Skylar
Alcaro
E.
Doyle
English
11 AP (5)
21
December 2018
Number
11
Travis
Konecny, not your average ice hockey player, is small, 5'10",
under the average size of most players in the NHL. Despite him being
"short", he is tenacious on the ice. Full of energy and speed, he
skates around looking for the puck, as a predator would chasing its
prey. He's feisty too. He's not afraid to challenge his opponent.
One wrong move and he'll pounce on you like a lion. Most
importantly, he's passionate. Emotion, drive, desire--he fights
until the seconds dwindle out of every game. "Good" is not
enough; he needs to be the best. His work ethic is one of his best
attributes. He is constantly trying to become better. The adversity
he has faced throughout his career has made him the outstanding
athlete he is today. I too have had bouts of adversity.
*
* *
I
had just hopped back in the game off the sidelines after playing
about ten minutes in the first half. Beads of sweat began to drip
down my face as I ran for the ball. At one point, my vision became
blurry, a stinging sensation occurred in my eyes for no longer than a
second. As I ran faster, it seemed the ball was picking up speed too.
I never thought such a small object could aggravate me so much.
Finally, I reached out towards the ball and pulled it on to my stick.
Sprinting up the field, I made it 10 yards until out of my peripheral
vision I could see Liv, my right wing, calling for the ball.
"Got
me! Got me!" Liv shouted to reassure me she was ready for the pass.
In
one swift movement, I flicked the ball in her direction. I watched
the ball's every movement to be sure it got to her stick. The
moment she had the ball I sprinted through for her, giving her a
passing option. When she finally passed me at the 20-yard line, I
looked up to check the time on the scoreboard. We had just under
twenty-one minutes to play in the second half.
Liv
reached the 15-yard line and made a pull right, beating the defender
and she was now in the circle.
Off the left post was Blaise demanding the ball. Liv quickly passed
the ball before the defender was able to steal it off her stick and
in a split second Blaise one-timed the ball towards the net only to
be left with the goalie blocking her shot.
*
* *
Last
year, my best friend Lucy and I were the only sophomores to make
Varsity. I learned many things about the sport and about myself. We
had lots of fun on and off the field and we developed many
relationships with the older girls along with the two new coaches.
One
of the experiences I enjoyed was playing a lot. I was playing
forty-five to fifty minutes out of a sixty-minute game. As a
sophomore that was a lot of time, especially since I was playing over
many juniors and seniors. I never took advantage of that fact; I
continued to work hard at practice and gave 100% every day. I ran
until my body went limp, until my breath gave out and I was gasping
for air. During our end of practice scrimmages, I would treat it like
a real game, diving for balls, sprinting back after every free hit,
making the perfect pass. After the first game, I was rewarded with a
starting center forward position. From that moment, I started every
game during the season.
When
the season ended I was already looking forward to playing next
season. I jumped right back into field hockey during the winter. I
tried out for an indoor team and made it. I was so excited to be back
at it. The perfect training opportunity I needed. I was able to focus
on getting better. Not only did I learn new information, but I also
improved as a player. I learned many new skills that could help me
stand out. As spring came, I tried out for another team so I could
keep playing. My ability to play all year long developed my into a
better field hockey player.
Finally,
came summer. My team and coaches were able to put together a training
camp at a local gym to get in shape for the season. These workouts
were twice a week all summer and really got us into shape. I took
every opportunity I could to better myself as an athlete. I wanted to
be the best I could be; I wanted to make the upcoming season even
better than the last.
The
season had finally started and it seemed as though my extremely hard
work had paid off. I made Varsity again! There was one catch: I was
not starting and was not playing nearly as much. At first, I was not
looking into it and it did not really bother me. Maybe
Coach was trying to mix things up. Maybe she wanted me to try a new
position.
That was not the case. The season progressed and nothing changed. I
was stuck playing nearly half the amount as last year, and I was not
starting.
I
felt like I was being punished for something I was not even aware of.
It broke my heart and my confidence that I was barely playing the
sport I love so much. Not to mention, I worked hard during the
off-season to improve my skills. I did everything I could and took
every opportunity to make myself better. I felt like I put so much
effort in for nothing. I wasted my time.
I
began to go to practice early and stay after to work on even more
skills. I began to run more and more to get faster. I began watch
professional games to find things I could work on.
I
finally went up to my coach and asked her what I needed to work on to
improve, what she saw that I was doing wrong. The answer was not what
I expected at all.
"All
you need to work on right now is off-ball movement, just getting open
for teammates if they need help. Other than that, your fitness looks
great! I love what you're doing when you have the ball. Your skills
have improved so much since last season," Coach encouraged with a
smile.
All
I could do was smile and say thank you. As I turned and walked off
the turf and made my way through the gate, I was baffled. The only
thing she told me was that I needed to be more open for my teammates.
I was expecting something along the lines of fixing my techniques,
becoming faster; I need to be more defensive. That was totally
unexpected.
I was open for my teammates, I was there and ready. That was such a
miniscule change. It definitely was not a reason for me to be
penalized.
The
following days I practiced what she told me and made the change, I
was doing what she asked. When Friday came, we had a game. I was
ready to prove to my coach and teammates that I had improved. The
time had come. I was finally ready to validate that I deserved more
minutes.
During
the game, I did everything she asked. I even took some feedback while
I was on the sideline. The minutes began to dwindle and I still was
not playing. I finally reached my breaking point. I
am doing what she asked? Why am I not playing? All
the emotion building up inside of me had finally reached the top of
the bottle.
When
the game ended and we had our team chat. I walked off the field mixed
with anger, sadness, and discouragement. I got to the car where my
dad was waiting and tried to hold in the tears, but I could not. I
sat in the car and cried. At that point I really had no clue what I
was doing wrong. What
was I doing that was penalizing me? As
I sat there my Dad began to talk to me,
"Why
are you crying? There's no need to be upset. Look at it this way,
what do you think Travis Konecny did when he was only playing ten
minutes a game last season? When he was on the fourth line? He
hustled every time he stepped foot on the ice. It didn't matter if
he was out there for ten minutes or ten seconds, he played his heart
out every time, he took advantage of his time on the ice. He never
gave up. He gave 110% during games AND at practice. See where that
got him? He is now on the top line playing with some of the best
players in the NHL, he plays so much more just because he hustled his
heart out. It doesn't matter if you start or if you play much, what
matters is that you are giving your all and hustling as much as you
possibly can. Then you know you are doing all that you can, it's
not in your control than. You know you're doing everything you can
and that's all that matters."
As
I sat there and listened to my Dad speak I really began to think. Why
am I getting so upset over this? It is out of my control now. What
would Travis do if he were in this position; he would work his butt
off.
From
that point on I began to work harder than I ever had before. I put in
double the amount of effort, sprinted to every single ball, did
everything with precision. I was NOT going to let it beat me. I was
going to achieve what I wanted. I was NOT backing down.
Finally,
Coach was starting to see all that I was doing, My drive, my
motivation, my emotion. Everything was paying off. Every moment I
spent improving myself was beginning to be recognized.
My
coached pulled me aside during practice. "If you keep playing and
practicing like you have been, you're starting for the remainder of
the season. You have shown me you want this more than the other girls
do. Keep it up," she told me in a trusting tone.
I
could not disappoint her.
I
walked away trying to hide my smile. I lifted my head so high I could
see the clouds. I was so relieved; it felt like a weight was lifted
off me. I could stop stressing about what I was doing wrong. I could
stop feeling discouraged and unmotivated. All I could think was
finally.
Although I had been rewarded, I could not stop working. I had to keep
the flow going and keep the improvement up. My coach believed in me,
so I would believe in me.
*
* *
I continued up and down the field gaining and losing possession until
I heard my coach calling my name to get subbed.
When
got back to the sideline I checked to see how much time we had left,
expecting there to be just a few minutes. It turns out there were
fifteen minutes left. What felt like ten or fifteen minutes was only
five. However, that was all the time I would play during that game.
*
* *
Despite
my coach's reassurance, despite my dad's encouragement, I was
still benched before the end of the game. While I was disappointed, I
had to remember what my dad said: "Remember Travis Konecny." So
that's what I did. He inspired me to train harder, so now he
inspired me to use my disappointment as fuel for my next step. I
would keep going.
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