Week four theme #2

2. There was a girl I used to know. She absolutely loved to play field hockey and was darn good at it too. No matter the place, the day, the season, she will 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 something knew. 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. Once she reached her sophomore year her coach told her she had made the varsity team. This was the best news she had gotten in a while; she new she deserved it because she worked hard through her very first season and all summer long. She was beyond excited and proud of her new accomplishment and could not wait to make strides in the new season.
Preseason 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. It was a lot of hard work 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. 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 her best. However, there are always a few bad apples in a group of kids but she tried not to let them influence how she felt about the game. Some of her teammates had more grumpy attitudes, had issues with poor sportsmanship, and some even argued relentlessly 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. She felt fully received by her new teammates and was excited to see how they played together on the field. A few games went by and she was feeling awesome about her team and the work that they had done regardless of their record at that point. 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 her 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. Therefore she worked very hard to maintain and better her skills and put them to use in the games ahead. Turns out her team had an amazing season and even made it to the playoff's! She was not big-headed however, she thought her addition to the team really played a part in their success. Little did she know that this would be one of the best years her team would have during her time in high school, and they would not make it to the playoff's again.