Typical Day
Back in high school, it seemed like everybody knew Jonathan Splash. "Jumpin' Jack" Splash was a born diver—he loved diving before he even knew it was a thing. Innocent and cavalier, his only concern was the thrill and novelty of jumping off of something into the water.
After a while, his parents' friends started mentioning things like "approach," "elevation," and "entry," which were fun to focus on…in the beginning. Jack joined the local pool's club diving team, learned the proper techniques for a few different dives, and instantly saw his efforts rewarded with ribbons, trophies, and really fun team pep rallies.
Since Jack clearly had talent, his coach pushed him to join the high school team, which he did eagerly. That's when diving started to change. It was still fun and rewarding, but by the time he got to college, diving had definitely become a burden.
Now, it's 5:58AM and Jack's lying awake in bed, exhausted, anxious, and a little depressed. He knows he can do nothing to stop the inevitable wailing of his alarm clock. Time keeps ticking on and Jack wishes he had more of it.
5:59AM.
Jack sighs and sits up. He might as well get up now—what's another measly thirty seconds?
He grabs a quick breakfast of granola bars and an Odwalla smoothie, then dashes out of the dorms to go on his morning run. If he didn't warm up, his muscles would pay the price.
Jack feels a little more energized and cheerful after his morning run. He takes a quick shower, throws on clothes that aren't already smelly (which are hard to find), and wakes up his roommate for their biochemistry lab at 8:00AM. The two actually manage to stay awake through their TA's total bore of a lecture. He hates sleepers and kept a water gun behind his desk.
No, thanks. Jack gets wet enough as it is.
Next up: Political Espionage at 9:30AM, which Jack enjoys. When your professor is world-renowned for his conspiracy theories, you know class will be a good time—unless, of course, you do something foolish like try to debunk him.
Class gets out on time at 11:00AM, which means lunch and something loosely resembling social activity. After an hour and a half, Jack trudges off to his third and final class of the day at 1:00PM: Physics II. It's not exactly a walk in the park.
During class, he pathetically nibbles on an apple and a granola bar. He's hungry, but it's not a hunger that could be satiated with any of the food in his very strict diver's diet. No, Jack's hungry for pizza—cheesey, greasy, pepperoni pizza. His mouth waters, but he knows he can't give in. Not when he needs to wear a Speedo later that day.
After class, Jack meets some friends in the Student Union and picks up his usual: grilled chicken wrap with a bag of pita chips and some hummus. Finally, something that isn't granola.
Jack tears open the bag of pita chips on his way to the athletic center at 3:45PM. Practice is usually from 4:00PM to 6:00PM, five days a week, not including the time spent changing, stretching, and doing personal strength training.
When the season started, diving practice was a lot more general and only required a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. It was mainly plyometrics, with specific work strengthening the legs and core (source).
Now, in addition to that, a lot more time is being spent fine-tuning specific dives, which means that Jack starts in his favorite gym shorts and t-shirt, but has to ditch them before long.
Whenever he tells his friends and parents what diving practice is like, they're always surprised at just how grueling the preparation was. It's not just going to the gym and working out or just diving into a pool. It's two hours of both. Ab work, leg work, practice jumping…then, getting up on the board and focusing on the specific mechanics of the dive (source).
Sure, jumping off a diving board a few times sounds fun and easy, and sometimes it is…when it's not done after a strenuous workout and overseen by Coach Wetmop. Coach Wetmop demands constant motion and flawless execution, so afternoons are generally pretty draining.
Jack practices his armstand—something that would surely impress the judges. After that, he tries to master the reverse twist. He still can't twist fast enough yet. He always hits the water mid-twist and makes a big splash (and not in a good way).
By the time Jack gets to the locker room after practice, he's so spent that he contemplates skipping showering and changing. He knows he has to, though. Chlorinated pool water can't replace shower water, and you can't exactly walk outside in nothing but a Speedo. Jack's okay with it, but he knows people get uncomfortable when you show that much leg.
Whatever. Their loss.
Dinner's at 7:00PM and Jack's ecstatic. He'll finally get to see his girlfriend, Mandy, for her salmon, pasta, and sautéed spinach specialty—Jack's favorite. Jack knows that Mandy cares about him a lot, so sometimes he feels guilty that he's usually too tired to do anything. Today, however, the thought of seeing her excites and energizes him.
From 8:00PM until 10:00PM, Jack and Mandy cuddle, talk, do homework, and study—not exactly romantic, but they enjoy it. They both take school pretty seriously and they know that getting to spend any time together was better than nothing.
By the time Jack gets back to his dorm, it's close to 11:30PM. He puts down his stuff, changes, and rolls into bed with his laptop so he could watch an episode of Homeland as he falls asleep. Which could explain the troubling dreams…