Woodside Word 3
Well paint me blue and hang me from the ceiling by the seat of my pants, Blues volleyball made the playoffs. It sure was exciting. Down five points, if my memory serves me correctly, in the fifth set against Windsor, Matt ‘Stuffanoff’ decided he didn’t want to lose and just clamped down on the Windsor offence.
He blocked everything the Lancers hit our way. It was borderline impressive. We went on the win the set, match, and secure our playoff berth in the quarter-finals. I believe Matt finished the match with some absurd number of stuff blocks. Windsor is going to have nightmares of his gorilla mitties in front of their faces.
This was my first varsity playoff experience. It feels much the same as a regular road trip, save the gravity of the impending match. Put up in a hotel for the night, eating out, and reviewing game tape.
Reviewing game tape is an interesting experience. You feel like a much better athlete than you appear on camera. In a match, every point you score feels like the most amazing play ever, but on tape it seems so ordinary. It makes your mistakes so much more embarrassing too, and it doesn’t help that they are accompanied with their own fair share of ribbing from the team elders. It’s all in good fun though and helped to loosen the air a bit, I found.
Our quarter-final opponent was Queen’s, a team that we took to five sets in our own gym two weeks ago in a match that we feel we should have been able to win. The result in Kingston was not similar. What was so incredibly frustrating about the match - was that personally. I felt we were as prepared for any match we played all season. In warm-up the atmosphere was good: serious and crisp. The match did not reflect that in any way, shape, or form and we paid for it. I have been told that is the nature of sport but in no manner do I believe we deserved our fate.
The 2010-2011 season seems a long, long way away right now and this past season seems to have occurred in the blink of an eye. This whole sentiment in the aftermath of the past six months is, although most likely altered by the current sting of our still recent ousting, leaves me wanting more. More matches and more opportunities. But when you get down to it, it will always be the good memories that stick with you: the freestyle rap sessions on the bus rides home, the incessantly entertaining team meals, and the truly earned victories, among others.
I must add that I am exceedingly proud to be Canadian after these past two weeks. The hockey tournament was nothing short of mesmerizing and we all knew that our boys and girls in red and white would get the job done. It is so satisfying to have won those gold medals.
Congrats to the ladies’ team, who captured the OUA banner this past weekend! Well done girls, you deserve it.
Well I feel I am on the brink of coherency, and on that note
Woodside Out
(I smell a Year in Review)
