Friday, February 20, 2009

PreGame Rituals

Katie and I can't believe that tomorrow is finally here!!! Tomorrow, we'll be driving up to DC and training for the day with a bunch of professional soccer hopefuls like ourselves!

Tonight, we got together and did our usual pre-game rituals that we would perform before games in high school and college, since the occasion was similar. Katie came over and we ate some Stouffer's Italian Lasagna!! Then, while we put in the movie "Miracle", Katie was looking up some songs to put on two pump-up CD's to listen to on the way up to DC, while I mixed up and baked oatmeal raisin and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. And can I just say... those were the best cookies I ever made!!! And Katie agreed! The last thing we did, then, was to polish our cleats until they shined!!! It was a great night of relaxing and getting our focus for tomorrow's tryouts.

So, here's to hoping that pasta, an incredible sports movie, energy cookies (for the trip), good pump-up CD's, and polishing our shoes leads us to a great tryout and some great memories!!

An excerpt from my journal tonight...

It's finally here! All the long-distant running, the sprints, agility, push-ups, abs workouts, lifting and footwork will be on display in less than 12 hours from now.

This is what I've been dreaming about ever since I was in elementary school. This is what's kept me going through middle school, high school, and college. This is what keeps me going now.

Somehow I thought I would "feel" something. Sheer excitement. Unbridled joy (no pun intended). The enormity of this opportunity. Something... And even as I was talking with Katie tonight (who feels the same), maybe it's because we are the underdogs. We have nothing to lose. And everything to prove. We're coming from tiny high schools and a small college. We're virtually unknown. No one at tryouts will have ever seen us play. We have the opportunity to go out there and impress.

When I go out there tomorrow, and I go throughout the two tryout sessions, I will be 100% focused on my goal at hand--to show off the talent God has blessed me with.

I'm going to be the brick wall. Strikers' worst nightmare. I'm gonna be me. I'm gonna give it my all. I'm gonna be positive. I'm gonna talk. I'm gonna dominate. I'm gonna command my box--MY HOUSE!!! And I'm gonna have fun!! Woohoo!!!

The question Katie and I keep coming back to over and over and over and over again, is...

WHY NOT?!

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