Not a Personal Best

I had mixed emotions at the end of tonight's game. On the one hand, I was really thrilled to be playing with a team *that played like a team*, to be playing with such nice, friendly people, to be playing at all. On the other hand, I was disappointed with my personal performance, and I'm nervous that others were, too. I'd wanted to make a good impression in my first game, and I don't think I did.

Personal game summary: [Period 1] Nervous to the point of shaky (like the first game of a tournament). Lots of stupid plays. Disoriented at Right Wing. [Period 2] Cautious. Still disoriented (looking for the bench on the wrong side of the ice, forgetting which way were going on offense; jumping on at Left instead of Right. [Period 3] Better. Played Left Wing, and managed to hit Inga and Karen with a couple passes. Still not strong, but improved over P1 and P2. [Overall] No shots on goal. -1.

I think I was so worried about being a nerd on the ice that it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. And now I'm worried that everyone's going, "oh geez." The good news is, I know I can play better than that. (Al concurs; he's *seen* me play better.) And over time, I'll get to know my teammates better: where they are, how they play, what to look for. I already know I can hit Karen (she's my Justin in this league); now I need to learn how to hit Inga. In future games, I'll look for passes from the D on breakouts rather than being relieved that they went to the other side. And I'll continue to develop the instinct that was just starting to develop at the end of last season: I'm going to take the puck and run.

Posted by Lori in Gang Green ~ Summer 2003 | April 8, 2003·01:28 AM