Today our training team spent the first half of our practice scrimmaging against an impromptu team made up of full league members and the second half of that practice mixing the teams half and half. It was my third scrimmage ever and a wonderful illustration of the benefits of existing on the steep part of the learning curve. At my first scrimmage two and a half weeks ago, I spent the entire time trying hard not to cry. It's almost like I lost my voice or ability to process information. I kept trying to get into a successful mental space but my alter ego, Alexis Kent, must have been taking a nap or something. I didn't hit anyone and I was the goat as a blocker.
Today was substantially more successful.
After we warmed up, the group broke off into our respective teams. We were told that jammers for the scrimmage had already been picked, were listed on the wall, and would rotate while everyone else blocked. I glanced over at the wall mostly out of curiosity and then had to really stare hard to make sure that I really was looking at my name. I was. At that point I was very glad that I spent most of the week riding the "I Am Awesome" train because I very nearly slipped back into panic. Instead, I took lots of deep breaths, reminded myself to go where they were not and just keep running. From there my consciousness slipped in and out:
I remember seeing a three wall with no offensive blocker to help me. The pack was moving at a fairly rapid pace. I probably spent two entire laps trying to juke a little without really thinking it would work before figuring that I'd better just try and run through them. That didn't work either but at least I was doing something. Later in the scrimmage I also found myself behind a three wall, but that time as an offensive blocker. It's obviously easier to get through a three wall when their primary objective has nothing to do with you but I was suddenly much more aggressive and successful about the whole thing - maybe just because I felt like I knew what I was doing.
I got lead jammer once! And I scored points! But I either fell or was knocked down on my third pass and I sort of stupidly called off the jam. The other jammer had yet to complete her first pass.
I've gotten really good (or at least much better) at short bursts of speed. Today, I even managed to use of of them to hit the opposing jammer when I was the last line of defense as a blocker. I felt so good about being aware of where the jammer was, using that run and then actually managing to hit her that I have no idea whether I hit her out of bounds or was really in any way successful in impeding her progress.
Also of note, was that I actually made a hole on the inside line with the knowledge that my jammer was right behind me, and then she used that hole to get lead jammer. Two weeks ago I didn't make any holes. Ever.
Oh! and two words: NO PENALTIES. At least nothing that resulted in box time. I know, and was told again, that when I'm trying to bust up that wall (still priority number 1) I swim with my arms. I don't mean to. One of the refs suggested I get lower. I admit, I think I'm pretty tall when I try to do this so it's definitely worth a try.
<originally posted on 1.21.12>
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