Panem High School

Tryout Mishaps

After school ends for the day, with surprisingly no drama, Clove and Glimmer head to the soccer pitch for tryouts.  "Tryouts" had started over the summer, with weight lifting and agility sessions.  Now came the real test, actually playing.

"Hey, Glimmer.  Do you think I'd make a good 10?  I was watching the Women's World Cup this summer and was absolutely amazed by Rose Lavelle in the 10 spot so I figured, why not branch out and try it?" Katniss asks.

"Oh, definitely!  Just based off looks you look to be really athletic and probably have a good endurance.  And I was so happy when the US won!  Rose Lavelle's game winner was so freaking cool too.  Her left foot never ceases to amaze me," Glimmer says.

"Wait, are we discussing the USWNT?" Clove interrupts them, sounding extremely happy.

"Yep... Clove here is a bigass fan so if you ever need any info about them or soccer in general, ask her.  She's a huge soccer nerd and is even being scouted by Stanford, UNC, Virginia, and countless other colleges because last year she was a part of the U-20 World Cup even though she was only 16 and she's on the ODP State team.  Oh, she also went to France this past summer to watch the final between the US and the Netherlands," Glimmer says, nonchalantly. 

"You say that like it's no big deal!" Katniss exclaims.

"Clove is kinda a big deal around here, being a soccer star and all.  It also helps that she's been a varsity starter the past three years and a co-captain the last two," Glimmer replies.

"What can I say?  I just love soccer and all things soccer related so it's what I put a lot of my time and effort into.  It's also my best shot at a scholarship and I'd rather not have to rely on my parents for paying my tuition," Clove tells them.

"Yeah, when we see Clove in the 2027 World Cup we can say we went to high school with her," Glimmer laughs.

"Girls! Quit the chit chat!  Everyone, I want four laps around the field, go!"  Coach Enobaria shouts at them.

As everyone starts the laps, anybody with eyes can clearly see that Clove is their best player.  On the laps, she's leading the pack and doesn't even look fatigued.  She's even able to shout motivation to the rest of the team without breaking a sweat.

After the four laps, Clove and Glimmer lead the team in stretches.  They then break off into those trying out for varsity and JV.  To try out for varsity, you had to have been previously contacted by Coach Enobaria.  Katniss had been because her old coach sent footage to Enobaria and she wanted Katniss to try out for varsity.

"Alright, ladies!  I'm only allowed to have 23 varsity players so 8 of you will be cut.  Understood?" Enobaria asks.  Everyone replies "yes" and the tryouts continue.

Enobaria definitely puts the tryoutees through their paces.  She has them do simple ball control drills, like dribbling through cones, stopping and doing some kind of spin.  She also has them work on their passing because that was one of their weaknesses last year.  

During a water break, Katniss says to Clove, "Are tryouts always this tough?"

"Nah, I'm actually finding them easier than last year's.  Although, last year's don't even compare to tryouts for the U20's."

"So, being on the U20s, have you ever trained with the senior team?"

"Not yet, but I'm hoping to break through to the national team either this year or next."

"Well, I'm hoping you do because you're a really good player."

"Thanks, Kat!"

After the water break, since they have 31 players, 30 without their goalie,  Enobaria splits them into five teams of 6 and has them play a few games of 6v6.  Clove ends up on a team with Katniss and Glimmer and their team is one of the top two.  Since there's an odd number of teams, their team is sitting out right now, strategizing.

"Alright, so they're playing one forward, three mids, and two defenders.  What I'm thinking is that we go with two defenders, two mids, and two forwards.  This way we can pressure them and be aggressive offensively as long as our mids run back to help out on defense.  Got it?" Clove asks.

Her team agrees and when it's their turn to play, Clove's strategy works almost to perfection.  The one downfall comes when Clove is pressuring the defenders and sticks her foot out to try and stop a pass.  The force of the kick forces Clove's foot to bend at an unnatural angle and Clove to cry out in pain.

"AHHHHH! SHIT THAT HURTS!" Enobaria, who was on the opposite side of the field, hears Clove screaming and rushes over to her.  She checks out her foot, which has swelled in the amount of time since it happened.  She tells Clove that she'll have to go see the trainer about it and asks Glimmer and Katniss to help her there.

"I swear if this fricking ends my season and screws up my chances at a scholarship or being invited to a national team camp I'm gonna be so fricking pissed," Clove tells the two, grimacing as she says it.

"Ok, but Clove, it doesn't seem to be broken because you can put a little bit of weight on it, limping with us two holding you up," Glimmer tells her.

"Yeah, but ankle sprains can last forever and this is the ankle that was mildly sprained last year, before the World Cup," Clove tells her.

"So it's the same type of injury to the same ankle?" Katniss asks.

"Yep," Clove says simply, with another grimace.

When they get to the trainers, they examine Clove's ankle and give each other a look.  Clove notices this and asks them what's wrong.

"Clove, the swelling of your ankle and the tenderness make it seem like this is a major sprain.  I'm afraid you'll have to wear a boot for at least a month."

"A MONTH!? The season is only two months and that's counting the playoffs! You're saying I'll miss half my senior season because of an ankle sprain I got during TRYOUTS!?"

"Clove, I know this seems like the worst possible thing that could happen, but trust us when we say we'll do everything we can to make sure you're playing as soon as possible.  Because, believe us, we want to see you guys win State after losing in penalties last year.  But it's also on you to do the needed PT to get your ankle back to strength."

"So what you're saying is that if I do my PT and everything else is fine, I should be able to get back to full practices in a month?  Also, am I still allowed to go to the practices as long as I don't actually practice?  Like, if I act like a manager for the month?  Because I still wanna be a part of the team, even if I can't play." 

"Yes.  But that's only if you stick to doing your PT and don't put too much stress on it.  We also want you to use crutches with the boot."

"DONE.  You know that I'll do everything I can to get back to full strength as soon as possible.  I mean, it's my senior year.  I wanna go out with a bang and that bang will be coming back from this to help lead the team to a State victory."

"That's the spirit, Kentwell.  Now, do you have someone who can take you to the hospital?  We don't have any boots to give you and they'll just re-evaluate it and tell you the same thing we just did."

"Uh, I think tryouts should be done by now so Glimmer probably can.  And if she can't, Cato's practice finished at 5 so he should be free, unless he has a captains meeting."

"Ok, we can go out and check if Glimmer's available."

"Sweet.  Thanks!"