I have returned to Vancouver (for the day). We are leaving for Chile tomorrow and so I thought I would reflect on my preparation for this tour. Normally, the day before a tour I would be packing up my stick bag, folding up my uniform, re-gripping and taping all my sticks but this time around, I have one suit case and it's just full of normal clothing. As sad as it is that I won't be playing, I think it's a great time to see the game from another perspective. Not only does it motivate me to get my butt in gear and get back on the field but I think everyone should have a look at the game from the sidelines. It's a different perspective and it challenges the mind in such an incredible way.
Emotions are flying high as I know that it will be very difficult to be apart of the group but at the same time get all my work done. Speaking of work, I'm going to be video taping, doing all the coding and analyzing of the footage plus trying to get my studies done. Fortunately, I finished a 23 page lab report 2 weeks early and handed it in before I left Victoria. The only thing left to do is to start studying for my Biochemistry Epigenetics exam, which I have to write while in Chile, as well as my Biochem-Microbiolgy lab examination, which I will write two days after I return to Victoria. It will be so stressful trying to study for my last exams, get the video work done plus have enough energy to be getting all my physical training and rehabilitation done. Stressful - but still all very worth it. By the end of this trip I will be one exam away from graduating from University and a few weeks closer to my Austria-Italy trip!
It's definitely been a great "time-off" from playing hockey. I think the dedication to our sport can cause severe burn-outs if you don't get a taste of normalcy every now and then. Fortunately, for me, I was able to get over 4 months at home doing "normal stuff" like going to school, hanging out with people in the evenings, hiking and walking around the lake on the weekends and spending day-to-day time with my amazing puppy Leo!!! Speaking of whom, is recovering amazingly from his dog attack on Christmas night. Almost all his fur is back and the scars are starting to really heal up. I'm so happy we still have him and that he is just as good natured as he was before.
Today, we took the trek over to the mainland and got a few errands done. Our first stop was at AK Pro Canada to pick up some new gear. I picked out a new stick: the Grays GX6000 Megabow and it's neon orange. I had the regular 6000 before and I wanted that one again but the white head of the stick is a problem at big tournaments so I got the megabow to help out with the colour problem. I also picked up a nice stick bag called the "Trek Bag" and best of all its red and black! I got a few chamois grips and called it a day. Big thank you to AK PRO for sponsoring myself as well as some of my team mates (Tyla, Sam, Katie C, Michelle W, Krissy W, Poonam...) So many of us!
After the AK Pro stop we went down Granville and checked out Caffe Barney's for some brunch. Unfortunately, I am still dealing with my potential lactose intolerance (#lactard) and the cheese in my egg scramble made my stomach upset for a couple of hours after. We also discovered a neat little fine foods place called Meinhardt. They had a great looking deli, bakery and cafe on site and there is one even closer to my house at Arbutus and 16th Ave. It might be a place I might stop by once I get back to Vancouver more regularly.
We also checked out granville island and got the infamous Marsala Chai tea from one of the best little tea shops inside the main market building. Can't visit granville island without stopping there!
So, we are off to Chile tomorrow and my roomies (KC and Zee) are out and about running errands. It's a big hard being around the place and not being "a player" or being as involved. Everything seems to be happening around me and nothing seems to involve me anymore. It's really hard to be around but at the same time, I can't really do anything about it and I'll have to just deal with it. Anyway, we're going out for dinner tonight to get some roomie-bonding in and then we'll make our way to the airport tomorrow. I'm ready for some sun and to watch the girls play! We should have a successful tour and we'll meet Chile again really soon in Austria for the CCII where we play Austria, Italy and Chile in our pool. I hope we meet Belgium in the final and play for our re-match after losing to them for 3rd place at the World Cup Qualifier in San Diego, last spring.
Anyway, I'll try and keep my blog updated and more interactive (video, photos) from Chile but we'll see. I'm also doing game reports, photos, videos and all that for the field4dreams and fieldhockeycanada websites. So, Stay tuned!!!
Sorry for the long post - my fingers just go, go, go as my brain rolls along...
Something to leave you with (again):
Emotions are flying high as I know that it will be very difficult to be apart of the group but at the same time get all my work done. Speaking of work, I'm going to be video taping, doing all the coding and analyzing of the footage plus trying to get my studies done. Fortunately, I finished a 23 page lab report 2 weeks early and handed it in before I left Victoria. The only thing left to do is to start studying for my Biochemistry Epigenetics exam, which I have to write while in Chile, as well as my Biochem-Microbiolgy lab examination, which I will write two days after I return to Victoria. It will be so stressful trying to study for my last exams, get the video work done plus have enough energy to be getting all my physical training and rehabilitation done. Stressful - but still all very worth it. By the end of this trip I will be one exam away from graduating from University and a few weeks closer to my Austria-Italy trip!
It's definitely been a great "time-off" from playing hockey. I think the dedication to our sport can cause severe burn-outs if you don't get a taste of normalcy every now and then. Fortunately, for me, I was able to get over 4 months at home doing "normal stuff" like going to school, hanging out with people in the evenings, hiking and walking around the lake on the weekends and spending day-to-day time with my amazing puppy Leo!!! Speaking of whom, is recovering amazingly from his dog attack on Christmas night. Almost all his fur is back and the scars are starting to really heal up. I'm so happy we still have him and that he is just as good natured as he was before.
After the AK Pro stop we went down Granville and checked out Caffe Barney's for some brunch. Unfortunately, I am still dealing with my potential lactose intolerance (#lactard) and the cheese in my egg scramble made my stomach upset for a couple of hours after. We also discovered a neat little fine foods place called Meinhardt. They had a great looking deli, bakery and cafe on site and there is one even closer to my house at Arbutus and 16th Ave. It might be a place I might stop by once I get back to Vancouver more regularly.We also checked out granville island and got the infamous Marsala Chai tea from one of the best little tea shops inside the main market building. Can't visit granville island without stopping there!
So, we are off to Chile tomorrow and my roomies (KC and Zee) are out and about running errands. It's a big hard being around the place and not being "a player" or being as involved. Everything seems to be happening around me and nothing seems to involve me anymore. It's really hard to be around but at the same time, I can't really do anything about it and I'll have to just deal with it. Anyway, we're going out for dinner tonight to get some roomie-bonding in and then we'll make our way to the airport tomorrow. I'm ready for some sun and to watch the girls play! We should have a successful tour and we'll meet Chile again really soon in Austria for the CCII where we play Austria, Italy and Chile in our pool. I hope we meet Belgium in the final and play for our re-match after losing to them for 3rd place at the World Cup Qualifier in San Diego, last spring.
Anyway, I'll try and keep my blog updated and more interactive (video, photos) from Chile but we'll see. I'm also doing game reports, photos, videos and all that for the field4dreams and fieldhockeycanada websites. So, Stay tuned!!!
Sorry for the long post - my fingers just go, go, go as my brain rolls along...
Something to leave you with (again):
No comments:
Post a Comment