Tomorrow is the biggest game of my life. This is to win the state trophy, the pinnacle of any high school rugby player's career. The team has worked so hard to achieve our dream of making it this far and in reality, it doesn't feel real yet. Just last season I suffered a broken leg that cut my dreams short of making it to state and having to see the championship slip away. I just kept my idea and word of tenacity, never giving in and working my way back. Even if we lose tomorrow, knowing that I have the support of the boys and the community, will always be enough for me. More than just a team, more than just a game.
Our last game of the regular season didn't go as we hoped. We lost 7-5 and it was especially hard to see our undefeated streak go down in like that. It was a tough game with both sides on the verge of fighting but we kept our cool in such a hard situation. This Saturday is state playoffs and we are still number 1 in the state but this defeat is going to motivation for us to get in the finals. Best of luck.
Today is the hardest game of the season. Today we are going against a team that is one point behind us in the state leader board. If we want to remain as the top team this side of the state, it's right here. There is no doubt that I will have to look back at my word "tenacity" if we want to win today. At this game, we have to be able to dig deep and find that tenacity.
We recently played a team called Marshall and we happened to finish out on top with a score 27-10. It was a good game and with great elements, but with any game, you have to go to the basics. We had to remember our tackling and our basic game plan. In the end, and in every game, I always think back to my word "tenacity". It helps me to remember the task at hand and to always step up as a leader. More than ever have I been thinking about my word tenacity. Yesterday at rugby practice we trained for about 2.5 hours of almost non stop hitting and rucking drills. I now understand the phrase of "feeling like you have been hit by a bus". I'm sore everywhere and we have a gaming coming in two days time, and I hope we will be ready for the challenge. I know that during those drills and this next game, I'm going to have to think about my word more than ever.
My team has yet to be outside for practice for rugby this season. Non Stop snow and ice storms have made nearly impossible for us to go outside so we have been confined to simple ball handling skills in a school gym. We have about two weeks until our first game, so I have decided to finally go outside and and run. In rugby we have no breaks or pauses, so an athlete must be able to run for long periods of time with hundreds of small bursts of speed. Today I'll be running a simple four miles, just get my cardio up and get some fresh air. While running today I'll think about my word tenacity and remember my goal for this season, to win state finals.
I have been focussing on my game and my word, tenacity for quite some time now. I have been working in the gym every other day, eating right, and never missing practice. All this work has started to bring me some success. I have been selected unto the Michigan Rugby All-Star Team. This means that I have the opportunity to try out with some of the best players in the whole state. The All-Star will travel down to Indiana to try out for the High School All-American. My dream has started to really materialize into reality. My dream to represent the national team and be known as one of the best players in the country. All I can say is that hard work = success. Simple as that.
I recently have been getting more frustrated than ever in my workouts. I have been getting burned on too many workouts that keep promising quick results. I had the chance to visit a good friend of mine from Pittsburgh who is a power lifter. Since his senior year in high school to about 2 years later, he has gained 110 lbs. of muscle! I got a new basic workout from him and I'm excited to try something new for a change. I have to keep in mind my goals and have the constant reminder of my word tenacity and continue to strive for success on and off the field.
March is soon approaching us! We have been doing a lot of indoor training on Tuesday and Thursdays. But we must eventually make our way outside, even if we have three feet of snow on our field! I know that if my club wants to be successful, we have to be willing to put it in the hard hours. This is where my word tenacity comes in handy. My word become a constant reminder that I have to do what it takes to win. So never ending winter I think you have finally met your match.
Recently I was watching the High School All American Rugby game. USA rugby takes the best 50 players in the country and have them play in a huge game and I happened to watch it. What I saw was frankly disappointing. I saw these players make so many mistakes and it was far from a quality game. I realized that I have to continue working on my game, work on passing, kicking, tackling, and fine tune my talents. I continue to use tenacity in trying to become an All-
American and reach my goal of getting on top. |