Reserve Team Optimism

As of Friday night, I am a member of the Union University Women's Soccer reserve team. I wasn't surprised, because I knew my knee had hurt my chances. It doesn't really bother me, but my reaction time is off because I don't trust it yet. Another reason Coach B gave me was that my positioning was off in my position. He put me at defensive back (which is glorious), but all last year he put me at outside midfielder. Therefore, I am used to that position. Despite those things (and some conditioning), Coach said I should be able to move up in a week or two. Our assistant coach, Isaac, told me that I could tackle better than most of the girls on the team; you can imagine how good that made me feel. He said we could work on it even more, because there were a few times where I could have tackled but didn't. I'm excited about that. A few of the girls were waiting outside as I was talking to Coach; they said that they had expected a flood from me if I made reserve. I'm not surprised that they expected that. However, I was mentally prepared for it and knew I could work my way up to varsity. I'm going to work my butt off.

New Preseason, New People, Old Tiredness

Last Wednesday the Union women's soccer team moved in to begin preseason. We had one of our fitness tests that night (which I failed miserably), then left Thursday for Camp Linden. The team trip was awesome; we have twenty-two new girls, thirty-six in all. I was glad I was a returning player, because I at least knew all the old girls. It took me a little bit to get all the names of the new ones. I'm still unsure about a couple of them. Anyway, most of the girls are really cool; I laughed so hard during the trip that my throat got hoarse! Haha. It was a blast. We did another ropes course (we did one last year), and that went well.

Saturday we had our first official practice. We will eventually be put into varsity and junior varsity teams, but for this week, we are just one big team. Saturday Coach split us up into four teams, and we scrimmaged. Each team played three games, so everybody got to play everybody. It went great; it was the perfect way to see each girl play. We have a lot of good girls, and I think we're going to have a good year. At this point I'm not real sure I'll make the varsity team, especially considering the fact that I now have a screwed up right knee. It started bugging me about a week and a half ago, but I thought it was something I had dealt with before and didn't think much about it. However, Saturday while I was running the mile and a half fitness test, it started hurting pretty significantly. Then it hurt in practice as well, but not that bad. Yesterday, it was killing me. I finally asked Joel - one of the trainers - to check it out, and he told me it was conjulation (spelling?). I think it's the knee cap or the cushioning under it getting rough and causing me a lot of pain. Joel also said something about calcium build-up, so I'm not real sure what's going on. The thing that really stuck in my mind and bothers me now is that he said, "It's one of those nagging things that take a while." I said, "Oh, that's great. Another one." My calves are doing good; they get tight, but nothing like they were. If my flipping knee wasn't messing with me, I could be doing great. However, it can't seem to be that easy.

There's one of the girls on the team that has really bad shin splints; they've bothered her for I don't know how long. I think it's been more than a year. Anyway, she has been told that there's really nothing they can do about it but just deal with it. And you know what? She does. I mean, if it gets too bad, she just drops out, but she gets back in as quickly as possible. I don't know if I could "deal with it." I'm going to have to deal with my calves, but it's not just intolerable. I don't know. I can't help but feel like I have a low tolerance for pain. Anyway...

Preseason days are so long. One day tends to feel like two or three at a time. We're busy, then we have a little downtime, then busy again, downtime, and so on. It's just crazy. It really messes with your internal clock. Haha. I still like it, though. I definitely don't like the running, but I still like preseason. There's just something about it. Although yesterday I thought it would be nice if my other friends from school were on campus. It's neat to have it to ourselves, but I just had the sudden desire to see somebody I knew walking down the sidewalk who is not on the team. This year is going to be fun.

One Week

Exactly one week until we move in for preseason!!! I'm excited. I'm excited to get into playing soccer, meeting all the new girls (and there are a lot), and going on our team trip. I am ready! Well, maybe not for the fitness tests, but I know it's not for trying the last week or so. I've been alternating running three miles and running the ten sprints and jogging back. I guess I'll just have to see if it worked when we do it. We're actually doing the sprint test the day we move in at around eight. Then I think we are running our mile and a half Saturday evening we get back from our trip. I kind of like the idea, because we can get it done with. It's also a little harder if you have a couple of days where you don't run, then you have to go and do both your fitness tests in the same day; that's what we did last year. Moved in on Thursday, left Friday for our trip, got back Sunday, did our mile and a half Monday morning, practiced Monday evening, then ran our sprints like in the middle of practice. Now that I think about it, not really a great plan. Anyway, we're doing it completely different this year, and I'm not complaining.

I was pretty ticked at the possibility of being in Breakfast Club, but now I'm okay with it. I may not be so much when I actually have to do the running, though. Haha. Who wouldn't? However, I mainly see it as an opportunity to get in great shape for the season. I just pray it won't last past the first week; of course, that depends on how Brandon thinks we do, how hard he thinks we are working (running). Last year I was so ticked when I didn't make my mile and a half because I made it in the summer. This year, I knew I had ground to make up, and I have tried and am trying to make it up. If I don't make it, I'll know I tried. The last two weeks, anyway. Regardless, I believe I'll take it better this time. I guess we'll just have to see...

Running

Blasted fitness tests. Why did I even begin to think that I was ready for them? Well, I knew I wasn't ready for the mile and a half, but I thought I had the sprints! It was the jogging back part that got me. I ended up making them only after I resorted to the old method: Sprint, rest for a minute, sprint back, and so on. Yeah, I know it; I am a wimp. I'm also an idiot for waiting THIS LONG to realize that I need to step it up in the fitness department. I should have been working harder all summer long instead of waiting until now when I'm pretty much messed. It's not like I've really been slacking off; it's that I could have been working so much harder than I have been. I could have been running more than just our workout. I should have been. However, one my greatest faults is a serious lack of self-discipline. Therefore, I just didn't. I told myself I would NOT be in Breakfast Club, I WOULD get back and beyond where I was at the end of last summer. Did I do either of those? Well, one I certainly did not, and the other is looking pretty certain. I can't blame anyone but myself, and I am thoroughly ticked about it. At myself, of course.

On another note, I have taken two trips to Jackson the last two weeks to hang out with Cheslie and play some soccer. I was going to take another this week, but I was asked to fill in at a lawyer's office in H-don for the whole week. Ches informed me that I HAVE to come next week; I didn't argue. I have so much fun hanging out there at Bredow's house with the girls (and the guys that drop by). Last week my brother went with me, because our parents were gone on a short trip. That was hilarious (construction barrels!!!). Good memories. Maybe I'll be "stealth" and show up without announcing it. Haha. Ches probably wouldn't care.

When I was in high school, I didn't participate in any pranks or anything. My friends just didn't really do those kinds of things, and I just didn't have a lot of interest in them. College, however, has been a little different. It's not like I've been a complete juvenile delinquent (I'm not really a juvenile anymore, am I?), but I have been a participant in a couple of random acts of stupidity. Haha. Man, it is fun. Don't worry, I won't go crazy with it or anything; it's just funny. It makes it even funnier when these things happen that I'm thinking, " I can't BELIEVE I'm doing this!!!" Let me just tell you, businesses don't seem to trust people anymore...bolting signs to their brick and all that. HAHA! What makes them do that? Oh, I guess it must be because of people like us that try to steal the sign! Hm...interesting thought...

Summer Thoughts

Oh, summer. Preseason seems so far away. I'm excited about going. It's actually just a month away, but at the moment a month feels like a year. I'm ready to be back at school. Well, I'm ready to see all my friends again. I love Union. For some reason I'm a little nervous about meeting all the new soccer girls. I guess it's mainly because it'll be like meeting a whole new team, considering there are over twenty of them. I'm excited about that as well, though.

Relationships can be so...weird. I tend to complicate things, so I mainly blame myself. Whatever. I'm not making much sense - again. I'm just looking for the right person, and I think sometimes it frustrates me that I haven't found him yet. It's not like I don't have time. I also tend to get impatient about certain things. I'm working with God to improve on that.

I really don't have much to say; I just felt like I needed to write something. Summer has almost been a break for my emotions. Not completely, of course. I can never have a total break from them. It's just been a lot less emotionally draining. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise.