Hello from beautiful Seattle! Where has time gone? I cannot believe it is already February and halfway through our conference season! I hope you all have had a wonderful first month of 2011 and are looking forward to a great February!
As the season goes along, conference season just gets shorter and shorter. Every game in conference play is intense and always a battle but there is always one week in particular that I circle on my calendar ahead of time: Rivalry Week!
At this point in the season, there are so many demands on myself as a student-athlete that being able to manage my time and commitments wisely allows my body to stay healthy and my mind to stay focused. This is especially important during Rivalry Week, when the stakes are high and the pressure is higher than ever before. Rivalry Week is the one week during the season where all bets are off and it is up to the players to get themselves prepared and pumped up for the big game.
Since I play for the University of Washington, our rivals are the Washington State Cougars. We battle for state bragging rights in the coveted "Apple Cup," which never ceases to be without drama. I grew up dreaming of one day playing for the Huskies in the basketball version of the Apple Cup and it truly is everything I dreamed it would be. And more. Without getting all sappy, I have to say that I still have very vivid memories of my parents taking me to Apple Cup games as a middle school kid, and biting my nails when the games got close.
This year we were scheduled to play the Cougars on Sunday afternoon so we had seven full days between games. The extra days allowed me to get extra rest for my legs but more importantly, it allowed me extra time to refine some of my skills.
There are different approaches that can be taken when given a few days off. Some of my teammates with injuries choose to take days off to get extra rehab done, ice bath and relax. Since I was coming off a weekend in which I was not particularly happy with my play, I decided to hit the gym. On two of the three off days, I got myself into the gym with an assistant coach and flat-out worked hard. I would have been in the gym all three days had my coach not required me to take a day off.
On those two days I worked on coming off screens, step-backs and curl shots. As much as my legs were screaming, "Take today off!" my mind was telling my body to keep working. Ever since I was a little girl my dad has always reminded me of the quote that says, "Whenever you are not in the gym, someone else is and chances are they are getting better than you." I still refer to this quote whenever I have to decide whether or not to take time off or get in the gym. I am not the most athletic player in the Pac-10, which means I have to rely more on moves and smart decisions to get my shot off. For this reason, I was in our arena on Monday and Wednesday collecting (creating?) sweat pools on our auxiliary gym floor.
Another fun aspect of Rivalry Week is all the hype that builds up throughout the week. The media always wants bulletin-board material and our coaches are always quick to remind us to keep our emotions in check. Students on campus are always asking, "So, who is going to win?" I always find that question funny. Is the correct response to say, "We are, of course!" Or should I respond with the polite, "Well, both teams are good so it should be a great game?"
Anyway, it is always fun when students in my classes get excited about the game and spend a lot of class time discussing it with me. I literally spend the whole week preparing for the game. There is no need for a motivational speech from my coach; no need to read quotes from opposing players and no need to turn my iPod up and dance (which is not a pretty sight). Rivalry Week speaks for itself: It's raw, it's intense and it's a battle.
After a long week of practice, extra shooting and ice baths, game day finally comes. As much as I try to pretend that it is just another game, the goose bumps on my arms tell me otherwise. I keep composed and definitely stay loose. But Rivalry Week is just fun. Everything about it is fun: the large and rowdy crowd that pours into the arena; the band playing "Hey Baby;" and pregame introductions keep my adrenaline on full throttle. The fans can feel it, the coaches can feel it and the players can feel it for sure. When it comes time to play ball, I fall back on the multiple repetitions of shooting I got in over the week and detailed scouting report my coaches put together. And then it's game time and this, my friends, is when all the magic happens.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.