G. Martin Bingisser » Switzerland

Throwing in the Snow

Martin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:42:19 +0000

It might surprise people, but we get surprisingly little snow in Zurich. The winter months remind me more of overcast Seattle than the snowy alps nearby. Just this week we received our first snowfall of the year. Many people go inside to throw the weight at the first sign of snow. But it is important to throw the hammer in the winter. It isn't that hard either.

I may not be from the midwest, but I've learned a few tricks that make throwing in the snow very easy. And, if that fails, you can check back in a few weeks for some ideas on building an indoor throwing cage.

The Effects of Mental Fatigue

Martin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:29:16 +0000

I've began regularly throwing twice a day after I graduated from law school back in 2008. When I was living in Kamloops my training sessions would start at 9 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. The results were almost always better in the afternoon. When I arrived in Switzerland in 2010, I continued training twice a day but had to adjust my training times. Since I have to work in between trainings, my morning session normally starts between 7:30 and 8:30 (often depending on the sunrise) and my afternoon training session normally begins closer to 4 (unless I can squeeze it in at lunch).

If anything, you would think this change would mean that my morning training sessions would get worse in comparison. But the opposite has happened. Now my morning training session is, without fail, my best of the day. This summer some of my best results were as early as 7 o'clock. And my afternoon sessions were continuously unimpressive.

Training on Sundays

Martin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:32:15 +0000

For most people in Switzerland, Sunday is a day of rest. The labor laws generally prevent anyone from working on Sunday. Therefore, with a few exceptions, all stores are closed. Residents are expected to keep loud noises to a minimum, meaning that even things like laundry and vacuuming can be frowned upon in certain apartment buildings.

But since I work all week, Sunday is the one day where I have lots of free time. It is my biggest training day of the week, yet the only place to lift weights is in the basement fitness studio of a hotel half way across town. Furthermore, I have to go out of my way to pick up an access card from my club on Friday. And the equipment doesn't always fit my needs. This is a stark contrast to America where you can almost always find a gym open and when you can't you know the guy who has the key.

Farewell to the Allmend

Martin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:00:16 +0000

On Monday I received an unwelcome surprise. My club's manager told me that on November 14th construction would begin to turn our throwing facility into a skatepark. I was a bit in shock even if the news was not a complete surprise. A year and a half ago the city cleared the final legal hurdle to move forward with this project. We were first told that construction would begin last October. Then we were told May. And finally we were told it would start this October. With the month almost over and no sign of surveyors or bulldozers on the horizon I was starting to feel invincible, like a cancer patient who has lived decades after his doctor gave him just a month to live.

To make matters worse, I was scheduled to leave Zurich on Wednesday and return on the 14th. That meant I had exactly one day left to train at the Allmend. This year was just my second season training full-time in Zurich, but I felt a close connection to the ring from the beginning. Around 90% of my training sessions are alone. With ten training sessions a week, I quickly grow a close connection to the unique location. And why wouldn't I? The Allmend can be as comforting as teammates. The ring is nestled between the base of the Uetliberg and the Sihl river. To the north is a small handball arena where I do my weight lifting. To the south are nearly a dozen soccer fields and the training grounds for FC Zurich. All around are open public spaces filled with joggers, dog walkers, and mountain bikers. If you look over the trees, you can even catch a glimpse of the alps. The hammer facility has everything we need: two rings, a concrete slab for drills, couple of boxes for equipment, and 95m of landing area. There is no track, and no one else from our club around. When I show up every morning, the solitary surroundings make it is easy to focus.

2011 Season Review

Martin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:23:02 +0000

In reviewing my 2010 season, one of my main observations was that I did not build on each meet. Good meets were followed by bad meets and I never gained any momentum. Looking back at the 2011 season, the first thing I see is how I slowly built up my results throughout the course of the year. I reached three levels throughout the year. Level one, from March to early June, saw an average result of 62.57m in four meets (±30cm). Level two, during June and July, saw six meets averaging 64.95m (±66cm). Then, for my last meet, I improved to level three: a personal best of 67.90m. My technique was more stable and that allowed me to build on each meet.

Looking back at the 2011 season, I had some great accomplishments. But not everything went perfectly. As I begin to plan 2012, it is important to see what worked, what didn't work, and where I can go from here. I already have a general plan for next season, but I will work out some more of the details when I visit Kamloops and sit down with Bondarchuk in a few weeks.