Today, while you leisurely read the paper in your comfy arm chair, the Sea Lions Aquatic club mark the middle of 'Hell Week'.
A mix of hardcore, twice–a–day practices and a swim across Dragon Lake, Hell Week is a time for the swimmers of the Sea Lions Swim Club to prove to themselves and to the team, they have what it takes to compete in a difficult sport.
"It shows they can work really hard," coach Stefanie Miska said.
Besides the work ethic, Hell Week is also, somehow, enjoyable?
"It's mostly a fun thing,"Miska said.
And at the end of it, not only do they get the satisfaction of knowing they can work really hard, but they get a t-shirt out of the deal as well.
Proving that one person's hell is another person's heaven, Audrey and Lucy Jesperson, two sisters on the Sea Lions, find pleasure in a week of hell.
"I love Hell Week," Lucy said.
On the heels of which: "It's always fun," Audrey said.
Their looking forward to the swim across Dragon Lake—that is if their allowed to go.
Chris McGauley, who has been swimming with the Sea Lions for nine years and now helps coaching, will be making the swim.
There are no complaints about the burning muscles of Hell Week here either, as the closest utterance to a negative comment about the jewel in the crown that is Hell Week is that the early morning swim on Dragon Lake can be cold.
His plan: "Put my head down and go as fast as I can," McGauley said.
Hell Week sits near the middle of the Sea Lions season. And after the, apparently not-so-hellish, hell week they'll be looking forward to the August 4 regionals and beyond that to the provincials.
McGauley's already got his mind fixed on something shiny to hang around his next.
"I want to win two provincial golds," McGauley said.
"Right now I'm sitting first in those events."
Those events are the 100 metre backstroke and the 200 metre individual medley.
They're two events in which McGauley has been flirting with first for some time now.
"I've come third four times and second twice," he said.
"This is the time."
With medals dangling in front of them, the Sea Lions are ready to power through the depths of the funnest Hell Week and reach for the heavens at the tournaments.