Season-Opener Tonight!

With our first game tonight, it's a wonder I was able to go through all three of my classes and pay any attention to the tasks at hand. However, I seemed to do alright. With all my academic duties over and done with, I'm now able to begin re-focusing on getting prepared for our away game at Johnson & Wales.

After a decent practice yesterday which we went over a couple new plays, I went home, did some light stretching, talked to a few people back at home, and did some reading before slipping into bed around 12:30. Woke up at 8 am, did some laundry, prepared my bag (camera, tripod, socks, shoes, ipod, ib profun, roller stick, calf stretcher, you name it, it's probably in my bag), and listened to some music while doing visualization.

Visualization has really helped me since I began using it. The book "Mind Gym" by Gary Mack really peaked my interest in doing it, and since starting to do it, I've found myself much less anxious when the first whistle blows, as I'm much more mentally prepared to do my job. I highly suggest any athlete try spending 5-10 minutes before they go to sleep visualizing themselves performing successfully, detailing everything as much as possible.

Once we get in the van, I'll most likely throw my Ipod on, and read the first half of the trip. When we get within 20 minutes, I'll start to do some more visualization. Some players like to be more social before games, but I like to have a bit of self-reflection, leaving the interaction for the van ride back, hopefully celebrating a victory. Once we arrive, I get dressed, do some pre-game stretches I prefer on my own, then get ready to do the team stretches. By the time the game's ready to start, I'm ready to battle.

Johnson & Wales is what I'd describe as a "middle-tier" team. We've had some close games with them, but I believe we've won every set we've played against them since the time I've been at Newbury. They have some size, as well as an outside with a cannon of a shoulder, but I believe our advantage in the depth department will prove to be too much for them. Still, you can't underestimate any opponent, as it's all about who plays better for the 3-5 games you're on the court, not necessarily who looks better on paper.

The guys are fired up. We've worked extremely hard all pre-season, and look forward to seeing the benefit once we hit the court tonight. I'm sure I'll be on tonight with a brief recap. Wish us luck!