Week 9, here we go!

Time to reflect what I learned from the more experienced players in Pasila over a week ago. It was a mixed scrimmage with nice big rosters so we had time to suck in the info in between the game too. Me and our lovely coach Killmore were in the team white, she doing the line-ups and me jamming. Other PRD girls were playing in the black team. I also got to be a captain for the first time ever! As a newbie the captains meet was really interesting as well as seeing it in action, well I called for a timeout only once, but it was good to get some perspective from that too. It's not easy: rather often you have to be able to explain what happened on the track even if you weren't on the track when it happened and more importantly with a language that will be easy for the referees to understand.

Cars: Mater plaster on my knee

This was the first time I was lined-up just mainly as a jammer. In the second period I did go to the track as a blocker once but otherwise I jammed. I had goals that I set to myself so that I wouldn't be disappointed:

• to learn from the more experienced skaters
• to communicate
• to succeed even once

Already from Turku I had learned to take care of the after math:

• drink loads (water too)
• eat magnesium
• stretch properly

But these are the things I marked to be important to keep in mind after this mixed scrimmage:

• learn how to take hard checks and hits --> lean towards the incoming hit
• improve your stance further, be aware of your body positions
• communication: track players vs. bench
• player position: learning and improving during the game
• position on the track: prefer inner and middle
• slow down when approaching the pack from behind
• working with the bench, timing when to look at the bench
• easy points before calling the jam off

And how did I succeed? Well I told you already I got hurt a little. It was in the second period when I hit my right knee, left shoulder, left fingers and my head. I fell by stumbling to another skaters legs when she fell. After that I didn't go on the track anymore, I was just shaky and white, probably from the hit my head took. There was also a star moment in the first period when communication failed and I got some cool hits from black blockers, hits like I've never experienced. That was a precious moment in learning. So I started the jam and somehow miraculously got the lead. When I returned again to the pack I got hit over and over again until couldn't handle the situation anymore. I was watching our bench but saw no sign of calling it off and at the same time our players on the track yelled the right thing: to call it off. So this raised a question in my mind that's worth pondering: who is it you need to listen? As a jammer I've learned to watch the bench and do as the bench tells me. This new situation led me to understand that yes, in some rare occasions (like in this one, when our bench didn't realize I had the lead) you should use your own brain.

Anyhow, I did have my moments and a couple of OK jams. Worth mentioning that I had ZERO penalty!

This week sketched, I'm not sure of Friday yet, I've had some dizzy and weak feelings yesterday and today.

Monday
day off

Tuesday
PRD practice 60

Wednesday
PRD practice 2 hours

Thursday
Bodybalance 60

Friday
run 15
Bodypump exp 30

Saturday
Scrimmage @ Tampere

Sunday
PRD practice 2 hours