Goalie Tryout - Jennifer

I had been having butterflies floating around in my tummy at the thought of having to put on goalie gear and get on my knees to block the shower of tiny but FAST little floorballs. =S But come the moment I arrived at Tg. Aru community hall, I was um, still scared-lah. Hahaha.

I was super blessed to be goalie this week 'coz I had not 1, not 2, but 5 'coaches'! Since Leonard, 'resident goalie trainer' was busy as the new kids' floorball coach,

1. Ann showed me how to suit up. She even shared her brand new gloves with me! =)
2. Shawn taught me the basics of how to warm up and some other basic moves.
3. Then Felix came to share tips on how every goalie has his/her own different styles. He pointed it out throughout the training, and opened my eyes to the many things I never noticed as a field player.
4. CK (Ivan) helped with practical pointers on how to do the stuff that SOUNDS easy.
5. After the kids' were tired out, Leonard taught me how to determine which was my 'stronger' side and thus which side to focus on, and lots more.
(and Eeleen taught me how to de-suit without breaking the knee pads..)

What I've learnt?

• That putting on the Goalie Helmet meant diving into a whole new world. Personally, it felt like I was in a virtual reality video game; with the helmet bars on top of everything in my view and the helmet framing my view of the court.
• That being goalie is more mentally than physically tiring. I quote Felix, "Being a field player is like Arghh!!, and being a goalie is like AiEyargh!!!" It was a real challenge for me to keep track of EVERYTHING that was going on on court, and then predict what was going to happen next.
• Then there's the challenge of overcoming my disappointment every time a floorball shoots pass me and goes into the cage (which was quite often, =S). But Leonard said that's just one of the things about goalie-ing. And everyone has his/her own way of dealing with it. =)
• Sliding all over the floor on your knees is NOT as simple or fun as it looks. But hey, if I (sorta) got the hang of it (after countless balls shooting past me), anyone can! ;)

It was a really cekap experience for me to look at a floorball game from another view point. And at the end of the day, ask me if I want to continue being goalie and I'll reply that I can't say for sure. Why? A simple 2 hour trial is not enough!

Me: in my "defeated goalie pose"

Training Schedule for November 2009 at Tg Aru Community Hall

1st November 2009 - No Training
8th November 2009 - Ultimate Frisbee (3pm - 6pm)
15th November 2009 - Floorball Training
22nd November 2009 - Ultimate Frisbee (3pm - 6pm)
29th November 2009 - No Training

Goalie Tryout - Sharain Liew

honestly, i was rather reluctant to be goalie. i was already thinking
of ways to escape and thinking of good excuses..emm..sakit la, sibuk
la, takut la blablabla. thankfully i kept my mouth shut. oso coz the
longer i waited the more anxious i become. anyhow i'm glad i went
through it and it wasn't as bad as i tot it was...whew...

the toughest was overcoming my fear of the ball, scared of it hitting
my face even with the helmet on. i dont mind it slamming into my hands
or shoulders just don't kena my face. anyhow thanks to leonard and
anne and encouragement from our former gal goalies it was not scary
especially once i got the flow of things. flicking of fast balls was
bearable but the best of it all. and oh ya i learnt something realy
important. never use your hands or arms in blocking the ball at the
side of the goal cage. not only is it less effective oso a higher
chance of injury. no wonder goalies have body vests.

i oso have come to realy realy respect and apreciate our goalies
effort. realy huge responsibility on their shoulders. like what
leonard said; its ok if you get hurt, it hurts when you don't get
hurt.hahah. so true...

i don't know if its compulsory for goalies but get long socks or a
knee guard to cover your knee..kneeling and moving on your knees realy is 'burning' due to the roughness. if not for the pain i could've
continued for the last 30 minutes.

guess that's all for now. short and sweet right. best wishes to our
next goalie and the goalies to come. an experience not to be missed.

Goalie Tryout - Eeleen

As easy as a goalie's job may seem, let me tell you: IT IS NOT!!!!!!
I've always had great respect for goalies 'cause they're the last man of defense when the team fails to do their part. And when a goal is conceded, the feeling and the courage a goalie must have to pick up the ball from his/her own cage, sometimes it's unbearable. And after 3 hours of goalie tryout last Sunday at training, I have the utmost admiration for all you goalies in the floorball world out there. =)

Well, I'm not gonna leave much advice here 'cause I think Sham and Cynthia already did a very good job listing down the things one needs to prepare for goalie tryout (read their previous posts). And as for the skills and basics for a goalie, Leonard is definitely more qualified than me to tell you everything you need to know.

I had fun. That's for sure. =) And one thing I learn that day is that one has to have the passion to be a floorball goalie. When the passion is there, you'll be good at it. Same goes to all floorball players.

Lastly, I wanna give special thanks to:
Shawn - for giving me a chance to feel how a goalie feels
Leonard - for mentoring and encouraging even when I performed badly
Sham - for your shoes which life I ended. Sorreeeeeeeeeeeee...=(
and to Nomads & Butterfly - Thanks for giving me a great game and a good experience. =)

P/s: To the next person who's gonna use the knee guard, if you see a 1.5cm to 2cm hair stuck to your knee when you take the knee guards off, know that I'm not the one who "donated" it. It's from the person who used the knee guard before me. Shhhhhhhhh... No mentioning of names. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! =) Hehe.

Eeleen =)