When Winter's Over

Officially cut from Empire. Not that I didn't expect it - I had to miss the first invite only tryout due to work, a minor concession to adulthood in the grand scheme of things. Being who I am, I strongly considered quitting my job. Thankfully, soberer heads (my head, the next morning) prevailed and I did not pull the trigger on that particular bit of brilliance.

That meant I had a lot of pressure to excel at the final invite only tryout. This pressure kind of welled up behind my eyeballs a little bit, and while I played better than I did at the open tryout, I did not give the kind of performance I needed to get a spot on the team. It would have really helped to play flawless ultimate, but between nerves and a gusty Hudson River wind I could not execute that. Catching tentatively is not a good sign. Gotta be aggressive. I wasn't.

On the upside, Spring is here and Stonefish tryouts are just around the corner. I'm very excited for this season. I've been doing a lot of thinking and planning, working to become a new kind of player, and leader. I feel ready. Just have to trust in the process. I had something for this - lots more words. But what's the point? I will say this, I am getting better at dividing my energy in a way that creates functionality rather than self opposition.

Oh but back to tryouts though, it was very windy and that punished my throws. I am releasing way too high, especially on forehands. And my pinpoint outside in backhand swing move is hurt by the wind as well. Basically I need to throw a lot, did not practice enough last season and the year prior to last season. On the upside, I understand throwing a lot better now, but that knowledge needs some thorough drilling to become game ready. There is a great article on ultiworld where Ben Wiggins talks about how much we take for granted that really great players drill basic throwing a LOT. I can make brilliant throws but not consistently. So: repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Radio Edit: made it back from tryouts just in time for the finals of winter league. We won, narrowly. Go Rebels!