Hey guys, it’s time for another update on preseason!
The past few days have been great. First, we stopped doing three a days, having fitness tests and moved to just two a days. The sessions are more focused on the tactics of the game and less on our fitness levels and individual skills. Plus, the two a days give everyone more time to recover from their minor injuries and exhaustion.
Each session has a different point to work on with several different drills to do. No one is ever bored or just sitting around waiting. Some drills are obviously more fun than others but none of them are dreadful.
Since our team is very competitive, simple little competitions and drills become even more exciting because each girl or team is fighting for the win. The competitiveness is another awesome aspect of our team.
Speaking of competition, we held a scrimmage against a club team on Tuesday afternoon. Coach subbed everyone in and out in various positions so that everyone had playing time and he could evaluate how well we played with each other. Since it has been raining a lot lately, the field was wet and muddy which always makes a soccer game more interesting. We ended up winning the game four to zero. Hopefully, that win is one of many many more to come as the real season begins
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Anyway, back to preseason. We also started doing a different thing called pool time. It’s when we go to the pool as a team and do simple little workouts. For those of us who are injured, it’s the best part of the day because it’s the one part we can fully do and not feel much pain. Stretches, jogging, and other activities like shuffling feel so different when done in a pool. There isn’t much pressure weighing down on your body so you still get a work out without feeling the soreness one might get if on land. Pool time is a short little part of our day that gives the team another opportunity to hang out with each other and do work without feeling the pressures and stresses of a game or intense practice.
Then, Wednesday night was our President’s dinner at the President’s house. The women’s team and the men’s team went together for great food and a chance to meet the new president and his wife. It was the first time we all got to dress up and do our hair since we got here last week.
The dinner was followed by another NCAA meeting about drug testing and the student-athlete handbook. While that was not exactly the most interesting part of the night, it was very informative.
As the last couple of days are preseason are winding down, it’s now more important than ever for our team to pull together and finish strong before we begin a difficult season. I have no doubt our team can do it.
Well, that’s it for now. You can expect the next blog in a few days!
Austin Holley
