Laughing about Mistakes

It all started on a dreary fall day freshman year of field hockey at Carrie Ricker field. There was a JV games after varsity. So when it came time to play the JV game started it was colder and the sun was disappearing through the trees. Now the game just started. Everyone was in the stops ready to go. Most of the game time I spent standing there waiting for some action but the game went on. Before I knew it became ten minutes until the end of the game. The other team just got an advantage. Now the ball is was heading in my direction.They flew by the offense players like the speed of light and got to the top of the circle. It was one defender and I against the other team forward player. I said to the other defender ¨I got it¨ but the defender did not hear me in time. I tried to move out of the way of the defender but it was to let. At the end we did not have enough time to get out of each others away and we collided with each other. I fell to the ground with my helmet flying off my head. It felt like I just played tackle football. I got up has fast has I could because I was so embarrassed of what has happen. The referee asked if I was okay and I started yes but I was lying. The game went on for the last nine minutes( which felt like hours).The games finally end and e end up losing the game 0-6. At that time I did not care about losing because I was embarrassed of what happen. The defender and I kept on apologizing for tackling each other and still do to this day.

That was not the only game were something like that has happen to me. During middle school we had a home game at the same field and I was starting goalie. On that warm day the game was on the away. We were doing good in the first half. I did not see the ball at all during the half and I was a good thing. Then the second half started the other team was off to the right start and the ball started to come to my side of the field. I was ready but before the went for a goalie it are players foot. That meant they got an penalty corner. When the penalty corner started they were able to take the shot off. It was coming at me and I stop the shot. When I looked up I could not find the ball. It just disappeared without a trace. I had no clue where the ball went. We looked and looked for the ball. We was wondering where the ball was. It was not behind the cage or in the crowd. It did not go under the fence or in the woods. When I found it. It land in my padding. All that time we looked for the ball and I had it this whole time. When I tired to stop the ball it in the air got caught in the gear. On that day I learn that if the ball lands in my gear I get a penalty stroke call on me. Which means it is one on one with the goalie. The good news was that I saved the ball that day. Also I never let the ball get stuck in my padding again because I would have to run in my goalie gear.

It is times likes this that I look back and just laugh about it. Things I was so embarrassed about because it looked like I was playing tackle football on the field. The defender and I laugh about today how we thought we was playing football. After it happen I learn my lesson and started to talk with the field players. Also made sure they could hear me. Now am not the only goalies that make mistakes. When I watch Olympics the goalies have problems to just like I did. They just get up and laugh it off. The defender was there when the ball went missing. We both can just laugh about are mistakes. So now looking back I can joke around with the defense player and laugh about what happen that day.

Photo by steveritchie on Foter.com / CC BY-NC