elated humiliation, redux

who knew i had masochism in my blood? practice was another great experience of learning what i can't do...yet. it was a queens' practice and i was clearly a skater-in-waiting spending a good portion of the practice cleaning the floor. guilla tina ran practice with some very creative drills. the jammer drill was the toughest for me. each of us assumed the jammer position once and had to try to skate through the pack. everyone else was an opposing blocker. i suck. ida slapter did observe that when i go "low and wide" and "bend my knees", i also lean too far forward. jeez, you'd think a personal trainer/ ex-gymnast could have figured that out for herself. thanks, ida. try-outs are next saturday. sunday, we will be assigned teams. i have that horrible feeling just before kickball picks that i could go last....a leftover girl. sigh. i have a week to continue improving. the comradery is contagious. i have never been in a large group of girls sans some bickering, back-stabbing or jealousy. the support for each other is so refreshing. any criticism is constructive and delivered in a positive manner. coach pain has encouraged this from the beginning. he and the queen mother offer a very non-threatening environment with exceptional coaching. needless to say but i'll say it anyway, their rink is my castle. time to ice the bruises before practice tonite. just skate it, bella d, dns