Week 4 Theme #3

2. There was a girl I used to know. She absolutely loved to play field hockey and was amazing at it too. No matter the place, the day, the season, she was always be prepared to play and improve if there was an opportunity to do so. She lives and breathes the sport and would never pick any other over it. She started playing field hockey when she was a freshman in high school. This was due to the fact that soccer was becoming a bore, and she wanted to try something new and field hockey seemed like the "cool thing'. Many of the girls in her family had played field hockey and she figured it was time for her to follow in their foot steps. From her freshman year on she pushed herself athletically to great lengths to gain respect of her coach and the older players on the team. She was a little timid during her first year of playing but once she reached her sophomore year she was very confident in her abilities and many of the girls were envious of her progress. At the beginning of her second season her coach told her she had made the varsity team. This was the best news she had gotten in a while, well since the beginning of her field hockey career. However, she knew she deserved it because she worked hard through her freshman season and had continued practicing all summer long. She was beyond excited and so proud of her accomplishment. She could not wait to make strides in the new season and show off her skills to her varsity teammates.
Preseason that year came and went just like every other one before. The sweating, running, sprints, drills, and team bonding. The team hated it but enjoyed themselves at the same time. They used the time together to make new friendships and catch up with girls they hadn't seen in a while. However sports wise the work was tough but they all knew that it would pay off in the end.  She used preseason as her time to better her skills on the field for the season ahead as well as a time to be social. In order to make a good impression she would make sure she was on time, tried to be in the front during team runs and drills, and if she messed up once she made sure to try again until she felt comfortable and confident. It definitely helped her knowing that the older girls supported her and pushed her positively to be the best she could be. However, there are always a few bad apples when you get a group of kids together but she tried not to let those few influence her feelings towards the game. Some of her teammates did have more negative attitudes, some had issues with poor sportsmanship, and some even argued with the coaches. Nevertheless she knew it was best to stay positive for the sake of herself and the team.

The actual season started during the first week of September. She felt more prepared than ever and was ready to blow away her opponents with her talent, and the skill of her team of course. She felt fully accepted by her new teammates and was excited to see how they played together on the field. The team had played a few games and she was feeling so ecstatic about the work that they had put in regardless of their record at that point, she felt they had done amazing. Her coach had had her in for whole games, playing the entire duration without a sub. This really boosted her confidence and made her feel that she was a great asset to her team. One thing she had learned through player was that when she felt good about herself and believed in herself she was an all around better player. She had confidence and felt she had to go into a game feeling good like she could attempt any skill or trick because if she did not have this mindset she would be clumsy and unsure of herself on the field. Along with her self-confidence, she was a great team player as well. Her will to be the best and play to her highest ability came from the fact that she did not want the other girls on the team to be disappointed in her performance. Therefore she worked very hard in practice and in games to better her skills from great to amazing and put them to use in the games ahead. Turns out her team had an excellent season and made their way to the playoff's! She was not big-headed however, she thought her addition to the team really played a noteworthy part in their success. She could not wait for what the next two seasons had to come, and the thought of continuing on after high school excited her even more. The triumph of her team's season had her on cloud 9 and gave her the ambition to continue playing on such a prime level. Little did she know that this would be one of the most successful years her team would have during her time in high school, and they would not make it to the playoff's again.