Diverse Day
Written by Tayria Ward on May 13, 2010
Arlene Ward training
My daughter is in training as an Olympic weightlifter. She is unbelievably strong, technically talented and so committed. I got to go to the gym with her and watch her train with their marvelous coach. The gym was full of athletes accomplishing jaw dropping feats of strength and endurance; most of them practicing different skills and at different levels. The coach had his eye and mind on every one of them at all times; correcting postures, deciding how many more one should reps to do, timing, counting, encouraging, not missing a thing. I believe it was a rare privilege to be able to watch this kind of training and see the athletes at work.
Before going to the gym, I spent the day reviewing a manuscript submitted to a peer review journal I have become involved with, and reading several academic papers. Those were two radically different mindsets to inhabit. And if that wasn’t enough to stretch me out, for the evening we went to a really fun, really packed gay bar and watched some hilarious, some fantastic, some horrible, some sweet karaoke performances.
Several hours immersed in academia, then several with highly trained Olympic athletes, then another several with the heartful, do-your-own-thing-and-be-sure-to-have-a-blast-doing-it gay population of Colorado Springs – I’m not sure how much more diversity I could fit into a day. It was immensely enjoyable, stimulating and enchanting.