"the only thing that sustains one through life is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else, and this is a feeling that i have always cultivated." --oscar wilde
i found this quote on my google homepage just a few minutes ago. i think it's an appropriate comment for this week, as i add another entry before nationals 2006.
my thoughts on this quote: it's an appropriate way to think about oneself and one's team leading into an intense competition. however, i also think that one should remember that other people and other teams are thinking the exact same way, so, the team that will come out on top is the team that a) effectively stays with and executes its strategy; b) handles the pressures of an intense game with poise and patience; and c) plays as if there is nothing to lose.
the teams that think this way are the ones that give themselves a shot at winning it all. and it’s easy to pick out which teams have that attitude as they go through warm-ups on thursday morning. i love it.
yups, that's all i wanted to say about this quote. one more day until sarasota.
bring it.
-me : )
October 24, 2006
October 19, 2006
the way i see it #168
yes, i know, it's been a while since i last wrote, but that's what happens when surgery, rehab, ultimate, and work get in the way. anywho, i got a venti nonfat-no-whip mocha this morning, which meant that i got a longer quote (hooray quotes!):
"the human brain is the only object in the known universe that can predict its own future and tell its own fortune. the fact that we can make disastrous decisions even as we foresee their consequences is the great, unsolved mystery of human behavior. when you hold your fate in your hands, who would you ever make a fist?" --daniel gilbert, psychology professor and author
i think it's the right thing to think as nationals looms in the near future. in six days, brute, metal, slow white, dog, and godiva will trek from lovely new england to sarasota, florida, to the 2006 club nationals. it's going to be AWESOME. i'm excited.
everyone's fate is in their own hands: this is the culminating event of another hard season. the ups and downs are magnified with every throw, catch, d, drop, interception, pull, goal, team huddle....and for three of these teams, this year could be "the year." every game is one closer to the last for this season: the emotions are high, the pressure is on, and everyone watching or participating in this event wonders: who is going to bring it? who is going to take THIS opportunity and come out on top?
everytime i think about it, adrenaline rushes through me, even though i'm not playing. driving into the parking area of the polo fields on thursday morning is such a surreal experience. and it NEVER gets old. those who qualified for nationals got their stuff together to make it this far, but each team comes in with a clean slate when they arrive at the sarasota polo fields on thursday. yes, history and head-to-head matchups during the season matter, but you can never be absolutely sure about the team that lines up on the other goal line. so they have player "x" who's supposed to be amazing, or player "y" is hurt, but the bottom line is:
you can only control you, and your team can only control itself.
this is NOT the time to be selfish and want to make the big plays. this is not the time to care if you're playing all the points or just one or two. this is not the time to stray from the team strategy because you think your way is better. it is not the time to ditch all the hard work that you and your teammates put into this season: track workouts, weightlifting, agilities, practices, tournaments, and the long bike rides, runs or swims. EVERYONE has worked hard, and if, for one moment you find yourself being selfish or sorry for yourself, think again about how this team wouldn't exist without your teammates. this is THE ULTIMATE team sport. don't ever forget that.
this is the time to look around the huddle, take a deep breath, relax, and smile, and know that everyone has made it to this point in the season TOGETHER. and no one can take that away from you. to know that every point you play at nationals is the biggest contribution you can give your teammates. that they are relying on you to execute and get the job done. that they wait on the sidelines with hi-fives and hugs because you did your job. that no matter what happens, this is a unique experience, and you should make the most of it. that the best feeling after this is all over is to leave the field knowing that you left all of yourself out there. for your team. because it means that much to you.
i left my all on the field last year and i don't regret one second of it. yes, brute played 90+ points on thursday in pool play, and yes, we went 3-0; and yes, we went into friday pumped to line 'em up and take 'em down, and we did. i played as hard as i've ever played, and i left everything i had on the field during that day-and-a-half. when i went down, i was frustrated and sad, but i was not angry. i was not angry that i didn't play hard enough, that i was saving myself for the rest of the weekend, that i should've layed out for that d or ran harder to make that catch. i knew i had given my all to the team up to that point of the season, and that was all i could do. and i'm very glad i can look back to last season and smile. : )
tearing my acl and dealing with the complications of this injury has, over the last year, brought inner peace. there were very bad times and there were relatively good times, but i gained a lot of perspective, and most important of them all, i learned how to be patient again. i lost the patience during those crazy summers of orientation, and it was a tough transition to make, but the last 350+ days have recharged the patience battery, and has allowed me to better understand myself and others around me. now and then i wonder, "have i really changed?" and then find myself finally realizing things that i had ignored in the last couple of years.
....rambling, yes. do i care? no. am i being vague? most likely. does it matter? no, because i know what i'm writing about and that's all that really matters. : )
it's been a long year, and i'll celebrate the perspective-changing event next saturday, during day 3 of club nationals 2006. i envision my teammates doing amazingly great things, individually, and as a unit. the team will come together for one last tournament to make the most out of this season. and at the end of it all, we will come together for one last team hug, one last round of hi-fives, and smile.
i'm pumped. six days.
-me : )
"the human brain is the only object in the known universe that can predict its own future and tell its own fortune. the fact that we can make disastrous decisions even as we foresee their consequences is the great, unsolved mystery of human behavior. when you hold your fate in your hands, who would you ever make a fist?" --daniel gilbert, psychology professor and author
i think it's the right thing to think as nationals looms in the near future. in six days, brute, metal, slow white, dog, and godiva will trek from lovely new england to sarasota, florida, to the 2006 club nationals. it's going to be AWESOME. i'm excited.
everyone's fate is in their own hands: this is the culminating event of another hard season. the ups and downs are magnified with every throw, catch, d, drop, interception, pull, goal, team huddle....and for three of these teams, this year could be "the year." every game is one closer to the last for this season: the emotions are high, the pressure is on, and everyone watching or participating in this event wonders: who is going to bring it? who is going to take THIS opportunity and come out on top?
everytime i think about it, adrenaline rushes through me, even though i'm not playing. driving into the parking area of the polo fields on thursday morning is such a surreal experience. and it NEVER gets old. those who qualified for nationals got their stuff together to make it this far, but each team comes in with a clean slate when they arrive at the sarasota polo fields on thursday. yes, history and head-to-head matchups during the season matter, but you can never be absolutely sure about the team that lines up on the other goal line. so they have player "x" who's supposed to be amazing, or player "y" is hurt, but the bottom line is:
you can only control you, and your team can only control itself.
this is NOT the time to be selfish and want to make the big plays. this is not the time to care if you're playing all the points or just one or two. this is not the time to stray from the team strategy because you think your way is better. it is not the time to ditch all the hard work that you and your teammates put into this season: track workouts, weightlifting, agilities, practices, tournaments, and the long bike rides, runs or swims. EVERYONE has worked hard, and if, for one moment you find yourself being selfish or sorry for yourself, think again about how this team wouldn't exist without your teammates. this is THE ULTIMATE team sport. don't ever forget that.
this is the time to look around the huddle, take a deep breath, relax, and smile, and know that everyone has made it to this point in the season TOGETHER. and no one can take that away from you. to know that every point you play at nationals is the biggest contribution you can give your teammates. that they are relying on you to execute and get the job done. that they wait on the sidelines with hi-fives and hugs because you did your job. that no matter what happens, this is a unique experience, and you should make the most of it. that the best feeling after this is all over is to leave the field knowing that you left all of yourself out there. for your team. because it means that much to you.
i left my all on the field last year and i don't regret one second of it. yes, brute played 90+ points on thursday in pool play, and yes, we went 3-0; and yes, we went into friday pumped to line 'em up and take 'em down, and we did. i played as hard as i've ever played, and i left everything i had on the field during that day-and-a-half. when i went down, i was frustrated and sad, but i was not angry. i was not angry that i didn't play hard enough, that i was saving myself for the rest of the weekend, that i should've layed out for that d or ran harder to make that catch. i knew i had given my all to the team up to that point of the season, and that was all i could do. and i'm very glad i can look back to last season and smile. : )
tearing my acl and dealing with the complications of this injury has, over the last year, brought inner peace. there were very bad times and there were relatively good times, but i gained a lot of perspective, and most important of them all, i learned how to be patient again. i lost the patience during those crazy summers of orientation, and it was a tough transition to make, but the last 350+ days have recharged the patience battery, and has allowed me to better understand myself and others around me. now and then i wonder, "have i really changed?" and then find myself finally realizing things that i had ignored in the last couple of years.
....rambling, yes. do i care? no. am i being vague? most likely. does it matter? no, because i know what i'm writing about and that's all that really matters. : )
it's been a long year, and i'll celebrate the perspective-changing event next saturday, during day 3 of club nationals 2006. i envision my teammates doing amazingly great things, individually, and as a unit. the team will come together for one last tournament to make the most out of this season. and at the end of it all, we will come together for one last team hug, one last round of hi-fives, and smile.
i'm pumped. six days.
-me : )
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