If the dates of the games work around the vacay Paul and I have planned, then I am about to join a club soccer team.
CANNOT CONTAIN EXCITEMENT.
I haven’t played on a soccer team in years. I miss it like crazy - it will be nice to get back in the groove again. I just hope the dates work out. That is the only thing that could stop me from joining.
Thank you to everyone who responded to my post yesterday!
I just cleared out my ask box full of support and understanding. You guys really are making a huge, positive difference in this process, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. :]
We won our first game last night! :D 3-0, one point of which was MINE. Unfortunately, we had a second game not even an hour later, and we lost 0-7 (they were the number one team in the division, half of their team are semi-pro, blah blah, so I think we held our own really well). My body is basically dead today, though, so I am going to keep my workout light - maybe a little hooping, ab work, MAYBE a bike ride, and some yoga/stretching.
I have an appointment set up with my nutritionist for a week from tomorrow. She wants me to bring in all my food logs (!) and wants me to keep very detailed logs from now until then. Writing down times, how I feel, any stomach upset, etc. Yay for getting to be a little more obsessive! :/
I am really going to push to be more positive today. Going to force myself to sit down without TV or Tumblr and write for a while. If I work out at all, it’ll be this afternoon.
What do you have planned for this Thursday?
Duval County schools face nightmare scenario of cutting sports
jacksonville.comMany Duval County high schools are going downhill as it is…. we cannot afford cutting vital team sports! If this happens, not only will attendance rates decrease and dropout rates skyrocket, but the opportunity for many high school students to receive sports scholarships will diminish. And coming from a poor college student such as myself, I know firsthand how valuable an opportunity such as that is.
SPORTS!
I’m realizing that I really enjoy sports more than I had ever thought. This year, I have found so much joy in the simple act of PLAYING. Team sports have proven to be hilarious, terrifying and satisfying all at once. Honestly, what’s more radical than spending a couple hours with a group of solid people and friends at least once a week? It doesn’t even hurt a little bit that you’re getting some exercise, either.
I’ve learned some things about myself through this renewed immersion in recreational athletics.
1) I overestimate my reflexes/skills and believe I am better at things than humanly possible.
2) Thong underwear and vigorous running do NOT mix.
3) Swearing is the most effective way to heal a bruised ego.
Team sports for me are like dog parks for pooches: I get excited to see more of my same species, I run around (sometimes with no obvious direction), I make uncontrollable noises, and sometimes, if I get really riled up, I pee a little.
SPORTS!
On being a member of a team...
I grew up playing sports. Team sports to be precise. I have always been part of a team, joining a team, leading a team, or coaching a team. This has taught me to look at every situation as a team situation.
I am a good team mate because I am constantly aware of— and reminding myself that, I am part of a team. I am a bad team mate because I have lofty personal goals and am working hard to achieve personal success in addition to team success. I am a good team mate because I offer to take on additional work and to assist with projects. I am a bad team mate because I often will not speak up when frustrated with group antics. And as far as being part of a team goes, these things I know:
Sometimes, you just won’t/can’t/don’t know the whole story…
Already this year, I had surgery, lost a good friend fighting overseas, broke up with someone, was in a fender bender, was dealing with an uncomfortable situation in general, have dealt with intense family drama, and, I’m sure, a hundred more personal situations that I brought with me to my team. We are not friends, but colleagues. We do not ask, we do not tell. We deal. Like it or not, this does affect the team environment.
Sometimes, no one will know how much effort you’re putting in.
As a team mate, I always want people to know what projects are on my plate and what my bandwidth looks like. I want their input and will seek it at appropriate times. I want them to know for many reasons, but mostly, I want them to know because I want them to help when and where they can. I am not an expert, I work with people who are. Sometimes I think about my soccer teams growing up and the extra practices, the special camps, the strength and conditioning training, and the extra long runs I would put in to prepare for a season… perhaps at times I simply want the people around me to know that there is more they can do but they do not have to. There is always more you can do, but you don’t have to.
You do not pick your team mates, ever. Even if you thought you did.
There is actually an insightful quote from Grey’s Anatomy where the character of Alex Karev defends his actions by referencing team dynamics.
“Let’s say you were drafted to a team that wasn’t your first pick. You know, you don’t like the players. You hate the way they play the game. You even think the quarterback is full of crap. The quarterback’s a pain in the ass you don’t owe a damned thing to. But it’s your team. You don’t quit. You don’t talk to the press. You don’t bitch to the coach. You just, you just go out there every Sunday and you make the blocks and you take the hits and you, you play to win. You show up and you suit up and you play, because it’s your freaking team.”
In short— you don’t pick your team mates, but you don’t let people pick on them either. You defend them, you defend their work, because it’s your freaking team.
