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"