Short Week

In college, I used to love short weeks. It meant one less day of practice, sometimes one less workout (crucial for the unathletic types like me), and most importantly… the opportunity to miss class. Playing Friday was a treat.

In the pros, short weeks are a little tougher. Preparation schedules need to be adjusted, time off from work comes into play and pre-game logistics can all be different from a weekend to a weekday.

Last week was a good one for the club, as we stayed solid at home and defeated the Las Vegas Desert Dogs at Dickies Arena. It was also a big week for the blog, as Josh Medeiros accomplished the difficult task of making me seem like I know what I’m talking about. He had three goals, two of which came on difficult shots. Combined with a slick face-off goal by Tyler “Burtsy” Burton, our defense helped us get going offensively and Nicky Damude was once again stellar between the pipes.

We have earned ourselves the right to control our own destiny with five games remaining. However, that is all we have earned. One of the great stories of the NLL season this year is parity and there are a great number of teams competing for a less than a great number of playoff spots. We still have a ton of work to do.

One of the things I have tried to do with this blog is outline the experiences of a rookie in this league. With that in mind, one of the first things you learn about the NLL is that the season is long and it is a grind. College lacrosse was a great preparation, but there is still nothing like going through a full NLL season.

We started this journey as a team on Halloween weekend back in October and have gathered as a group 19 separate weekends since then. It has been so much dang fun, but obviously a grind as well.

The focus for me is to let the excitement of the playoff push outweigh the mental and physical fatigue that comes with the season. As an all-world over thinker, the mental side is especially important for me. But we have everything a competitor wants coming down the line, namely the chance to play meaningful games at the end of the season.

One of the things I have always believed about seasons and playoffs, is that the real beauty of winning is that you get to spend more time together. In college, it always revolves around the seniors, but the same is true in the pros. Some guys may retire, move on, get traded, or anything else. This is the only time that this team will be together. As we head into the stretch run, my goal is the same as it has been for years – to play well enough to extend my time with my teammates.

As any parent would know (I am not… am I allowed to use that line?) kids always will fight them hard to keep playing with their buddies and not come in for dinner. As it turns out, athletes are mostly the same. The teams that enjoy their time together, live in the moment, and focus on playing for each other are often the ones that win.

Now, we have matured enough to leave time for dinner, but the competing part still remains. I am excited to get back with the team, enjoy our time together, and compete like we know we can.

I can’t wait, hope to see you there.

Donny