People would say," Girls don't play hockey. Girls don't skate". I would say," Watch this!"~ Hayley Wickenheiser, four time Olympic Gold Medalist.
Chelsea Evans has had one rough start to her life ever since she graduated high school and left her fa...
Today was the day I have been waiting for the past 3 days. Today was tryout day, and I was just a ball of nerves right now. I mean I've been to tons of tryouts before in my lifetime, but they were never this big or important before. Like I have a shot at playing in the 1980 Winter Olympics! Its crazy to even think about.
I had to give it my all today and I was not letting any boys show me up either. This was my one and only chance of following my dream. It was either now or never.
If I failed and didn't make the first cut, I was done for. No one else is going to want to hire a female hockey player to play for them or at least this late, considering the season starts up next week! Plus I didn't have the money to play for a team right now since I can't get a scholarship this late in the year. Well, I'm sure you could, it's just very rare. So pretty much were I'm getting at here, is that I cannot screw up!
I left home yesterday at 10 am and it take a full day of driving to get to Colorado. There was a lot of cool things that I got to see on the drive, but after around 6 hours of driving, you got bored quick.
I slept in the back of my jeep last night and regret it because I am so stiff right now. I woke up this morning bright and early and am back on the road. Tryouts started at 1:00 this afternoon and according to my dad, I should be in Colorado by 11:00. I was beyond exhausted, and am really hungry, but no restaurants or diners were open yet.
Dad told me that it would've been smarter to fly out but I didn't want to waste money on a plane ticket. Plus I've never flown before and the idea of that was terrifying.
With all this driving, I've had a lot of time to think about my life and what I was doing with it. I got even more nervous for trying out for the Olympic team when I was told Herb Brooks was going to be the Head Coach.
Everybody who play college hockey knows the name Herb Brooks. He's coached the Minnesota Golden Gophers for years and has won many National Championships. I've heard stories about Herb and from what I know of him, is that he is was one tough coach. But I was looking forward to meeting him. Herb can really help me improve as a hockey player...that is if I make the team.
I have really grown as a hockey player over the years, doing many power skating camps in Canada that focus hard on skating. I am fast and strong on my skates and my shot and flexibility on the ice are just as strong. I also used to play La Crosse in high school and this has helped me with my passing and stick handling.
Even though this tryout is kinda random and I feel unprepared, I know that I have enough experience and that I won't look like a total fool out there. Plus I'm still in shape from the summer training I did at Buffalo.
I've also had more time to think about Buffalo and if I made the right decision by quitting. I ask myself why did I quit, because my future was more secure at the University, then it is right now.
I was going to major in sports medicine or something along those lines. I thought it was going to be awesome going into the medical field, having dreams of becoming a physiotherapist or sports doctor one day, but I had to give up..since I left the school.
Anyways....
I parked my jeep into a Starbucks and grabbed my duffel bag, going to the washroom to change and freshen up. I grabbed a clean pair of underwear and a bra and put those on. I put on my jeans that I just bought earlier this summer with Lindsay and I put on a thin white shirt. It was the middle of summer and it was very hot today.
I slipped on my brown sandals and came out of the bathroom stall, looking at myself in the mirror.
I quickly ran a brush through my hair and tied it back with a bandana. I decided to leave it down for now and just let it dry on the long drive to Colorado.
( this is a picture of what Chelsea is wearing)
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I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, satisfied with my choice of wardrobe for today. I picked up my duffel bag and walked out of the washroom. I went over to the till and ordered a coffee and a english muffin for the road. Once I got my food and drink, I walked out to my jeep and started driving again.
I can't wait to get to Colorado, I was already bored and I still had 6 hours to go!
