Got ya! We sadly did not win our 1/4 final game. But honestly, that is okay. Nobody expected us to win a single game this whole season, and we finished somewhere in the top 8!
We were the underdogs for sure… in the 1/4 final game we were playing a team of men who are all at least a foot taller than me, and had more hair on their faces than I do on my entire body. So needless to say, as a highly competitive person, this was a loss that I could stomach.
POV: the frog is us, the red ball is the big boy team towering over us
But have no fear, it is not over for the blackboard ballers! We still have one more game, and then have all summer to practice our soccer skills together (since we are stuck in summer classes).. so we will be ready to take em down in the fall!
Jimmy, our only boy, is an honorary “one of the girls”
Well, well, well, the Blackboard Ballers are absolutely KILLING the competition! With another win in the column, we are off to playoffs. Play La Bamba, baby!
I had so much fun in this game because it was finally light outside when we played, but is was unusually cold. My favourite part of this game was for sure my roast battle with the other team. There’s just something about playing a full male roster, winning, and chirping them, that makes my heart sing. Honestly, that game was like taking candy from a baby… but the babies are a bunch of 20 something-year-old men.
“Aubrie, we want an example of your roast!!!” you say.
Okay, the goalie let in a five-whole goal so I yelled “somebody tell that boy to close…” you get the gist, while respecting community guidelines 😉
Stay tuned to find out if we finally get a break, or if we are going on a playoff run!
That’s right ladies and gentleman! Someone call ESPN and TSN cause the Blackboard Ballers have done what once was thought impossible, beating the Kansas City Chiefs, and having a three-peat!!!
Maybe now, Taylor Swift can write songs about us, instead of Travis, since we beat him to the victory lap. WE KNOW HOW TO BALL. If you don’t get it, join the 21st century and enjoy the following song.
Also, Jimmy wanted me to add the “pickle jar” metaphor our team used to lead us to victory. Every time we stepped onto the field, Jimmy told us “pickle jar guys, pickle jar!!!” Which, I’m pretty sure means we need to play tight like pickles are to one another in the pickle jar. But I will gain more clarity on this.
But now, like a unicorn, I must spread my magic elsewhere, and contribute to my team’s playoff run.
Congrats, you stay tuned, and guess what? It paid off, because the Blackboard Ballers placed another check in the W category! Paul Rudd sums it up best:
In all seriousness, I have been having a lot of fun with my friends. There really isn’t a better group of people to work with and learn from than a group of (soon to be) elementary teachers! My soccer skills are developing, and my heart is full.. who knows, maybe next time I will even score!
The snow may have stopped us earlier this month, but NOTHING could stop our team from WINNING on February 10th!!!!
Securing this first win was really good for the morale of our team, and is a great way to show our team’s continuous progress and enjoyment of spending even more time together… because 6 hours a day of classes just isn’t enough.
Taff, one of our superstars (que Mary Katherine Gallagher), scored a hat trick! Some of our teammates were “bulldozed”, some were defensive gods, and me, well, I was the spirit of the team, if you will.
Ok hyperlinknig it wasn’t enough, please see the Mary Katherine Gallagher reference:
The Blackboard Ballers are stoked to be back at it tonight, so stay tuned for next weeks update!
*Sigh* I moved away from Alberta to avoid the two seasons of construction and snow. For some reason, it has followed me to Victoria!
Because of this, our soccer game was cancelled. Therefore, I was not able to practice my soccer skills with my team. But have no fear, I was still engaged with soccer! I decided to watch a movie, and take tips from none other than Will Farrell.
Now, before you judge this comedy icon and question if he can actually play soccer and if this was a rash decision for me to make, turns out, he loves soccer, and has been known to get out and play with pros!
He has also even talked about his children’s soccer on the Ellen Show.
On Monday, we had our second soccer game of the season. There were many improvements from our first game! I now knew where I was on the field and what that meant my role was (at least in the context of my team). I strongly to prefer being the right winger.
Unsuprisingly to those that know me, my favourite part of playing soccer has been hanging out with my friends, and trash talking the other team, in a respectful friendly way ;). One time in ringette, I convinced my team to cheer for the other team, like the video below, and it is now a goal of mine to convince my soccer team to also do it!
Now the update you’ve been waiting for: no, we did not win our soccer game. We were winning for awhile, and it made my heart sing to see fragile egos shatter of the field. Sadly, they pulled ahead of us and we lost 5-3. But an almost win, that wasn’t in the double digits, is a win!
I did worry less about my knee, I made at least a half decent pass, and I may not understand all positions, but I knew mine meant I ran up the right side of the field!
Next time, I hope to spend more time on the field, and enjoy the vibes of my friends. Making another good pass would be good!
On Monday, the Blackboard Ballers had our first game as a team; it was also probably the first time I’ve kicked a soccer ball since junior high. I had no idea what to expect from this soccer game, and at the start I truly felt like the little kid in the red vest pictured above (both because I was nervous and because it was cold).
As the ref blew the whistle to start the game, I had a moment of realization where it dawned on me that I know NOTHING about soccer: I did not know the positions let alone the rules of the game. Thankfully, my teammates gave me a quick rundown of the positions and the ‘dos and donts’ of soccer. Although UVic’s rules are slightly different, this PDF of 7on7 McGill Soccer Rules was very helpful helping me solidfy my understanding after the game.
I’ll be honest, I am still confused by the positions of soccer, at least in the 7on7 intramurals soccer, when it seems we are letting everyone run anywehre and everywhere like loose chickens!
The expereince I did not expect to occur duirng this game was having an eleemnt of fear of injury. A fun fact about me is that when I was 15 years old, I tore my ACL, MCL, LCL, and Medial Meniscus; all of which were reconstructed from my hamstring. Today, I really only ever notice my knee when the weather is changing and the tiny piece of titanium makes my knee ache. It has never been a barrier in sports for me. For some reason, during this soccer game, I found myself really concerned about my knee and colliding with another player. It probably didn’t help that they were all men with a foot of height on me though!
Finally, I’ll tell you what you are really curious about. We lost 14-8… not bad!
My goals for the next game: learn the positions, make a really good pass, worry less about my knee, and…. WIN.
For my free inquiry project I have decided that this is a great opportunity to reflect on, and make the most of the soccer journey I am taking with some of my cohort. Secret time: I have always disliked soccer, but, I have a intense FOMO.
What is My Motivation?
In April, I will be completing my 6-week practicum and I know that there are subjects I have to teach that I am not particularly passionate about. So although this soccer experience is also a fun challenge for me to learn new skills with my friends, it is also an opportunity to get better at learning to enjoy things I am not good at.
With that in mind, my questions based on my interest and curiosity surrounding learning Swedish include:
How dificult is it to unlearn the idea of disliking a sport I do not excel at?
Is throwing myself onto an intramural team a great idea, or will it reinforce my feelings?
How do I sit in the uncomfortable feeling of playing a sport in my 20s that I refused to play as a child, and have fun?
Next Steps
On Monday, our team, the Blackboard Ballers, will be playing Sikh and Destroy. Sadly, I was unable to make it to the first “kickaround” so I will be going into this first game with zero foundation… I even had to borrow cleats for the first game… wish me luck!
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