Dutchland Game

So, first game captaining.  First game in a while playing blocker-only. At this time, I made a choice to travel a fair bit in the off-season for work, my dad was getting worse, and I also had booked a vacation two years ago, before I had any idea what SCAR's schedule was. So collectively I was at close to minimum hours, and therefore did the honorable thing and set myself up not to play full strength in terms of assignments/minutes.  I was designated as an alt. Jammer, but not actually used despite playing fairly well in that role in the practices leading up to the game.

In general, looking back at the game and seeing photos and video, I did better than I thought at the time.  I still have lots to work on.

We lost in the last jam by a small margin, but overall I'm pleased with how we did things.

As a captain:

I wish I had been more deliberate and specific in talking out the logistics of the game, such that we collectively were more equipped to act on changing conditions.
I think I did a good job of talking with my teammates about their specific concerns and challenges, and being receptive to their feelings.  Also, choosing rosters and alts was challenging, and I think I did a reasonably good job of it.

As a blocker:
Meh. Not bad.
TOO MANY PENALTIES!  I was second among the team in penalties per jam.
AWESOME VTAR!  I led the team in VTAR, meaning that despite my penalties we scored more points with me playing than we scored while anyone else was playing.
So much touching!  We truck & trailers, bulldozed, whipped and cannon balled really well.
We didn't do such a great job kaleidcoping, either holding onto each other or rotating.
We didn't do all the things.  We did do many of them.   For myself, I really want to improve how I approach power jams as a blocker.  Less talk, more rock.

Goodbye, Dad

My Dad died. It sucked. I was away for a week, with the kids, as my dad died, and I'm glad I did it, but I feel foggy and like I'm struggling back to reality.  It was very quick -- I cancelled a business trip to get down there and that was the right decision, as he was unconscious before I would have gotten there otherwise.  We were able to talk a bit, which was good, and he went out the way he lived, in control for the most part and assertive, and with him making the most of a tough situation.  I'm so glad that he had his heart transplant in 1997, and we've been able to have a lot of good years. But I still miss him.

My goal this week is to more or less put one foot in front of the other.  Next week, I am planning to work on getting back to or implementing higher standards/more ambitious things for myself.

Off-skates This Week

SCAR doesn't have access to Penn Skates this week due to events that take the skating floor, so we've been having meetings and rules discussion in their place, and a league meeting.

Good:

• I feel like I'm like 90% on my awareness and understanding of the rules, broadly, and things like clock management.
• Also, I'm not taking the week off from exercise. I'm just getting alternate forms of it, because we've got a game soon!

Not so good:

• I am sometimes either bad at executing them in the moment or not great at being assertive about what I think would be most effective -- judgment that is sometimes even more evident to me in retrospect.  It helps that I am captaining Plan B, but I still struggle to be as aware and capable as I can be in the moment.
• I'm not playing as active a power jam strategy as I could be. For one, even though I know this, I stopped dragging the pack back.  

To work on:

• Systems or practices that help me work with the rest of SCAR to take advantage of my relatively solid knowledge of strategy and rules.
• More active power jam strategy -- both discussing it with my team and implementing/leading with it myself.

Gym this week

We're off skates this week due to an event at the rink,  so this week has been heavy on strategy and watching tape. More I  that later -- it's interesting to me setting what happened vs. What I perceived at the time.  

However,  I also resumed full length gym workouts,  including intervals on the ergometer. I'm trying to target my core and really tax those muscles.   We'll see how it goes.

Church Today

Man, I sucked!  I was exhausted after driving through the night and I sucked a ton of wind.  But the important thing, I suppose, is that I went, right?

Good: Tried new strategies, didn't give up.

Bad: It was kind of a hot mess,

To work on: We have a week without rink access, and it's going to be key to get workouts in separately.

Update on my dad, and family

The health update on my dad is not good. Cancer. Advanced.  Not cureable, but treatable. We are now waiting for more direction, on options and timelines and all that fun stuff.  I'm likely going on a quick visit next week.

Meanwhile, my brother and family are apparently dissatisfied with their accommodations, which they enjoy rent-free thanks to my parents.  Poor timing, idiots.

Monday Practice

Back after a week on the high seas, where we actually skated on board!  Feeling not entirely back to my land legs and having a hell of a time with track boundaries, but otherwise not bad.

Coaching feedback:

1. Too many penalties!
2. Abandoning the kaleidoscope is bad.

Note to self:

1. Slow the fuck down.
2. Talk.
3. Say thank you.

Wednesday Practice

The Good:
Won about 75% of my jams.
Kaleidoscoped pretty decently.
Communicated pretty well in my first practuce as captain, and with my co-captain.

The Bad:
Lost 25% of my jams.
I was very stiff.  Agility was challenging.
Always got to improve on speed control.
The team could work on communication, speed control, and reforming.

To Work On:
Jamming-related agility.

Family Comes First

My dad is sick. Very sick.  He has been on vacation in Florida for a while, but got what appeared to be bronchitis and it didn't improve.  So he eventually had to go home to Chattanooga, where the small local hospital proposed some fairly extreme intterventions that were stressful in the extreme. So now he's in the cardio ICU at Emory.