Pre-Nationals!

So guess what's coming up this week? Well if you read my title then you already know, but if you're lazy then I guess I'll tell you: Nationals are this week! This week will be an incredible experience, although it will also be very sad. Yes, it's nationals for hell's sake, but that also means it's the end of the season. So I'm really excited, but I'm also very sorrowful. For this post, I'm basically gonna just describe what's ahead of me this week. From my schedule, to teams, to pre-game stuff, to everything else; I'll describe it all in detail.

To start, we have to go over the schedule. This tournament is the Tier II Bantam National Tournament. Teams from across the U.S. come to compete in this tournament and represent their states. Now not every state has a team represent them, so around 40 teams are coming to Salt Lake City this year for the tournament. So this year, my team got a good schedule, playing teams from across the U.S.. Our first game will be against Mission Red from Arizona. This game is on Thursday morning at 11:45. This game will be interesting, because according to the US Rankings, Mission Red is 249th in the nation. My team, the Grizzlies, are 159th, so this game will be interesting. Our next game is against the Nashville Jr. Predators. This team will be much more challenging because they're ranked at 111th. We beat them last year at Nationals but this year it will be a greater challenge. Our last game for the qualifying round is against the Manchester Flames. This team is basically the same level as us, as they're ranked at 162. This game will be a really evenly-played game, and I can't wait to play this team. If we win at least two out of the three then we will move on. From there it goes into quarter finals, semis and the finals... Now for the preparation...

So in preparation for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I have to do a few things. One major thing I have to do is stay healthy. If you're sick, you obviously won't be able to play at the highest level you usually can. So to stay healthy you have to eat healthy, get to bed early and drink water. Another thing to do before the games is make sure you have all of your schoolwork done. I am a student athlete, NOT an athlete student. So if my work's not done, then I can't play in the games. One last thing to do in prep before the tournament is to shoot pucks and stickhandle. Keeping up your game before going into an actual game is imperative; if you don't keep working on your skills, they won't be present in the games you play in. So all this week I'll be studying, stayin' healthy and keeping my skills up so I can succeed in the tournament! So after this tournament I'll let you guys know how I did! Any comments on how else to be prepared would be appreciated! Talk to you soon!

A sneak peak of the National's medals...
Creds to USA Hockey