've been a lab instructor for several semesters (and will be again this coming fall), and a community assistant for two semesters. I've enjoyed both of those jobs, and I enjoy the coaching job I have right now. Interacting with people is something that I really love, and, for me, it's important that I have a positive impact on them, which, along with the example set for me by the extraordinary math teacher Bud Stuart, who made me better at something at which I was already pretty good and enjoyed; swim coaches Rusty, Chris, and Eric, who caused me to become good at and enjoy something that I initially hated; and my first Ultimate coach, Herndon, who made me good at something at which I sucked but still enjoyed, was what drew me to teaching and, more recently, coaching.

Dad says that he knows that I hate him every time he talks about wanting me to get a "real job," and that's not exactly the truth...I don't hate him for saying it...I know he means well, but I just hate being in the situation where my choices are

1. to silently listen to it and know that I'm not going to actually follow through and do what he says and eventually end up hearing it again,
   
2. to listen to him and get a job that I won't enjoy, or
   
3. to tell him what I really want to do and weather the violent reaction.

Concerning number 3, the thing is, Dad was OK with my wanting to teach for a little while. His tune changed after watching the news one evening and seeing a report on starting salaries, and noted that teachers were underpaid. The next time I walked into the room, without any warning, I heard it from him and it went on for the rest of the night, and I told him that it was what I really wanted to do, and violence ensued...I ended up with a swollen ear and at some point, I was dragged on the ground and threatened with a knife.

So I'll end the victim rant there. It's my future and I appreciate advice, but I shouldn't have to follow all of it for the sake of approval.

Pictures

Here are my pictures from Carolina Sectionals, as promised:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2190437&l=81aa3&id=11807777

And here is a link to Holly Czuba's page. She always takes good ones:
http://hollyczuba.smugmug.com/gallery/4752918_Rbxrb#281676698_iVJ7G

No tourneys until Kudzu, when I'll be playing with my Alma Mater, Chapel Hill High. We've got a sick-nasty team this year, from the looks of it.

Carolina College Sectionals

We had sectionals this weekend. Overall, the results were disappointing (0-4 record, including a loss to Duke-B, to whom I had never lost), but I definitely picked up a few things. The rookies all did pretty well. Shoutouts especially to Bobby and Wes for stepping it up with some massive plays. We had a few injuries (most notably Aaron, and Cockers from two weeks ago), but that wasn't really a huge factor in three of the four games. Overall scores:

Davidson 13-0 NCSU
Duke 13-4 NCSU
Duke-B 13-12 NCSU (that one hurt...we dropped the winning score)
UNCG 15-10 NCSU

I think we, the team leaders, need to make practice much harder, and actually work on the things that we will do in a game. We just figured out how to cut deep in a spread offense this past week in practice after we drilled it like crazy, but those cuts still weren't coming very much in the offensive flow. We had some really good ones, but overall, they weren't there. Also, hands were a big issue. We lost to Duke-B mostly because we kept dropping the disc. I don't really know how to improve that, but if anyone has a suggestion, I'm open.

Only thing is, we really need to figure out how to make practice and tournaments conducive to having everyone improve, both rookies and veterans. Probably easier said than done, but if I miss the A-team next year, I plan on having a leadership role on the B-team (both on and off the field). I won't be too much of a hard-ass, but I've definitely got some big plans. We were pretty good, but we're gonna be better, I guarantee it.

On a side note, pictures coming soon. I have a bunch on my camera, and Holly Czuba always takes good ones, and I saw her on the sidelines for this tourney as well. I'll be linking to her site as well as mine once the pictures are posted.

Wuf Wuf, bitches.

-Chuck Yu
#2, NCSU-B

Power of intention

So I said I'd get a few things done over break. I would post my games from the Millennium Chess Festival, I would finish my assembler program, and I would beat Through the Fire and Flames on expert level.

I talked to Sarah on the phone on Thursday night, and we might hang out some tonight. I haven't spent more than 30 seconds with her since...October, I think. She's a lot more important to me than that statistic would indicate. Last year, I was working the 24-hour desk at good ol' Lee Hall, and she'd always make a point to visit me during my Friday afternoon shifts. I still haven't gotten over the feeling I had when, probably around a year ago, during one graveyard shift, around 2:30 in the morning, she showed up just to say hi and hang out for a little while, and she gave me a Sudoku book to keep me occupied while no one was coming to the desk. That was probably one of the coolest things anyone has ever done for/to me.

Anyway, I was in the middle of my assembler program when I talked to her (fine...I was actually taking a break and playing Guitar Hero, trying to beat Through the Fire and Flames on expert), and I told her that I would have said program done so that hanging out would be possible (or easier, anyway). Up to that point, I wasn't really organized in my programming...I just started coding and hoping for the best...kind of like trying to paint a masterpiece by spraying paint through a fire hose. The program compiled and worked, but it wasn't fully functional. Keeping with the analogy, technically I created a painting, but it wasn't worth anything.

So having said I would get it done, I pretty much scrapped the entire program (that I had been working on for pretty much 12 hours straight), and started over. I actually made a plan, wrote pseudo code, and all that stuff, and I put out a working program within an hour. So check one thing off my list.

I promised I would beat Through the Fire and Flames on expert before Super Smash Bros. Brawl came out, and I just did it about an hour ago, so check that off too. Phew...done with 6 hours to spare.

Haven't studied my openings as much as I wanted to, but I'll do that soon enough.

First post

First post on blogspot...

First of all, here's the mandatory link to the old blog...
http://eMan2718281828.livejournal.com

Spring break be here, and somehow, I will finish the assembler program by tomorrow. It's due on the 11th, but I really don't feel like doing it in the last two days of break.

The biggest news of late is that I'm fresh off a trip to Virginia Beach last weekend for the Millennium Chess Festival...the beach was chilly and windy...and almost completely empty. Not quite beach season, I guess. But no matter. All of us had our moments in the tournament...Udayan won the Under-2200 section with 4.5 points out of 5, Eric had 3/5 in the open, beating 2 National Masters and a Women's FIDE Master. I had a pretty slow start, but I crushed two people on the last day, although I let a win get away in the endgame and settled for a draw in one of the games. I guess that brings me to my point.... People have asked me why I spend hundreds of dollars, travel hundreds of miles, and spend so many weekends in order to play a game with the possibility of making a meager amount of money. And not just any game, but one often associated with socially inept people who wear thick glasses and are more likely to get a wedgie than the time of day from someone of the opposite sex. The point is, I do it because I love it. I study the game and its theory because I love it. I love to play and to come up with brilliant combinations and to meet and socialize with other players who enjoy the game as much as I do. I think everyone has a passion like this for something, whether it's a game, an academic subject, or a career, and we're at our best when placed in such an environment. I'm at my best when I'm playing chess or Ultimate, and when I let that love spill into other areas of my life, the same passion will show up.

I'll post my games when I retrieve my scorebook...I left it in the apartment before I left for break.

To do list for break, in order of importance:
- Finish assembler program
- Study openings
- BEAT DRAGONFORCE ON EXPERT